The recent debate over Senate Bill 5's changes to collective bargaining sparked discussion at last week's meeting of the Worthington school board.

Board members met Monday, Feb. 28 at the Worthington Education Center.

Board President Marc Schare spoke Feb. 15 at the Statehouse in favor of the bill that many teachers and other union workers are protesting.

Schare made it clear at the beginning of his testimony -- which appears on his website, mschare.com -- that "these views may or may not represent the views of my colleagues on Worthington's board or any employee of the district."

He said, "I am supportive of the requirement for collective bargaining reform." He also said there were parts of SB5 "that could be improved."

"We need to revamp the way that teachers are compensated and we need to treat them like the professionals they are," he said in his testimony. "SB5 says that teacher pay will be based on merit without really defining what that means, so let me offer an opinion: Market forces must be allowed to work in the education sector. Teachers who are excellent at what they do or who are scarce are worth more.

"I reluctantly conclude that collective bargaining reform is a necessary first step if we are ever to see the changes necessary to make our education system competitive in the 21st century," he said.

He told the committee in closing that collective bargaining reform might not necessarily reduce expenditures in public education.

"Letting market forces prevail can cut both ways," he said. "The societal imperative is that we attract great teachers; pay what we must, but only what we must; and allow the free market to work its magic on this critical public service."

At last week's meeting, school board member David Bressman said, "I want to make it clear, if any person from this board testifies on this issue, they do it as an individual, not for me.

"I have my own opinions on Senate Bill 5 and speak only for myself," he said.

Bressman did not share his opinions after that statement, but board member Charlie Wilson shared his views on the Senate bill.

Wilson said he was asked to testify at the Statehouse, but the testimony time conflicted with a class he was teaching.

"I think this is a critical issue to our community," Wilson said. "The bill could end the practice of paying teachers more for advanced degrees. I think it is time to turn our efforts into keeping teaching a profession that is admired and revered."

He said he had heard from young people recently that "the current poisonous atmosphere has convinced them not to be teachers.

"I'm tired of supporters of Senate Bill 5 blaming unions for contracts," Wilson said. "Contracts are signed by management as well as union employees ... Our biggest problem in this state is not getting rid of deadbeat teachers; it is in replacing retiring teachers with good teachers, and those teachers need to have a voice in their contracts."

Former board member and longtime Worthington resident Abramo Ottolenghi told board members they should come to a consensus with a resolution against Senate Bill 5, although he admitted the request was probably "impossible."

He quoted President Ronald Reagan, who said, "Where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost."

"I feel freedom is essential," Ottolenghi said. "When freedom is taken away from even one of us, it is taken away from all of us. I think you will rue the day when you lose the ability to deal with your whole staff collectively.

"Senate Bill 5 is bad for the school district and bad for Ohio," he said.

Treasurer Jeff McCuen said if Senate Bill 5 passes, it could have "sweeping changes for collective bargaining in the state."

"I believe there are positives and negatives to the current bill, but I really need to see what finally becomes law before determining the effect on Worthington schools," he said.

He said the district's current teachers' contract calls for a staff contribution of 14 percent of health insurance premiums. The current total premium is $493.47 monthly for single coverage and $1,332.43 for family plans.

The current employee deductibles are $1,500 for single coverage and $3,000 for family coverage, McCuen said.

The district offsets those deductibles by contributing 70 percent to teachers' Health Savings Accounts.

"It is my understanding the original SB5 called for a 20 percent employee contribution to premiums, but the revised bill changed it to a 15 percent minimum," McCuen said. "We have gone from 6 percent to 14 percent in the last certified negotiated agreement and it would be reasonable to assume we would work with our employee group to have additional changes over time."

McCuen said he thinks state support for schools overall will be reduced again.

"I think the state will be giving schools and especially Worthington substantially less revenue in the next biennial budget," he said. "The governor's budget on March 15 should give us all a bit more insight."