Several parents spoke last week when the Johnston County Board of Education held public hearings on proposed attendance boundaries for two new high schools. The redrawn lines would affect all of the county's high schools except Princeton.

Parents from Riverwood subdivision in Clayton and from rural areas near Kenly were most vocal during the meeting. Riverwood parents said they wanted their children to attend Clayton High School instead of the new Corinth-Holders High School. And parents from communities like Bethany and Stancil's Chapel said they wanted their kids to remain in the North Johnston attendance area.

School leaders applauded parents for being civil in their remarks. Hearings on changing school boundaries can be emotional, they said, but those who spoke last week remained calm and polite.

But that didn't mean parents were thrilled with the proposed attendance lines.

Stephen Harrington, who lives in the Riverwood community, told school leaders that he pays taxes to live in Clayton and that he wants his children to attend Clayton High School.

Harrington said schools were a factor in his family's decision to move to the area. "Now I feel like the rug has been sort of pulled out from underneath us," he said.

Other parents voiced similar concerns. Nicole Orringer, also a Riverwood resident, said her family identifies with Clayton.

Orringer said she works as a real-estate agent, and she thinks the Corinth-Holders community will grow, forcing school leaders to rethink attedance lines.

"You're going to have to redistrict in a few years," Orringer said. "And we're going to be the first ones switched again."

Some elected leaders in Clayton also asked the school board to rethink the Riverwood community. Town Councilman Michael Grannis said he's concerned Clayton High School could become like an inner-city school if neighborhoods like Riverwood are taken away.

Councilman Butch Lawter said he'd like Clayton's planning staff to be involved in the final decision about attendance boundaries.

"I have concerns about dividing our town," he said, referring to Riverwood. "I just see this as another hurdle for us."

Some residents in the North Johnston area had similar worries. Jimmy Murray said he didn't want kids who are used to small schools to attend the larger Corinth-Holders school.

"Change is a scary thing," Murray said.

Phyllis Duckworth said her family moved to the Bethany community from Archer Lodge in an attempt to escape fast growth.

"We deliberately were seeking a strong sense of community," she said.

Although her children would not be affected by the proposed change, Duckworth said some families in her church would be.

School board chairman Larry Strickland said the board "believes in preservation of community schools."

Some parents said they chose to live in Johnston instead of Wake County because they didn't want to deal with busing.

The school board heard from fewer parents about proposed boundaries for the new Cleveland High School.

Lisa Simon and her family currently live in the West Johnston High School zone. Under the proposal, she said, one child would be a senior at West next year, and the other would be a freshman at Cleveland.

Simon said she can't invest enough time or money at two schools. "It's not fair to ask that of me," she said.

Some parents raised concerns about leaving the popular band program at West. Natalie Parnell said her son, a ninth-grader, plays the baritone in the band at West.

Parnell wants her son to stay at West, where he hopes to gain an edge that will get him into the Naval Academy.

"I know he'll receive a top-notch education" at Cleveland, Parnell said. "[But] that's not all you need to get into college these days."

Dr. Ed Croom, superintendent of schools, told parents that school leaders would work to ensure students have equal opportunties at all schools.

"We understand it's emotional," Croom said. "We're just trying to do what's best for all the students of Johnston County."

To see a map of the proposed attendance lines, go to johnston.k12.nc.us.