Round Rock ISD held the first of three public forums Wednesday regarding its proposal to redraw attendance areas for its Cedar Valley, Chisholm Trail, Deerpark and Walsh middle schools.

Wednesday's event at Cedar Valley Middle School drew several hundred attendees.

RRISD officials presented a plan to redraw the areas during a Sept. 15 board of trustees meeting in anticipation of the scheduled opening of Pearson Ranch Middle School in August 2017.

A demographer's recommendation to redraw portions of all the district's middle school boundaries drew opposition from parents in several neighborhoods, although district officials later chose to leave existing areas in place for the Canyon Vista, C.D. Fulkes, Grisham, Hernandez, Hopewell and Ridgeview middle schools.

Here are a few things to know about how these forums work:

Why is RRISD doing this? 

District officials say they need to create a new attendance area in order for the future Pearson Ranch Middle School to build a student body. Attendance areas determine the schools that students attend based on their home addresses.

The district is also using the process to try to ease overcrowding, particularly in its Cedar Valley and Walsh middle schools.

District policy requires at least two public hearings before changes are made to school attendance areas, although the board of trustees can schedule additional hearings.

Matt Groff, principal at Cedar Valley Middle School, told attendees Wednesday that the forums were a chance to gather public feedback on the demographer's recommendation.

"We're in the first stages," Groff said. "We're in the phase of receiving information."

How are the forums run? 

District officials organized Wednesday's forum by first screening a four-minute video that presented highlights of the proposed changes, then taking comments.

Attendees who wished to speak were asked to sign up prior to the forum's start.

Each speaker was given three minutes to talk, although if the speaker represented a group of three or more, the time limit was increased to five minutes.

Corey Ryan, RRISD's executive director of communications and community relations, said the process was similar to one used for public comment periods at board of trustees meetings.

What are people saying?  

Most but not all speakers Wednesday were critical of the district's proposal, with much of the criticism centered on how proposed changes could break up RRISD's school feeder patterns.

According to the district's proposal, Pearson Ranch Middle School could potentially draw students from the Brushy Creek, Elsa England, Forest North, Great Oaks and Patsy Sommer elementary schools, then send students to the McNeil, Round Rock and Westwood high schools.

An additional proposed change would have some students at Old Town Elementary School, who currently move on to Walsh Middle School, attend Chisholm Trail Middle School instead.

Several parents said Wednesday that they worry changes to attendance areas would uproot their children from their friends and teachers.

When will a decision be made? 

RRISD trustees are expected to vote Nov. 17 on the proposal. District staff will present a final recommendation to trustees on Oct. 20.

Any changes to attendance areas would take effect before the 2017-18 school year, Ryan said.

The proposal does not include changes to areas for RRISD's elementary schools or high schools.

What happens next? 

Two more forums are scheduled before district officials make their final recommendation.

The events will take place at Chisholm Trail Middle School on Sept. 28 and at Walsh Middle School on Sept. 29. Both are scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. in the schools' cafeterias.

RRISD is also taking comments on its website.