Boston Public Schools officials plan to roll out several proposals to refit the school assignment policy on Monday by presenting options to a mayorally appointed advisory committee at the Frederick Pilot Middle School on Columbia Road at 6 p.m.

“They’re going to lay out three or four plans, I believe, that will be discussed,” Mayor Thomas Menino told the Reporter this week. “And after they get back the feedback on that and maybe some adjustments, they’ll go to a plan that the school committee will eventually approve.”

The current system divides the city into three zones for elementary and middle schools: North, East, and West, with Dorchester and Mattapan largely in the East Zone. Students are assigned to schools based on the zones and a random lottery. The plans, which seek to improve on a system that is a frequent source of frustration among parents, will keep high schools citywide and will be phased in over time.
According to BPS, they will tweak and update the proposals in October and November, after the 27-member advisory committee weighs in and the public offers input at community meetings.

The timeline has Superintendent Carol Johnson proposing a final plan to the School Committee in December. The School Committee, which is also mayorally appointed, plans public hearings on the proposal and a final vote during early next year.

In talking with the Reporter, Menino, who promised to overhaul the student assignment process in his State of the City address earlier this year, said, “I think what we’re going to see is a plan that speaks to quality of our schools and choice, that’s what parents are looking for these days. We’re not perfect, let me just tell you that, but we’ve made a lot of progress over the last couple of years. Our school system has improved.”

During a recent sit-down with the mayor and neighborhood reporters, one journalist pointed to low attendance at some of the public meetings on the student assignment overhaul over the summer. Said Menino: “Some nights they have 100 people, some nights they have 30. They won’t get aroused about this until October. That’s when everybody is ‘Oh, My God.’ That’s when they wake up.”

School district officials say 2,300 families have weighed in with ideas at community forums and online. They’ll have a chance for more input from the end of this month through mid-October.

A public meeting is planned at Burke High School on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m., and another on Sept. 30 at the Teen Center at St. Peter’s on Bowdoin Street. Ten other dates have been released so far, including Sun., Sept. 30 (1:30 p.m.) at the Teen Center at St. Peter’s); Tues. Oct. 9 (6 p.m.) at the Mildred Ave. K-8 School); and Thursday, Oct. 11 (6 p.m.) at the Dever McCormack School).

More information is available on bostonschoolchoice.org. The options will be available online after Sept. 25, according to the school department.