By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – When Alabaster Board of Education President Adam Moseley and his School Board colleagues made their rounds to the city’s schools on Dec. 15, they weren’t expecting to see as many tears of joy as they did.

“I was glad we were able to deliver them in person,” Moseley said of the “extraordinary compensation” checks the School Board distributed to all of the school system’s teachers. “We got a lot of hugs, there were some tears of joy. A lot of them said they had never gotten anything like that.”

During a special-called meeting on Dec. 12, the School Board voted to approve the extra compensation for the teachers, rewarding them for their hard work over the past year and the work they will do while working toward AdvancEd district accreditation over the next year, Moseley said.

Alabaster School Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers was quick to point out the checks were not bonuses, but rather compensating the teachers for what they will be asked to contribute toward accreditation.

“We will complete a self-study in addition to working toward district accreditation,” Vickers said. “That extraordinary compensation is for the extra effort and time that will be put forth by the teachers during that process.”

The check deliveries served as a welcome pre-Christmas surprise for the city’s teachers, as many ACS employees sang the district’s praises.

“Thank you so much Dr. Vickers and ACS board for the wonderful gift. It truly was a wonderful present,” Ann Jay Harrison, a fourth-grade teacher at Thompson Intermediate School, wrote on the system’s Facebook page page. “Thank you for being so thoughtful and giving. I was moved to tears. It truly is an EXTRAORDINARY system!”

“We cannot thank you enough for your continued support!” Meadow View Elementary School kindergarten teacher Cindy Hutter wrote in an email to School Board members. “Knowing that our hard work is appreciated is the best feeling! Alabaster City Schools is truly a blessing to the community, students, AND teachers.”

Vickers said the compensation was well-deserved, and praised the School Board members for taking time to help deliver the checks in person on a Monday morning.

“They wanted to personally deliver every one of them,” Vickers said. “We’ve got great employees in Alabaster schools.”