12/18/2020 9:39:24 AM
By John Covington
Don Boettcher is hanging up his hat after 13 years as an instructor with East Central College’s Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) Program.
Boettcher, 87, taught college and career readiness classes. That Includes assisting students who did not have a high school diploma prepare for the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET), formerly called the GED.
According to Alice Whalen, AEL director, Boettcher cared deeply about his job as an instructor and each student he taught.
“Don has adapted to many changes in the adult education program over the years, but his care and support for the students has never changed,” she said, “He has always shown the greatest care and concern for their success.”
We stand together in expressing serious concern with the Trump administration s vaccine distribution plan. While we are encouraged by recent reports regarding the vaccines efficacy, there is urgent work to be done to ensure vaccination efforts are both expeditious and fair.
Governors need federal funding in order to execute comprehensive distribution plans to guarantee that all communities have access to the vaccine. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials estimates that a comprehensive vaccine distribution program would cost approximately $8 billion. To date, the Trump Administration has administered a mere $200 million to the states.
Without adequate funding, distribution will not be equitable. COVID-19 has laid bare chronic health disparities in our country that led communities of color to suffer disproportionately from this virus. Communities of color disproportionately suffer from pre-existing conditions, such as asthma, obesity and hyp