Lawrence Journal-World opinion section

To the editor:

I congratulate Lawrence School Board Vice President Marcel Harmon on his newfound national fame for his commentary on the state of Kansas schools. While I do not doubt his commitment to protecting the status quo in education, Harmon provides zero solutions.

He attacks any organization or individual that ventures to suggest alternatives or improvements to the system that has produced the very problems Harmon frequently decries. More troublesome is the disrespect he shows for educators, parents and children who participate in private or parochial schools. One would expect a chief education official of Lawrence schools to be supportive of student learning wherever it may occur, whether public or private.  

Which raises a question, is Harmon’s perennial tirade a product of concern for students, or is it a concern, or fear, of competition?  It is a question worthy of an honest answer. The Lawrence school system has suffered during Harmon’s and others’ tenure. Over the last decade, while per-pupil spending increased 33 percent, the graduation rate has fallen from 93 percent to 84 percent. If more money resulted in lower graduation rates, maybe the real problem lies elsewhere. Mr. Harmon, other than rhetoric, what solution do you offer?