Between now and the Nov. 3 election, many words will be spoken and letters will be written on the merits and needs of Worthington City Schoold and the incremental levy known as Issue 49.

I'm a parent in the district, with one child who is a senior in high school and another in third grade, and I have a job that allows me to visit school districts across the state.

I can tell you this: as a community we are clearly among the most fortunate in Ohio. We have a district in which our children can plan for a future where the only limitation is the limits they impose on themselves.

We need only to look to the other side of our county to see a situation where infighting has brought a school district to the point of collapse.

Our children can't afford to have that happen to them.

Arguing numbers, budget statistics, etc., is quite ineffective: those who wish to vote against Issue 49 will always find a reason.

The bottom line is that the Worthington school district is not perfect. What it is is a district that is successful. It offers its students opportunities. It offers this community a thousand reasons to be proud.

The cuts the school board will have to impose if this levy fails will hamstring this district.

The board and administration listened.

It designed a levy that imposes its burden in increments. It developed a system of cuts that tries to protect those programs most important to the community. It's our turn to listen to them. Vote for Issue 49.

Richard A. Savors

Worthington

 

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Step freeze would

be hard to reverse

Neither "My way or the highway," nor being unaware of the legitimate concerns and needs of the fellow on the other side of the table are useful negotiating techniques. Yet these are the attitudes taken by both board member Marc Schare and Mr. Harrington of Educate Worthington.

When they ask and insist on a freeze on teachers' salary step increases, they are at best naive, or don't understand that asking an organization to discriminate against half of its members is unrealistic.

Because of the long time that most Worthington teachers have worked in the district, a step increase freeze would not affect all teachers equally but only that youngest half of the staff that is eligible for the significant step increases.

This is neither fair nor good human resource policy.

Although I would have preferred that the base salary freeze proposed by the WEA and rejected by both Schare and Harrington be effective immediately, the proposal affects all teachers equally and can be reversed if conditions change. On the other hand, a freeze in the step increases would have a greater lifelong effect and could not be easily reversed should the circumstances warrant it.

With its offer of a freeze in base raises, the Worthington Education Association has shown some sensitivity to the immediate needs and desires of the community. However, it should also consider what actions and attitudes it should embrace long term in view of the changing demographics of the district and Ohio's overall (in my view precarious) economic condition.

If a change in the step increase grid is found to be useful for the economic well being of the district, the appropriate time to do this is at negotiation time. The competitive environment for excellent teachers would have to be kept in mind as well as a phase-in period (affecting only new hires) so as not to disrupt the quality of the present staff.

There is a thought out there that there is a glut of teachers. However, young and experienced Worthington teachers of the caliber that has helped the district get the designation of "Excellent with Distinction" can be expected to find jobs in several equally good and growing districts around Central Ohio.

Abramo Ottolenghi

Worthington

Issue 49 is a fair

deal for community

For many of us, the Worthington school district is the reason we moved to this community, and our schools continue to add quality to our lives and value to our homes.

Even as empty-nesters, we enjoy being in a district that provides numerous opportunities to enjoy sports, arts, music and theater, along with a community that appreciates education.

Now more than ever, our schools need our support. Issue 49 is about our school district and community's future and is needed to help continue to get the proven results we have come to expect.

We have seen first-hand how well prepared our kids are for college.

Jackie was successful at Ohio University, graduating summa cum laude and obtaining a job in her field. Brandon has started his studies at The Ohio State University with 20 hours of credit because of the AP courses he took in high school.

Throughout their years in Worthington Schools, our kids have had teachers who go above and beyond our expectations, such as an English teacher who helped Jackie with her college grammar homework, a Spanish teacher who tutored Brandon in the summer after an extended illness, a physical education teacher who made gym fun for both our kids and a high school guidance counselor who spent hours helping with college applic- ations and choosing the perfect school.

These quality teachers help make the district special.

Without Issue 49, the district will face more than $14-million in cuts.

The district continues to be fiscally responsible by cutting costs, having administrators who gave back their raises and teachers taking a pay freeze in 2011-2012. Issue 49 represents a fair deal to the community. The district has not had new operating funds in more than five years and the incremental levy, starting at 3.9 mills, helps make it affordable in these difficult financial times.

Bill and Jennifer Best

Dublin