To the Editor:

If Mr. Graham's (Worthington News, Dec. 23) letters are to have credibility, he needs to get his facts straight.

He cites my employment with Huntington Bank as the reason for my recommending that Worthington teachers absorb a pay cut much like that experienced by the private sector. Such an observation is ridiculous, as I have not worked at Huntington Bank for nearly two years.

Mr. Graham also infers that private sector pay cuts have been driven by a reduced demand for goods. This is also without merit.

Over the last two quarters, private sector worker productivity, driven by higher output and reduced pay, has increased at levels not seen since 2003. This indicates that demand remains, with private sector employees of all types being required to produce more while earning less as businesses struggle with other financial factors.

Related to the district's fiscal state, Mr. Graham suggested a "public flogging" of the board if our school system had been as badly managed as Huntington Bank. Perhaps he ought to get his whip ready given the following.

The district faced a budget shortfall of $14 million and the potential of having key education programs eliminated just a month ago.

While Worthington teachers are paid the 12th highest average salary in Ohio to achieve an exemplary Performance Assessment, eight school districts within 25 miles -- employing over 1,800 teachers -- pay their teachers at least 20 percent less while achieving a high rating.

While teachers at surrounding school districts have had their pay frozen, Worthington teachers continue to average a 5 percent annual pay raise when all designated increases are applied.

Despite arguments to the contrary, the facts remain. The financial distress experienced by the district was in line with that of the private sector that found pay cuts necessary and the quality of education provided students would not have been compromised by pay reductions given the close proximity of financially motivated, highly effective teachers.

With the next contract renegotiation, consideration ought to be given to decreasing teacher salaries. While contrary to the standard "throw more taxpayer dollars at it" solution, reducing expenses by over $5 million annually -- under a 10 percent pay reduction scenario -- makes the effort worth it.

Guy Molde