The Gifted Education program in Virginia is extremely important to those students who require additional educational opportunities to explore and nurture their gifts, thereby allowing our society to benefit from their fully realized potential. For the greater good of the program, regulations should continue to include the following:

• Local plans should be developed on a five year basis, not annually.
• Local plans should continue to be submitted to the Department of Education (DOE) for approval, not the local school board.
• It must remain clear that funding designated for gifted education can only be used for gifted services/activities included in a plan approved by DOE.

Thank you for your consideration of these comments.