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COLUMBIA, MO. -- Dozens of parents spoke out at a Columbia Public School Forum on Tuesday night.

Administrators are getting community feedback for their plans to redraw school boundary lines.

School officials are trying to educate as many parents as possible as they make room for a new high school.

Melissa Hill has a seventh grade daughter at Smithton Middle School and a fourth grade son at Paxton-Keeley Elementary School.  Like many parents at the community feedback forum, Hill wants to know where her children will be attending high school.  The opening of Muriel Williams Battle High School in the fall of 2013 has forced school officials to draw new attendance boundaries.

Hill said, “Not everybody who’s in Rock Bridge will be able to go to Rock Bridge right now.  It’s the same way with Hickman.  It’ll be good.  There’ll be fewer numbers and it’s better for the kids all the way around.”

The forum allowed parents to ask questions about the new boundaries and if there’ll be any changes in the district’s student transfer policies.

Columbia Public School Officials are holding 8 community feedback forums on every Tuesday and Thursday this month.  They plan to hold another set of forums this fall.  School administrators hope to finalize their school boundaries about this time next year.

School Officials predict they won’t be able to please everyone.

Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education Dr. Wanda Brown said, “No matter how shiny we might build a new high school, there are people who grew up in this community and they were going to be Kewpies or Bruins.  It’s going to be a process and we want to get their input.”

Families will have nearly 19 months to know which buildings their students will attend before the reorganization is complete in August of 2013.

To view a PowerPoint presentation of the feedback forum, click on the link below.