By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

The Alabaster City Council began accepting applications for the city’s first school board Nov. 21, and will collect them through the end of the year.

Council members finalized its plans to collect applications during a Nov. 17 City Council work session.

After the council finishes collecting the applications on Dec. 31, the City Council’s Education Committee will interview applicants beginning in January before narrowing the pool to a determined number.

The City Council will then interview the remaining applicants before appointing five board of education members.

After the school board is appointed, it will become a government entity independent from the City Council, and will work to establish Alabaster’s upcoming city school district. Council members previously said they would like to have the school board seated by February 2012.

School board members will not be paid, but likely will be reimbursed for training classes, mileage and other board-related expenses, Education Committee members said. School board members will serve staggered terms.

Alabaster Board of Education applicants must be residents of Alabaster, and must complete the city’s application at Cityofalabaster.com/city-of-alabaster-school-board-application/sp/498. For those without Internet access, hard copies of the application can be picked up at Alabaster City Hall and mailed back to City Hall at 201 First St. N., Alabaster, Ala., 35007, Attention: Education Subcommittee.

Applicants also are encouraged to submit a resume, a cover letter detailing their qualifications and why they are interested in serving on the board. All applicants are subject to background checks and drug screenings.

Applicants are not required to have a college degree, city officials said previously.