Please reinstate the gifted funding section into the budget. These funds need to be administered by the DOE for gifted students, as approved by the BOE. The plan of developing a program on an annual basis is not a sound educational practice. A long range plan 3 - 5 years allows school divisions to develop long term goals, implement changes and evaluate successes prior to updating the plans. Furthermore, this should be reviewed by the DOE for minimum educational requirements and approved by this division as local groups do not have the depth nor the expertise to develop a challenging and well thought out plan to have a program to provide the students of Virginia. We need to provide a challenging, yet rewarding program for our youth, and these are special students that can excel and require that additional instruction and creativity.