Democrat Kathleen Sebelius and Republican Tim Shallenburger are running new campaign commercials on television about public school education. Though the candidates’ positions differ, the ads are nearly identical.

What follows is a summary of the ads and an analysis of their claims.

Shallenburger

The 30-second ad shows various images with Shallenburger in a school setting and features a brief shot of Shallenburger walking with President Bush.

Shallenburger: “If we can find a better way to spend education tax dollars, if we can give schools and parents more freedom and stop relying on the same failed ideas, can you imagine the future we can build for our children?

Narrator: “Only one candidate for governor has the courage to offer new ideas instead of failed formulas and empty promises. Tim Shallenburger will find better ways to fund schools. He’ll cut waste and get tax dollars into the classroom. Give communities more control and raise standards.”

Fact: Shallenburger has said public schools could sustain a 3 percent cut if the alternative were a tax increase.

Shallenburger has stated repeatedly that the method of funding public schools is broken and needs to be fixed. But his critics say he did not seek changes in the funding formula during his time as speaker of the Kansas House.

Shallenburger says he wants to determine how much a constitutionally mandated “suitable” education would cost, fund that amount, and then remove limits to allow local taxpayers to raise as much as they want for their own schools. Critics say such a plan would produce inequitable funding for schools.

Shallenburger has endorsed a proposal called “Four in the Core,” which would require Kansas students to complete four years of math, English, science and social studies to graduate.

Download the commercials (You must have a free RealPlayer (http://www.realplayer.com) to view):TV commercials:¢ Shallenburg’s commercial¢ Sebelius’ commercialsOther Truth Test stories:¢ Governor hopefuls ads bend the facts (10-02-02)¢ 6News video report: Election ads appearing as November nears (10-02-02)¢ Archived election stories and video

Currently, students are required to have four credits in English, three in social studies, two in math and two in science. But Shallenburger doesn’t say where he will get the money necessary to implement “Four in the Core.”

Shallenburger has often criticized the amount of administrative expenses in the school system, saying some can be reduced and the money plowed back into the classroom.

Shallenburger: “With your help, I know we can make Kansas better and find a better way.”

Sebelius

As in the Shallenburger ad, this 30-second ad shows Sebelius in various classroom settings.

Narrator: “It’s about today’s young minds and tomorrow’s opportunities. Kathleen Sebelius. As governor, dedicated to our schools. Lift teacher pay from 40th in the nation, cut government waste to get more dollars into the classroom, and promote local control so parents and educators decide what’s best for their schools.”

Fact: Sebelius has endorsed the phase-in of the recommendation from a recent study that calls for increasing state funding to schools by hundreds of millions of dollars. The study, by the Denver-based consultant Augenblick & Myers Inc., said Kansas school funding had failed to keep up with inflation and that base state aid per pupil should be increased to $4,650 from $3,863, an increase that would cost about $620 million.

She says her proposed performance audit of state government will produce enough savings to increase funding to public schools. Shallenburger, who doesn’t agree with the school funding study, said Sebelius’ position would require a tax increase.

Sebelius’ critics say she is being disingenuous when she talks about promoting local control because when she was a member of the House, she voted for the current school finance system method, which changed the funding plan from one that was mostly locally funded to one that is mostly state funded.

Sebelius: “As governor, I’ll always put our children and schools first.”