We, the citizens of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, petition the Reynoldsburg City School District and the contract negotiating team, asking you to offer a fair and equitable contract to the Reynoldsburg Education Association, showing value and respect. We wholeheartedly object to salaries based on a merit pay system. Data indicates it has proven a failure in many other districts and businesses because it neglects to recognize the unique nature of education, the need for collaboration, the intrinsic motivation of teachers, and the wide range of demographics educators see in their classrooms each year. We, the citizens of Reynoldsburg, recognize that it is important to reward good teachers, but implore the RCSD and its negotiating team to find another way to recognize success other than through merit pay, particularly attached to single assessment measurements. We also petition the RCSD and its negotiating team, asking you to offer a benefits package that provides health coverage to full-time workers which does not send them to a health insurance exchange with a tax-free contribution of cash to help pay premiums, subjecting the district and its taxpayers to IRS penalties.