By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

The Alabaster City School System will start adding air-conditioned buses to its fleet next year after the city’s School Board approved the purchases during its Feb. 26 meeting.

The School Board voted unanimously to approve a school bus bid as part of the Alabama Department of Education’s fleet renewal program.

Alabaster School Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers said the funding will be enough to purchase “four-and-a-half buses.”

“But we aren’t going to buy four-and-a-half buses, we are probably going to buy five,” Vickers said during the meeting. “We do need to purchase some new buses. We inherited some older buses as part of our fleet.”

The five new buses will have air conditioning and cargo space to allow easier travel to field trips, athletic trips and other events.

“It’s just so hot on the school buses for our students,” Vickers said. “The difference in fuel efficiency with air conditioning is pretty close. We hope we will always be able to purchase school buses with air conditioning.”