Peggy Vlerebome, Madison Courier Staff Writer

The Southwestern School Board members tabled discussion of merging with Madison Consolidated Schools on Monday, but said they were open to seeing numbers and information about the topic. There was some sentiment in favor of having a work session with the Madison School Board members.

Kevin Watkins, president of the Madison Area Chamber of Commerce, read a letter from the chamber board saying the chamber would be willing to act as a "facilitator" for discussions between the two school districts and to help find money to pay for studies. He said the chamber board has not taken a position for or against consolidation but does want the possibility examined.

A decision about consolidation, Watkins said, should be based on efficiency, "not tradition or emotion."

At the beginning of the discussion, Southwestern Superintendent Steve Telfer listed several dozen steps Southwestern has taken to reduce costs, then invited board members to comment.

"It would cost us $300,000 to get our teachers up to their (Madison's) pay," Southwestern School Board member Carroll "Dutch" Kleopfer said. "As of right now ... I don't see that consolidation would benefit us one iota."

School board member Jodi Gray said, "We need to protect the students of Southwestern and the teachers of Southwestern. I agree that a study needs to be done, but in the process we need to maintain our district the way it is."

She said she has read and heard about Madison's financial struggles resulting from state cutbacks in education funding. "They need to do a lot of work to get where they need to be financially. We're there."

Gray said the decision to consolidate probably won't be made locally anyway, and instead be a mandate "from higher up." State officials favor consolidating districts.

Cree Green, president of the Southwestern board, said the idea of consolidation is not popular. "The Southwestern community doesn't want it," she said.

Kleopfer said Madison didn't bring up consolidation until the Madison district needed money.

School board member Dave Nickels proposed tabling the topic while fact-finding is under way. He said that whether the Chamber of Commerce or someone else helps, he "would want an independent party ... with no agenda."

School board member Narci Burress said she was approached about consolidation three years ago "as soon as a particular Madison person was elected" to the Madison school board. She did not identify the person.

"This person has approached me three or four times" about consolidation, she said, but has failed to provide information she had requested.

"It would irresponsible for us to vote one way or the other unless we have all the facts," Burress said.

Hanover businessman Warren Auxier, who was in the audience, said the pay difference between the two school districts does not need to be a block. "I'm not 100 percent sure you would have to increase it immediately," he said. "There are other ways."

He said it could be a year or more before all the information needed for a decision was gathered, and consolidation could be five years away. He said a committee should be formed to begin looking into it.

Telfer said he will ask Madison School Board members when he sees them tonight if they are interested in a joint meeting. No one from Madison Consolidated Schools was at the Southwestern meeting.