Despite pleas from Vincent parents, students, educators and residents, the Shelby County Board of Education on Thursday approved a 2008-09 calendar that would end the community's year-round schooling.

The board voted 3-2 to approve a "unified" calendar, with all county students starting a school year on Aug. 7 and ending May 21. Board members David Nichols, Peg Hill and Lee Doebler voted in favor of the unified calendar, and Steve Martin and Ann Glass voted against it.

The decision brought shouts of "no" and "sellout" from more than 100 people gathered at the central office in Columbiana to fight for Vincent's year-round calendar.

"I'm pulling my kid out," Angelina Digiorgio Brasher said after the vote. "I'll home-school him if I have to. This was the best schedule for us, period. It's working. I don't know why they would take it away."

Superintendent Randy Fuller proposed a unified calendar at the recommendation of State Superintendent Joe Morton. In a letter last year, Morton asked that all schools start after Aug. 6, allowing the state time to distribute Adequate Yearly Progress reports before the start of the school year.

School in Vincent starts in mid-July on the year-round calendar.

Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, Title I schools, those with many low-income students, that fail to meet AYP goals two years in a row must notify parents and allow them to put their child in another school that is meeting its goals. Vincent Elementary is a Title I school, but has met its AYP goals.

The Vincent community was the first in the state to adopt a year-round calendar in 1993. This year, the two schools, Vincent Elementary and Vincent Middle/High, are the only schools in the state still on one. Sylacauga City and Madison County schools dropped the year-round calendar last year.

Vincent residents say they like the year-round calendar, which has shorter summers with two-week breaks after each grading period. The calendar is also a source of pride for the community.

About 10 people from the crowd spoke on behalf of the year-round calendar during the board meeting. An employee from the city of Vincent read a resolution passed by the City Council supporting the year-round schools.

"This is more than just a schedule," said Harpersville Mayor Theoangelo Perkins, who also drives a school bus for Vincent. "This schedule has helped up develop a sense of community pride. A unified calendar does not make us unified."

Students attending the meeting called the board's decision "unfair."

"The summer is shorter, yes, but that helps us not forget everything," said 16-year-old Shelby Bishop. "The breaks also give us time to refresh."

Hill, who has supported Vincent's year-round calendar in the past, said while she respects the community's passion for the year-round calendar, it's time for change.

"This is a difficult night and a difficult decision," she said. "There are a lot of things that make you great, not just a few weeks on a calendar. We're not trying to take anything away from you. We're for you, not against you."

E-mail: lmcalister@bhamnews.com