Those who are anxiously awaiting the final ruling by Alabama Supt. Dr. Tommy Bice on the separation of Gardendale City Schools from the Jefferson County Schools will have to wait, according to the president of the new system’s board of education.

Gardendale Board President Chris Segroves sent an email on Friday to fellow board members, Mayor Othell Phillips and City Council President Stan Hogeland, which said that the Alabama Department of Education had asked legal counsel on both sides for an additional three days for Bice to rule. Phillips notified The North Jefferson News of Segroves’ message.

That moves the date to Thursday, Feb. 26, down from the original schedule of next Monday.

A spokeswoman for JefCoEd said they could not confirm the request. A spokeswoman for Bice, who was in Alabaster on Friday, said that he would have no comment until a ruling was issued.

The ruling is intended to settle issues that negotiators for both systems could not agree upon. By law, those differences are then adjudicated by Bice.

A preliminary ruling was issued last week, in order for both sides to prepare briefs and comments on the findings. Among the issues in the preliminary ruling, which was leaked to news media:

• Gardendale City Schools would have to pay $8.1 million to JefCoEd to cover their part of the construction of the city’s schools. The county system had sought more than $30 million, while Gardendale argued for zero.
• Students currently living in the so-called “red zone” of Mt. Olive, Brookside and Smithfield Estates that are currently zoned to attend Gardendale schools, would continue to do so. Furthermore, their siblings would be able to attend Gardendale schools for a period of 10 years, and news students moving into the zone could attend for five years.
• Gardendale would allow JefCoEd students to attend the career tech classes at Gardendale High for 13 years.