Fur didn't fly and the atmosphere remained polite among Worthington school board members at the board meeting Monday, Sept. 28, but board President David Bressman called a statement made two weeks ago by member Marc Schare an "invention of fact" and publicly protested Schare's remarks.

"Marc is entitled to his opinion, but he is not entitled to my opinion," Bressman said at the Sept. 28 meeting. "Marc has no right or authority to state my intent or my understanding ... further, since he posts his statements on his Web site and since he was quoted on this particular passage in one local paper, I simply won't stand by as I usually do when I hear or read statements with which I disagree."

Schare's remarks at the board meeting two weeks ago concerned the Worthington Education Association's amendment to the teachers' contract, extending it a fourth year, through 2011-12, with zero percent raises.

Union President Pete Scully said it would be the first zero percent increase for teachers since 1995 and would save the district $2.4 million.

Schare cast the only "no" vote for the union agreement at the Sept. 14 meeting, saying, "This is the second time this decade that our district has determined that a three-year agreement was underfunded and would result in program cuts and the requirement to directly or indirectly ask for union concessions."

Schare's statement that "everybody on both sides of the negotiation table understood that without a levy passing, there would need to be significant cuts in the district to pay for the contract" is what Bressman objected to.

Bressman was one of the board members at the negotiation table with WEA members when the contract was approved two years ago.

"Speaking on my behalf and my behalf alone," Bressman said, "Marc's assertion is an invention of fact. While I normally avoid treading on an area that might be deemed executive session material, I feel a need to defend myself -- defend myself from an unwarranted attack. Because Marc purposely chose the word everybody, which, last I checked, included me.

"I had no, I repeat no, understanding that the contract I was voting to approve required a levy to pay for it," Bressman said.

"I believe that still to be untrue; the contracts, both for the WEA and (Worthington Educational Support Professionals), are fully funded and not dependent on levy passage or failure," he said. "I believe the district worked within fairly well-delineated financial parameters and certainly did not spend money we did not have.

"You can disagree about whether we should have made the deal we did," he told Schare. "I still maintain it was a fair deal, but you should not be able to rewrite history through divining the knowledge of others."

Schare responded that he was still troubled by the fact the community had no notice there would be a vote at the Sept. 14 meeting on a piece of the union contract and a new five-year financial forecast.

"I've been advocating for two issues for quite awhile: more community engagement and transparency," he said. "We've come a long way on these issues, but two weeks ago, we took votes on two issues, the contract and the five-year forecast, that I suspect the community could take an interest in, but both were done without advance communication at all.

"I'm wondering what we could do to make sure that never happens again," Schare said.

Bressman did not respond, nor did any of the other board members -- Vice President Julie Keegan and members Jennifer Best and Charlie Wilson.

The next board meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Worthington Education Center, 200 E. Wilson Bridge Road, with the first hour being devoted to a workshop session on the state report card, Bressman said.