By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Alabaster students will return to school and will get out for summer on the same days as their Shelby County counterparts, but will have some differences during the school year after the Alabaster Board of Education approved the city’s school calendar on March 10.

During the meeting, the School Board voted unanimously to approve the school system’s 2014-2015 calendar, marking the first time Alabaster students will not have the same calendar as the Shelby County School System.

Alabaster School Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers said he compiled the calendar using feedback from a committee composed of ACS employees.

“We still have some connection to the start date and end date with Hoover and Shelby County, but our calendar is a little different in a couple of areas,” Vickers said during the March 10 meeting.

The most significant difference will be during the week of Thanksgiving, Vickers said. While Shelby County Schools will be out all week from Nov. 24-28, Alabaster students will be out from Nov. 26-28.

Alabaster students also will return to school on Tuesday, Jan. 6, after the Christmas holidays in Alabaster. Teachers will return to work on Jan. 5 for a teacher workday.

Shelby County teachers will return on Jan. 2 for a teacher workday, and Shelby County students will return on Jan. 5.

During the 2014-2015 school year, Alabaster students will start school on Aug. 7, and will be off on Sept. 1, Oct. 13, Nov. 11, Nov. 26-28, Dec. 22-Jan. 5, Feb. 16, March 9, March 30-April 3 and April 24 before the spring semester ends on May 21.

The spring 2015 calendar also includes two weather days to use, if needed.

“We came up with a good calendar, I think,” Vickers said. “I know it will be a culture shock for some people to start a little earlier in August, but that gives us some additional flexibility throughout the year.”