The Brookside Town Council met in a called meeting on Monday to discuss the situation the community is facing related to the Gardendale school separation.

Currently, Brookside students go to Gardendale after leaving Brookville Elementary, but, under a proposed new plan, the students would only be allowed to continue to go to Gardendale for the next 13 years.

Jefferson County Board of Education member Dean Taylor and Superintendent Craig Pouncey spoke to the council to update them on the Gardendale separation and assure them the town is being represented.

Brookside has been part of the Gardendale feeder system since the 1960s, according to Mayor Roger McCondichie. That means most of the council members, as well as their children and grandchildren have graduated from Gardendale.

“We want to stay in the Gardendale schools,” McCondichie said. “We have done everything we could, everything we have been asked, and we think we have a right to that school too.”

Pouncey seemed to agree with the mayor, saying that the county viewed the Gardendale schools as a “significant investment” in the north Jefferson area, not just the city of Gardendale.

“It is our desire to continue to graduate Jefferson County students from Gardendale,” Pouncey told the council.

The final decision in the separation will be left to U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala.

As far as the interests of Brookside residents being represented in the case, Taylor assured the council members that the board of education and its legal team were looking out for Brookside students, as well as other students in the county who could potentially be displaced.

“It falls into our hands to educate them and do what is best for them,” Taylor told the council. “We are part of this community and we want to do what is best for it.

Taylor said that McCondichie has been in touch with him numerous times throughout the process and often calls for an update as deadlines in the case pass.

Taylor also promised to connect city attorney Mark Parnell with the county’s attorneys so he can keep the council updated on the progress.

In other business, the council:

•approved the FEMA disaster preparedness plan for the city.

•approved a water rate increase that is being passed on to the customers from Birmingham Water. The minimum bill, starting March 1, will be $36 instead of $34.