Proposed Education Legislation to make cuts to Academically Intellectually Gifted & Talented Programming & Identification
New North Carolina education legislation is being voted on that covers many educational issues, including drastic changes to gifted & talented programming and funding (page 67 lines 39-50 & page 68 lines 1& 2). This legislation has already passed in the House and Senate and is going to Joint Committee in the next few days. Action across the state is needed now!
Read on to learn more about this legislation's impact:
Intended Consequences:
Department of Public Instruction (DPI) develops a uniform definition (replacing the current definition in Article 9B) for "academically or intellectually gifted" to determine which students are to be considered for AIG funding
DPI develops universal identification criteria for the state limiting identification to only the top 4% in the state.
AIG funding is only tied to the top 4% of students in the state.
Expected Unintended Consequences:
Elimination of entire programs and services from some communities (e.g., low-income, rural, underrepresented racial and ethnic groups). Entire districts could now receive $0 from the state for AIG.
Reduction/elimination of talent development programs
If only the top 4% of students in the state are identified, then many currently identified students will be forced to be "degifted". There will be no funding to support services for them.
Reduction of identified gifted students from 163,115 (April 2022) to 55,128 out of the 1.3 million students currently enrolled in NC schools
Please Act Now:
Contact your legislator to:
Ask: Why shouldn’t schools have local control over who they identify as AIG?
Ask: How will advanced students who are not in the state's top 4% receive appropriate services?
Ask: Will my child (who has already been ID’d) be “degifted” by the state legislature? Overruling their teacher and school?
Share your child’s story about how gifted and talented services have made a difference in their life
Tell them to remove section 7.2a and 7.2b from HB 259 and keep the current AIG funding and model in place.
Invite your representative to your community to have discussions about the importance of Gifted & Talented services
You can click the first link below to find out who your representative is, and/or, if you prefer to contact the entire membership of the education committee, you can find them at the second link below.
Update:
Governor Roy Cooper has declared that public education in the state of North Carolina is facing a state of emergency. Visit his website to learn more.