Parents-and even some elected officials-are pleading with the Wake County school board to rethink its student reassignment plan.

The mayors of Cary and Apex were among the dozens of people who spoke out Monday night at Apex High School, during the first of five public hearings on the plan to reassign about 25,000 students over the next three years.

They told the board they believe too many students are assigned out of their nearby neighborhood schools, to fulfill the school board's goal of reducing the number of low-income students in other school populations.

"I talked to many of these parents, and they all value economic diversity. That's not the issue," said Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht. "But they believe there are better ways to implement economic diversity."

Keith Weatherly, mayor of Apex, suggested the school system provide incentives for successful teachers to teach at low-performing schools and redistribute resources instead of busing students.

"Students should be assigned on the basis of proximity, either closest or next closest," Weatherly said. "This will ensure to the greatest extent possible that siblings and neighborhoods will not be separated."

School board member Eleanor Goettee, said the reassignment plan balances a number of factors, including filling new schools and relieving overcrowding in others.

"Distance is a factor, but there are some areas that are much more densely populated," she said. "Being close to a school doesn't mean it can accommodate all the neighborhoods."

But the distance from home to school was definitely on the minds of a vocal group of families from a handful of neighborhoods on the border of Cary and Apex. The plan calls for them to be reassigned from nearby Apex High School to Athens Drive High in Raleigh.

Becky Darby, an Apex High School junior, said she's worried about having to start over at a new high school, because there's no guarantee she'll be grandfathered-in to stay at Apex.

"I know people here," Darby said. "This is my home away from home. You're moving me to another school and expecting me to do just as well, and that just won't happen.

 The Wake County Board of Education is holding four more hearings on the reassignment plan in January. Those who wish to speak at one of the hearings can register to do so online or by phone.  Comments can also be submitted through the school system's website. Click here for more information.