PENDLETON, Ind. — More chairs had to be brought into the room, and some patrons chose to simply stand, since well over a hundred residents crammed into the South Madison School Board meeting last night.

While many were in attendance to witness honors presented by the principals of Pendleton Elementary-Primary School and Pendleton Elementary-Intermediate School, others were expecting to hear more about the teacher negotiations that have become a public disagreement over the last few months.

In an almost unheard of move, Superintendent Tom Warmke announced his intention to release the most recent proposals from both the South Madison Teachers Association and the school board in these stalemated negotiations. So uncommon is release of this type of information, Warmke was quick to point out that the measure is a legal one.

Naming this time as the “most difficult financial straits we have ever seen” in a press release, Warmke pointed to the number of significant cuts that no one had ever anticipated.

“Because of the magnitude of the cuts, the patrons of our school district expect a much higher level of transparency and accountability in school governance,” continues the release. “The Board of School Trustees believes that we are no longer in an era where the bargaining process can always be kept secret from the public. The stakes are simply too high.”

Several board members have expressed frustration at the inability to reach an agreement. They point to the high costs of health insurance and contend that the teachers are refusing to make proper concessions in these difficult times.

Firing back in letters to the editor of The Herald Bulletin, leaders of the Teachers Association argued that they had made concessions for years and sacrificed pay raises for increased insurance benefits at the request of the board.

Instead of revealing the expected bargaining information, Warmke announced a pending agreement. Sharon Casey of the Indiana State Teacher Association sat nearby as he expressed his gratitude.

“We are pleased to announce we are in agreement in all major issues,” he said. “The association has made significant concessions, and I want to say thank you.”

“They have gone above and beyond,” agreed Chris Boots, board member. “Thank you for that.”

Other discussions of financial woes had residents shaking their heads, as Joe Buck, chief financial officer, asked for permission to secure a loan in anticipation of the tax draw being late again this June, which is becoming, in his words, a “common practice.”

Similar anticipatory loans had to be made last June and December and were paid back in full as soon as the tax draw was paid. Revealing that the corporation paid $124,143.61 in interest on these loans in 2009 (and another $54,000 in 2008) angered school board members as well as the public.

“I think it’s ridiculous that this corporation has to spend $100,000 because we aren’t given the money that belongs to us,” said Jon Trippeer, board president. “It’s ludicrous that these officials can’t get their jobs done on time. That’s our money.”

The current loan will be set up to be used on an as-needed basis and will not exceed $4.9 million. This is approximately 40 percent of the $11 million levy officials are supposed to receive in June. The bulk of this money, $3.6 million, is earmarked for the debt services fund.

At the meeting, the school board also:

-- Congratulated recipients of awards bestowed by Bill Hutton, principal of Pendleton Elementary-Primary, and Arlene Dawson, principal of Pendleton Elementary-Intermediate. Outstanding students were honored with Character Counts awards and the math team was recognized for winning second place in the region.

-- Heard the annual academic report about Pendleton Elementary and Pendleton Elementary-Intermediate from Hutton and Dawson. Trends show that students in both schools are generally improving and scores are well above the state average.

-- Cancelled summer school for the high school students as a cost-cutting measure. Driver’s education will continued to be offered because those fees are paid by students and not the general fund. Due to the uncertain reimbursement program by the state, it is difficult to determine exactly how much money this saves. Sometimes, the state reimburses 49 percent of costs and sometimes 70 percent – schools are not told until November.

-- Heard Michael Quinton, a parent that had questioned a previous study about South Madison teacher’s salaries and benefits as compared to others in the state, thanked Warmke for explaining the study. He concluded, after trying alternate scenarios, that the missing data he mentioned did not affect the conclusions in the document.