Worthington schools are "movin' on up" in the credit ratings.

Treasurer Jeff McCuen, Superintendent Melissa Conrath, Assistant Superintendent Paul Cynkar and John Payne of Robert W. Baird & Co., the district's financial investment firm, traveled to Chicago recently to meet with representatives of Standard and Poor's and Moody's to seek upgrades to the district's credit rating.

"We were getting ready to sell new bonds and we either wanted to affirm the current rating or persuade them to give us an increase," McCuen said.

Standard & Poor's and Moody's are two of the world's most respected credit agencies.

"We gave a presentation in which Melissa focused on district priorities and goals and talked about the community survey and the community's value of the educational program and quality of teachers, while I focused on our strong financial management, the recent teachers' agreement and the five-year financial forecast," he said. "I explained where we are so far with the 2006 bond issue, and based on that information, they felt we were managing our finances effectively and planning well for the future."

McCuen said the credit agencies raised the district's rating from AA3 to AA2 on all outstanding and future debt issuances. The next highest rating is AA1 and the highest is AAA.

The rating increase will allow the district to sell additional bonds from the bond issue at a lower cost to taxpayers, McCuen said.

McCuen said the district has issued $15 million so far from the $37.5 million bond issue that was approved by voters in 2006.

"We're adding an additional $4 million in bonds on Thursday (Oct. 23) for a number of pieces, including bus purchasing to get us on a standard schedule of replacement, and technology purchases for the middle school and high school," he said. "We did the elementary schools' technology replacements last summer."

McCuen said about $18 million of the bond funds will be used for maintaining roofs, carpeting and flooring and replacing equipment in various buildings, as well as textbooks and other items that have a five-year life span.

A request for bond funds in the amount of about $226,000 for a management computer upgrade of 215 units was approved by the Worthington school board at its Oct. 13 board meeting.

The upgrade will replace workstations for secretaries and other management users throughout the district, according to information supplied by district officials.