Dear editor:
Re: Dana Kelley's column in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Feb. 10, 2017:
What a specious argument Mr. Kelley makes as he maligns Sen. Lisa Murkowski's takedown of newly appointed Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos by comparing the high cost of education in Alaska (Murkowski's state) to its "nearest neighbor" Washington state!
Consider the high cost of delivering an education to every child in the Alaskan territory. There are many isolated communities requiring extraordinary construction of schools to accommodate extreme weather conditions. Many communities have no interconnecting roads. The cost of living for food, shelter and supplies frequently depends on airplane deliveries. Also, let's not forget that one needs to factor in what financial incentives it would take to attract a professionally prepared workforce to teach in conditions that many would find less than stellar. Of course, educational costs run much higher in Alaska than in the lower forty-eight states!
Please, Mr. Kelley, get your apples and oranges in the appropriate crates!
Donna Casparian
Hot Springs
Editorial on 02/15/2017