My career in gifted education spans two decades and two states.  As a teacher of the gifted in Virginia, and previously as a teacher and coordinator for the gifted in Mississippi, I am familiar with the importance of good regulations which govern the delivery of gifted services and support the continuity and reliability of those services for students who need them.  Additionally,  I am the mother of two sons who were early-identified as gifted and who benefited enormously from these services.  I now have grandchildren (residents of Virginia) who may or may not benefit in the future from gifted services.  All of these facts give me a great interest in gifted education. 

Because of my personal and professional history with gifted education, I realize the importance of dedicated funding for gifted services and the necessity of having 5-year plans.  No entity, either in the private or public sector, can function optimally without the assurance of time to make and implement plans, and without the security of funding which is associated with that well-defined purpose.  A fair and consistent method of determining eligibility is also necessary in order to insure the integrity of gifted education. 

Please continue to support a rigorous and consistent identification process, the ability to make 5-year plans, and dependable, dedicated funding.  Please reinstate funding for the gifted which can be used ONLY for gifted education.  Please allow school districts to develop 5-year plans.  Please require districts to comply with minimum standards for gifted identification. 

The future of this nation depends on our youth.  Please do not do them the disservice of bowing to the political whim of the moment!