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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 6, 2023 10:11 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Valerie S. Gaydos |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Equity in Education |
| Public schools should meet the needs of all learners, not just the average learner. In Pennsylvania, gifted services are not a required part of a school district’s special education plan. And school districts are not compensated for gifted programs through the current special education formula. This inequity must be addressed. It is not only unfair for schools not to provide adequate education for above average or gifted students in a school district, but it ultimately robs our children and our nation of our future. Furthermore, each time a gifted student leaves, their test scores leave and their funding leaves too. While some parents of gifted children are able to remove their children from those schools for other options such as charter schools, private schools, parochial schools, and home schooling, it is not an option for all. A good gifted and talented program will keep and attract students who will keep their funding and their test scores with them. There are many types of gifted education or acceleration. Many are very inexpensive to implement - early admission, grade-skipping, or partial acceleration are essentially free. Others such as curriculum compacting, telescoping, or adding mentors and tutors require more resources and can be expensive. This bill will require school districts to begin to compile information listing the number of gifted children in all expenditure categories. In turn those students will be captured in the school district’s weighted special education student headcount which will provide additional compensation to school districts to fund gifted student services. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation. |
Introduced as HB1110