Unit 4 School Board Approves High School Redistricting Plan

New boundary lines to relieve overcrowding at Champaign Centennial High School won approval from the Unit Four School Board Monday night. The change will move some households from one high school to another starting next fall --- but current high school students don't have to move if they want to.

Some Champaign Central territory will go to Centennial and vice versa in the plan, which aims to make enrollment at the two high schools nearly equal, while also maintaining racial, ethnic and socio-economic balance. But Unit Four school board president Dave Tomlinson says current high school students can arrange to stay in their current school if they want to.

"And I'll make it clear", says Tomlinson, "because there was a faulty report in the media a few weeks ago, no current students --- unless they want to move --- are going to be moved. If you're in high school, you can stay in your high school".

In addition, those students' younger brothers and sisters will also be admitted to the same high school, if their high school years would overlap with their older siblings'.

Tomlinson actually voted against the new redistricting plan. He disagrees with the plan's assumption on where and when a new Champaign Central High School building will eventually go up. But he says plan that passed on a 6 to 1 vote last night is adequate to rebalance high school enrollment.

In other action, the Unit Four school board approved the initial layout plans for a new Booker T. Washington Elementary School. The north side school will be rebuilt as a science and technology magnet school. Plans to expand Garden Hills School to become an arts and performance magnet school will be voted on later this month.