Former Gov. Bill Graves frittered away his opportunity to lead the charge for better state funding of public schools, the editor and publisher of the Journal-World said Thursday.

Dolph C. Simons Jr. said in a speech to 250 people at the Lawrence Schools Foundation’s community breakfast that Graves “blew it” for public schools in his second term.

“I think Graves missed a tremendous opportunity,” Simons said. “He could have been a real force.”

Graves backed a $300 million tax increase passed by the 2002 Kansas Legislature, but state revenue shortfalls later negated most of the benefits school districts would have realized from the increase.

Simons said Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, and others involved in public education, must make academic excellence a priority.

“Settling for anything less is shortchanging our young people,” Simons said.

Simons, who also is president of The World Company, shared the Lawrence Holidome platform with Randy Weseman, superintendent of the Lawrence school district.

They offered an outsider’s and an insider’s perspective on the 9,800-student district.

Weseman, in his 27th year with the district, said Lawrence students continued to exceed benchmarks set by the state in reading, math, school attendance and graduation rate.

Lawrence schools supt. Randy Weseman thanks a child for performing at the Lawrence Schools Foundation community breakfast. Weseman was a speaker at the Thursday event.

Hiring more teachers has reduced the average class size in Lawrence elementary schools, he said. The district’s student transportation was rated the best in the nation. More than 80 percent of Lawrence high school graduates go to college.

Weseman said these achievements occurred despite curtailment of state education spending and expansion of mandates.

Expecting public school districts to do more for less is folly, he said.

“You don’t face profound challenges by undercutting the resources that these institutions so desperately need,” he said.

Weseman, superintendent since 2000, said equitable funding of public schools should be state government’s top priority.

“We need to continue to demand the state provide fiscal equity of educational resources across the state,” he said. “Infighting over crumbs will destroy public education in this community and across the state.”

¢ 6News video: Publisher Dolph Simons Jr. speaks about paying for education

Weseman said Lawrence’s legislative delegation understood the value of education to society, but some in the Kansas Legislature acted as if they would be willing to let public education die on the vine.

“There are others who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing,” he said.

Simons said state government leaders should have the courage to raise taxes to improve support of education. Sebelius could be an unyielding advocate for schools. Legislators, Simons said, need to be convinced the current level of spending isn’t good enough.

“I think we’ve got to have higher taxes,” he said. “We can’t settle for mediocrity. If we do, we’ll fall behind.”

Nor should state government stand in the way of communities that want to raise local taxes to help schools, he said. City, county and school officials in Douglas County are discussing the possibility of seeking voter approval of a half-cent sales tax for schools.

Weseman said he would recommend Oct. 27 that the Lawrence school board create a community-based steering committee dedicated to improving vocational education in the district.

The Lawrence Schools Foundation is a charitable organization that supports teaching and learning opportunities, recognition of teachers and staff and student achievements in Lawrence public schools.