No-I disagree, Shari. We had gifted under the Special Education umbrella which is huge--we have legal recourse if the needs of our children are not being met. We even had funding above and beyond the unit rate for gifted designation (although the districts could put that money in a big pot and never direct any of it toward gifted).
Really what is happening is that the funding formula bill (331) will increase the unit rate (money schools get for each student). The big education lobby--teachers, principals--want more money (who doesn't?), so of course it's been pushed hard. We have written legislators, attended LESC meetings, but that increase in funding is a strong intoxicant. Albq Assoc met with Mimi Stewart (or whatever the legislators' name is that sponsored the bill) several times. I guess they thought that adding a "Gifted Education Plan" (that doesn't not have the legal force of an IEP)would satisfy us.
I'm tired of it all. HB 331 is a step backward for gifted education in the State of NM. It will increase monies (but our state has such a big deficit that it will not get funded this year or next probably).
