They will not debate or discuss the maps. The committee will use the forums to gauge the public's response to the maps. After the forums, the steering committee will redraw or eliminate some maps and then hand the work to another committee. Some group members wondered aloud at how the public might perceive a forum in which the redistricting committee sits on stage and says nothing after the opening remarks. But others said committee members may not have to say much at all.
People are too anxious to say what they want to say.
Monday, committee members were anxious to express some frustration. Some committee members said the school board's decision last Tuesday to change a list of proposed school construction projects caught them by surprise. Some committee members said they designed feeder zones based on the assumption that the school board would close five elementary schools and immediately expand Northwest High School, which has twice as many students as it was designed to hold. The school board voted last Tuesday to keep open these five elementary schools open. The board also postponed indefinitely plans to double the size of Northwest High School.