COLUMBIA, MO. -- Update: Monday 8:45pm
By a vote of six to one, Columbia Public School Board members approved "Approach B" as the district's new boundary map.
The dissenting vote was made by board member Michelle Pruitt.
The changes take effect for the fall of 2013 when the new Battle High School opens.
Original story:
After a year and a half of discussions, Columbia School Board Members are expected to vote tonight on new boundary lines for their district.
Administrators said the redistricting project is one of the biggest changes in the history of Columbia Public Schools.
Not only are school officials adding a fourth high school, they also plan to change the boundary lines for all intermediate and middle level grades.
School board members want the new boundaries to balance demographics and decrease transportation problems.
However, some parents aren’t happy because some students living near Hickman High School would attend Rock Bridge High School under the proposed final plan.
Columbia Public Schools spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark said, “It’s not perfect. Nothing is ever perfect. We hope this is a good start to where we see ourselves in the future.”
School officials said the overall goal is to have boundaries that fit the sizes of their school buildings and eliminate as many trailers as possible.
A Redistricting Committee received more than 1,000 public comments on several scenarios for district boundary changes.
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