Topeka ? With two campaign ads already on television, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius began airing a third Tuesday, claiming credit for large increases in state aid to public schools.

Legislators this year approved a plan to phase in a $541 million increase over three years. The Kansas Supreme Court then dismissed a 7-year-old lawsuit filed by parents and administrators in Dodge City and Salina seeking higher state aid for elementary and secondary education.

Republicans questioned whether the Democratic governor’s new campaign ad exaggerates her role in the education funding debate.

The 30-second spot is set on a school bus, with children suggesting “politicians in Topeka” didn’t care about properly funding education until Sebelius “made them strengthen our schools.”

The ad ends with Sebelius – sitting in the driver’s seat – asking a student, “Ready for a new day?”

Sebelius’ Republican challenger, state Sen. Jim Barnett of Emporia, repeatedly has ridiculed the notion that Sebelius was an important player in school finance debates, noting that she didn’t propose education funding plans in 2004, 2005 or 2006. This year, Barnett drafted an unsuccessful, four-year, $495 million plan, which he argues was more fiscally responsible than what legislators approved.

“I don’t know how someone in the governor’s office cannot develop or present a school finance plan for three years and then attempt to take credit for something she has really has very little to do with,” Rodger Woods, a spokesman for Barnett, said.

Sebelius’ campaign released 37 pages’ worth of documents, including pro-education excerpts from her speeches, summaries of legislation, news stories about her negotiating with or pressuring legislators, and favorable editorials.

“I think we’ve been very clear all along about the governor’s role,” spokeswoman Nicole Corcoran said.

Sebelius’ tactics in her re-election campaign mirror those she used in 2002, when she began running TV ads early to build a positive image with voters.