LEWISTON — Martel Elementary School parents and other community members are invited to offer their input on which students should fill a new school that will replace Martel Elementary in the fall of 2017.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at Martel Elementary on Lisbon Street.

The Lewiston School Redistricting Committee, which is charged with giving recommendations on Jan. 31, is considering six options:

* Make Farwell and Longley a prekindergarten-to-grade-two school, and the new school for grades three through six for existing Longley, Martel and Farwell students.

* Combine Longley and Martel students at an expanded Longley school.

* Combine Longley and Martel students at a new site.

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* Replace Martel at a new site, and renovate Longley.

* Make Longley a prekindergarten and kindergarten school with grades one through six in a new school population.

* Expand the Martel school district to ease overcrowding at other schools. Longley would be renovated.

Before making any recommendation, “we want to wait and see what parents have to say,” Redistricting Committee Chairwoman Linda Scott said. She is on the School Committee. “It’s important we make sure we hear from everybody. That’s why we have two parents from every school on the committee.”

The school that will replace Martel will hold 600 students. Before plans are made for its location and which students will attend, the Redistricting Committee is charged with making recommendations to the School Committee.

Since Lewiston’s student population is growing at about 100 a year, it’s important to make good plans, Scott said.

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“We don’t want to build a new school for 600 kids and have it full the first day,” she said.

She expects a good crowd of Martel parents at this and other parent meetings.

The first parent meeting was held at Longley on Oct. 9. Longley parents who attended asked that the new school be built downtown so students would be able to walk to school, since many households lack transportation.

Other parent meetings are: McMahon School, 6 p.m. Oct. 29; Geiger School, 6 p.m. Nov. 12; Montello School, 6 p.m. Nov. 13; and Farwell School, 6 p.m. Nov. 18.

For more information, visit the Redistricting Committee’s website, https://sites.google.com/a/lewistonpublicschools.org/lewiston-public-schools-redistricting/purpose.

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