90 seconds of your time NOW can make a lifetime of difference for your child.

The immediate future of gifted education in Washington state is in peril.

Governor Chris Gregoire, in an attempt to deal with the larger than projected revenue shortfalls and the reduction in tax revenues that resulted from the outcomes of the recent election, has put together a list of suggested cuts (and only cuts) that she has sent on to the legislature for their consideration. Included in the six program cuts are four that are education related, and one of them (the least expensive program on the list) is funding for gifted education in Washington.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Article: Gregoire: Eliminate health insurance for the poor, school programs. Rising deficit leaves policymakers with few choices

In order to implement these cuts, the legislature would presumably have to change the legislation currently scheduled to go into effect in September that includes gifted education as a mandated component of basic education in this state. It would also put the brakes on the work of the Highly Capable Program Technical Working Group, which just presented it’s initial recommendations to the Quality Education Council last week on how to bring Washington into the forefront in the provision of education for gifted students in the US.

This is critical, as without state funding, gifted programming in Edmonds School District will be decimated, if not eliminated all together.

Now is the time to let our legislators know how important gifted education is for our families. Historically, the legislators who represent the families in the Edmonds School District service area have been supportive of gifted programming and have voted to continue funding with each biennium. We urge you to contact them directly to let them know that “unfunding is unacceptable” for gifted students. Our students do what they can to convince our legislators of the value of our programs (why participation in Gifted Education Day is so important), but it is up to those of us who have the right to vote to lobby for them.

The expectation is that the legislature will be called back into special session before the scheduled January reconvening. Please utilize the links below to contact your legislators and let them know how you wish them to vote. You can email or phone them.

• Find Your Legislator will launch a search page. Fill in your address information and it will provide links to the legislators who represent your district. Be sure to leave the default of “Legislative District” checked for this search. Select any of the representatives or senators listed for your district. Select the email link on that legislator’s personal page. On the email form, you will have the option to send the same message to all of your district’s legislators.
• Contact the Governor will launch a pre-formatted contact page for you to complete.

This is urgent! The legislature could be called back into session any day now. The more they hear from their constituency, the better-informed their voting will be.

Please take 90 seconds now to contact your legislators.

Challenge Parent Association Board of Directors