Alabaster City Schools

Alabaster City Schools is an independent school system established by the City of Alabaster in 2011. The system currently operates six schools. The superintendent is Wayne Vickers.

History

In April 2011, the Alabaster City Council commissioned a $32,000 feasibility study of the city forming its own school district by Ira Harvey of Decision Resources. Studies had been commissioned in the past, but it had been approximately six years since the last one. Harvey delivered the study that September, finding that Alabaster was well-positioned to create its own system, but should implement a 1-cent sales tax increase to do so. After a month of discussion amongst the council and with citizens, the city council voted on October 17, 2011 to both create the school system and raise the city sales tax from 3% to 4%.

In January 2012, the city council's Education Committee began interviewing the 32 applicants for the new Alabaster Board of Education. On March 26, 2012, the first board was sworn in. It consisted of Linda Church, Melanie Shores, John Myrick, Tyrone Quarles, and former city councilor Adam Moseley. Moseley resigned from the city council to take the position, as Alabama state law prohibits one person serving in both bodies at once.

In January 2013, the board hired former Jefferson County Schools superintendent Phil Hammonds as interim superintendent. Hammonds had spent the previous six months as part-time coordinator of administrative services for the group and had retired from his position as Jefferson County superintendent the month before. By that time it had been decided that Alabaster would begin its first school year that fall. State law allowed the board to hire an interim superintendent for six months while it sought someone to fill the position permanently.

Schools

Alabaster's school system consists of two elementary schools (K-3) which feed into a single intermediate school (4-5). Students then transition through a sixth grade center before moving on to middle (7-8) and high school (9-12).

• Creek View Elementary School
• Meadow View Elementary School
• Thompson Intermediate School
• Thompson Sixth Grade Center
• Thompson Middle School
• Thompson High School

Superintendents

• Phil Hammonds (interim January 1, 2013–June 30, 2013)
• Wayne Vickers (July 1, 2013–present)

Board of Education

Alabaster Board of Education members serve staggered terms such that one member of the five-person body ends his or her term each June.

References

• Wagner, Neal. (April 21, 2011). "Alabaster funds city school district study." Shelby County Reporter. Accessed September 18, 2013.
• Kennedy, Veronica. (September 18, 2011). "Alabaster school system future hinges on tax, consultant says." The Birmingham News. Accessed September 18, 2013.
• Wagner, Neal. (October 17, 2011). "Alabaster forms school district." Shelby County Reporter. Accessed September 18, 2013.
• Drexel, Keysha. (March 14, 2012). "First school board members named in Alabaster." The Birmingham News. Accessed September 18, 2013.
• Reed, Martin J. (January 2, 2013). "Ex-Jefferson County schools leader becomes Alabaster's system interim chief." The Birmingham News. Accessed September 18, 2013.
• Wagner, Neal. (August 13, 2013). "Alabaster schools unveil logo, tagline." Shelby County Reporter. Accessed September 18, 2013.

External links

• Alabaster City Schools website