Four public schools in Southwest Roanoke County with swelling enrollments have prompted school officials to propose adjusting the attendance boundaries -- an undertaking that is rarely popular with any community.

If approved, the changes won't take effect until August 2011 for elementary schools and August 2012 for secondary schools.

Two meetings to gather input are slated for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Hidden Valley High School and 7 p.m. March 8, at Cave Spring High School.

"We are listening to parents to see if there are better options," Superintendent Lorraine Lange said.

The county's two largest elementary schools, Oak Grove and Penn Forest, each enroll about 570 students, according to fall membership data from the Virginia Department of Education. The proposal to shift the attendance zones will move about 100 Penn Forest and 60 Oak Grove students to other schools.

"That will relieve some of the pressure. Penn Forest is just bulging," said Fuzzy Minnix, who represents the Cave Spring District on the school board.

The timing of the redistricting will coincide with the completion of renovation projects at Cave Spring and Green Valley elementary schools. Cave Spring Elementary will gain about 50 students, Green Valley will gain about 70 students, and Clearbrook Elementary will gain about 40 students. There is no grandfather clause for students to remain at the schools they already attend, but parents may request transfers on an individual basis.

The proposed changes to the secondary schools will move about 150 students from Hidden Valley High to Cave Spring High to balance the enrollment at each school. Affected students who attended a previous year at one of the high schools may be able to continue at that school if they are able to provide their own transportation. More than 850 students currently attend Cave Spring High and more than 1,150 go to Hidden Valley High.

The redistricting proposals follow the board's recent vote to close Bent Mountain Elementary School and transfer those students to Back Creek Elementary School. Two other elementary schools (Clearbrook and Fort Lewis) have been identified for possible closure, but school officials have said those closures likely will not happen by the start of the next school year.