To the Editor:

In a world of often bleak news, there were two bright spots in the "Letters to the Editor" section recently (Worthington News, June 23).

First, past Worthington Board of Education member and union apologist Abramo Ottolenghi wrote, "... since salaries and benefits are the largest (by far) expenditures of the district, no real savings can be achieved without looking at those expenditures."

Educate Worthington and many others have stated this fact for many years and have been roundly criticized as teacher-haters who don't care about children or their education. Abramo should be careful what he says publicly, or he could suffer the same fate -- even if he is right. Hopefully, he will soon point out the connection between those expensive union contracts -- the real 800-pound gorilla -- and the deep cuts the students and the Worthington program will suffer if we don't fundamentally change those contracts, and soon.

The second bright spot was Dick Graham's letter, as a shining example of the name-calling the community has come to expect from the union and education advocates who think the more you give the union, the better the students will do. Thankfully, he at least boldly admits a fundamental truth that the union doesn't want us to remember: It is the students and their parents who have the greatest influence on academic performance -- period.

He should also know by now that Olentangy delivers an equal or superior product on far smaller union salaries.

Cheryl Shirk