Huntsville on Thursday finally got a look at the closely guarded plans for shuffling school zone lines.

City maps and computer slides and a lengthy history lesson greeted the crowd, as more than a hundred shoehorned into the board meeting room, spilling into the halls, listening as Superintendent Casey Wardynski laid out his vision for which kids should attend which Huntsville schools.

But nothing will happen quickly.

The massive rezoning proposal – and it is nothing more than a proposal as yet – is part of the two-year effort to persuade the U.S. Department of Justice that Huntsville has come a long way since it once ran a dual system based on race.

Wardynski said the system remains in negotiations over the zone lines with the Justice Department, who sued to win that 1970 desegregation order.

If the Justice Department agrees, along with fellow plaintiffs NAACP Legal Defense, the group could take the lines before a federal judge for approval. But the Justice Department presented a counter-proposal, one that Wardysnki did not share nor discuss on Thursday.

Board attorney J.R. Brooks said he had seen the counterproposal. So did Wardysnki. But school board members said they have not seen the Justice Department counteroffer. Board president David Blair said if the Justice Department accepts the city's presentation the board may never see the Justice Department's proposed lines.

"If we cannot agree with the Department of Justice, it will be necessary for us to seek approval of our plan by the United States District Court," said Brooks, reading a written statement to the packed audience.

For months, board members have alluded to their zoning plan, as Wardynski has shared his proposal with board members and others. And board members have hinted at the plan, more recently saying Butler would close. But board members said they were not allowed to share the plan with the city because it was part of a confidential legal negotiation.

"We wanted to share the information," said board president David Blair to the audience at one point. The Justice Department recently sent a letter stating that the board could discuss their own zoning plans with the public. Blair said that freed the board to make this presentation.

Yet the government secrecy continues. "We can tell you about our plan. We can't tell you about another plan," said Wardynski to the audience. He had staff pass out copies of an email from a Justice Department attorney Sarah Hinger saying the federal counterproposals "were provided confidentially as part of ongoing settlement negotiation."

Wardynski said he hopes to end negotiation by the end of the month, and he hopes to move on most zone line changes in 2015. "We strongly believe our proposal is the best for Huntsville," he said.

Brooks told the audience there were "serious concerns" about the unseen federal proposal.

Mayor Tommy Battle spoke to pledge his support of Wardynski. So did city Councilman Mark Russell. Councilman Richard Showers expressed his continued concerns about the way the board conducts business.

The community was not given a chance to comment, causing consternation and some sniping among the audience. "When does the public get to ask questions?" shouted Casey Brown, president of the Johnson High alumni. Blair said: "Unfortunately we're running out of time."

The system will hold six meetings at the high schools starting later this month to hear community feedback. Wardysnki told the TV cameras afterwards: "If this was easy, it would have been done 43 years ago."

Here are some of the highlights:

1.

Whitesburg Middle will change perhaps more than any other surviving school, as the middle school zone is used to funnel more diversity to Grissom High. The new Whitesburg zone would trade most of it southeast Huntsville footprint for homes west of Memorial Parkway up through the McDonnell Elementary area backing onto Redstone Arsenal. Concerned parents from Whitesburg filled many seats.

2.

Butler High will be shuttered, as the board has said, and its zone carved up. This explains most shift in high school zones. Huntsville High would pick up Butler Terrace and most of west Huntsville between Governors and Bob Wallace. Columbia High picks up the area where Butler now sits. The large neighborhood portions north of University Drive would go to the new Jemison High, which will also house Johnson students. Lee and Grissom each pick up smaller portions of the Butler zone.

3.

Jones Valley Elementary and Blossomwood Elementary zones would stretch west of Memorial Parkway and pick up public housing and neighborhoods in west Huntsville.

4.

The geographic extremes won't change much. Hampton Cove and Williams and Challenger are largely untouched. Even Lee High and Providence aren't affected that much. Although Wardynski did unveil a plan to specially zone a trailer park near Morris Elementary and bus the students to Monte Sano.

5.

McDonnell Elementary will close, its students mainly divided between Chaffee and Whitesburg elementary schools.

6.

Homes in Five Points north of Pratt Avenue would no longer be zoned for Blossomwood and Huntsville Middle. They'll be sent to Chapman Elementary and Chapman Middle.

There are many more changes. Click here to see for yourself.