As a parent to a gifted child and a former gifted child myself, I know much more about the gifted education system in Virginia than most.  From my own and my parents' personal experiences when I was a child, I know that the gifted education system in Virginia needs more funding, not less.  I know that gifted children need more opportunities to nurture their intellects and to grow and develop socially.  I know that school systems need to be able to offer comprehensive gifted education programs to gifted children to help them reach their full potentials.

I would ask that local school division plans be developed on a 5-year basis in order for school divisions to have the opportunity to develop long-term goals, implement changes, and evaluate before updating the plan.  I would ask additionally that the plans be submitted to the Department of Education for approval to ensure compliance to minimum requirements of identification and programming across the Commonwealth.  And finally, I would ask for reinstatement of gifted funding section which states that funding administered by the DOE for the education of gifted students be used only to support those activities identified in the school division's plan as approved by the Board of Education (BOE).  Gifted children need an educational environment that is aligned with their intellectual, social and physical capacities.  Please preserve the health of the gifted education programs in Virginia.