Your chance to help make a difference
Per our by-laws, we are informing you, members/subscribers
of Gilbert Supporters of the Gifted, of pending Arizona legislation that can positively
impact gifted education in our state.
HB 2356 has been
approved by the House Education Committee and it now moves to the
Appropriations Committee.
What is HB 2356?
A House Bill proposed by Rep. Heather Carter to move gifted funding from Group A to Group B. This will allow the funds to be targeted to support gifted students. In Group A they are not. Click here for more information on HB 2356.What can you do?
Send an email to your Representative by February 17th by following these easy steps:
STEP 2: On the House
roster (the 2nd roster listed), click on “send email” for your
representative.
STEP 3: Complete the
fields provided with your contact information.
STEP 4: Complete the
subject line with “Constituent of LD#(INSERT YOUR NUMBER). HB 2356: Gifted Education Group B Weight” ... Legislators receive hundreds of emails, yet they are more likely to prioritize those from their own constituents.
STEP 5: Cut and paste
the letter below, adding your personal information and story as indicated …
Dear Rep. (INSERT NAME OF YOUR REP),
My name is (INSERT YOUR NAME), and I am a constituent of
LD#(INSERT #). I wish to encourage you
to vote yes on HB 2356: Gifted Education
Group B Weight. I am a parent of a gifted
child and a member of (INSERT ORGANIZATION, i.e.: the Gilbert Gifted
Education Parent Council, Gilbert Supporters of the Gifted, Arizona Association
for Gifted & Talented, ETC.) Gifted
Education is a state mandate, yet it has not been funded in Arizona since FY2009,
even though gifted pupils have different and unique learning challenges.
There is a common myth that gifted children will do fine on
their own and that they don’t need support.
However, ALL students have strengths and struggles in which they need support, and gifted children are no less. It is often difficult for parents of gifted children to find academic programs and teachers who understand the strengths and struggles of gifted kids.
How will supporting gifted students help Arizona? Investing in Arizona’s gifted
children is an investment in our Intellectual Capital and our state’s economy. It will foster a home-grown workforce to fuel growing local businesses. HB 2356 will help fund the training of
teachers in identifying gifted pupils in underserved populations as well as
training teachers in gifted child development and gifted teaching strategies.
My story – (INSERT YOUR STORY OF STRUGGLE)
Gifted children who do not have teachers who understand them
often do not experience a year’s worth of growth as typical children do in the
regular classroom. Having teachers who
are trained in understanding gifted children is critical to gifted children’s
success and the development of the skill set needed to contribute back to
society.
The philosophy of gifted education is to identify and
support a student’s strengths as well as in their areas of struggle. When gifted education is supported this
philosophy can permeate the schools and make a difference in the education of
ALL students. Please support HB 2356.
Sincerely,
(INSERT YOUR NAME)
PS. I'm including this quick link so you can see a map of how Arizona compares with other
states in gifted education support -
http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/StatePolicy.aspx
* * REMEMBER TO EMAIL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE BY FEBRUARY 17TH * *
Be sure to share this information with other parents and family members. Ask the educators in your life to subscribe to our blog (www.gilbertgifted.blogspot.com) with their home email address so that they can receive this information.
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