Vestavia Hills City Schools

Vestavia Hills City Schools is an independent school system established by the City of Vestavia Hills in 1970. The system currently operates eight schools and has a student population of over 6,000. The Vestavia Hills Board of Education offices are located in Wald Park at 1204 Montgomery Highway. The board meets on the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.

History

Vestavia Hills Elementary School, was constructed in the rapidly-developing community in 1948 as part of the Jefferson County School System. A middle school followed in 1967, feeding into Berry High School. Vestavia established an independent school system in 1970, breaking away from the county's system.

Desegregation

In 1971 Vestavia's schools became part of a court-mandated desegregation plan under which students from the Oxmoor Valley area of Birmingham are bused 20 miles to school in the Vestavia system. The number of students enrolled under this agreement was less than 100 until it reached 109 in 2004, 125 in 2005, and stands at 132 in 2006.

In September 2006, the Vestavia Hills Board of Education voted to ask a Federal court to grant the system "unified status" and remove it from the agreement. Students currently enrolled, as well as their younger siblings, would stay in the system through graduation under their proposal, but no new families would be enrolled from the area.¹

The board's proposal met strong objections from residents of the "desegregation area" and area politicians at a special meeting at Shady Grove Baptist Church. They argue that the desegregation agreement asks the system to strive for 25% "diversity quotient". Currently 7% of the system's students are non-white. A ruling on the board's request is expected within a year or so.²

Schools

• Vestavia Hills High School
• Liberty Park Middle School
• Pizitz Middle School
• Liberty Park Elementary School
• Vestavia Central Elementary School
• Vestavia East Elementary School
• Vestavia West Elementary School
• Cahaba Heights Elementary School

References

1. Goodman, Troy (September 20, 2006) "System wants cap on Oxmoor Valley students." Birmingham News.
2. Goodman, Troy (September 21, 2006) "Vestavia Hills desegregation plan gets fierce response." Birmingham News.

• Whiting, Marvin Yeomans (2000) Vestavia Hills, A Place Apart. Vestavia Hills: Vestavia Hills Historical Society

External links

• Vestavia Hills City Schools website