I just finished reading the op-ed that you decided to run in the Oct. 15 paper (“Are you satisfied with Maine’s state government?“).  

The third paragraph, referring to school rankings, made me stop reading and do some research. The writer referred to KIDS COUNT Data Book rankings, placing Maine last for education and Florida in the top 10.

According to one set of public school rankings by state, Maine ranks 13th while Florida ranks 41st in public education. This also agrees with my personal experience, as I have worked in schools in both Florida and Maine.  

I did also find some conflicting surveys that ranked Florida higher, but that includes the charter schools with admission standards, not purely public schools. To print this op-ed as fact is not only disingenuous but detrimental to your mission of informing your readers.  

I recognize it was printed on your opinion page. As responsible journalists, you should have a disclaimer that the information is subjective, not factual. It used to be the practice of newspaper editors to write their own editorials and make sure they were based in fact.

This is at best sloppy and lazy and at worst “yellow journalism.” 

Kathleen Dziadzio
Saco