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UPDATE on the status of Illinois
gifted funding for 2006-2007
- A line item for gifted
funding still needs to be added to the state budget.
- The
proposed Rules & Regulations for gifted funding are available for public
comment until May 15.
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The scheduled deadline for the General Assembly's
adjournment last Friday has passed. However, both the House and
Senate have sessions scheduled again Monday, April 10.
According to Sally Walker, Executive Director, IAGC:
"We...still want folks to contact legislators until the session adjourns.”
No one has a clue when the Big 4 will meet. Public comment is still
needed for the rules and regs so that they will be
ready whenever the funding happens. We need the rules and regs
to be ready, 'just in case', and hopefully some districts will use them as
guidelines for their programs."
Therefore, it's critical for you to act on the two
calls below and urge everyone you know to do the same.
Thanks,
T J M
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1.
Last days left to contact your
legislators to restore gifted funding.
Here's all you have to do (if
you have not already done so):
- Phone or fax
your state Senator and Representative. [Letters arrive too late;
e-mails get overlooked.] If you need contact info, go to http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm;
enter your 9-digit zipcode.
- Identify yourself as a
consituent (name, address, zipcode).
- Urge your legislators
to encourage the four leaders below to include gifted funding as a line
item in the budget.
Ultimately, these four will decide if gifted is
to be included. They are:
- Senate
President, Emil Jones, Jr -
District 14
- Senate
Leader Frank C. Watson - District 51
- House
Speaker Michael Madigan - District 22
- House
Leader Tom Cross - District 84
Otherwise, we'll be like the baseball team that has to say, "Wait 'til next year."
Can your kids wait?
Phone
or fax now.
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2.
Gifted Funding Rules Deadline May
15
Those of us on the ISBE Advisory Council
on the Education of Gifted and Talented Children worked on preparing the
Rules and Regulations. Did we miss something?
The Proposed Rules and Regulations about funding for Illinois gifted education are now available for
public comment.
- View the proposed rules at http://www.isbe.net/rules/proposed/default.htm
- Download the 11-page document
from http://www.isbe.net/rules/proposed/pdfs/227wf.pdf
Public comment must be submitted before the deadline, May 15, 2006.
- Anyone who wants to comment
needs to do so for the record, in writing.
- An oral statement to members
of the Gifted Advisory Council IS NOT public comment.
- Send it either via e-mail
(addressed to rules@isbe.net)
- or via standard mail
addressed to
Sally Vogl, Agency
Rules Coordinator, ISBE,
100 North First Street - W-475,
Springfield, Illinois 62777-0001
Read the proposed rules. Send your comments by
e-mail or letter by May 15.
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THANKS TO:
- Sally Walker, Executive Director, IAGC
- Carol McCue, Principal Consultant, Federal Grants and
Programs, ISBE
FROM: Terry James Mohaupt tmohaupt@chicago.us.mensa.org
- Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Advisory
Council on the Education of Gifted and Talented Children http://www.isbe.net
- Illinois
Association for Gifted Children (IAGC) Parent Affiliates (Chair) and
Advocacy Committee http://www.iagcgifted.org/ an affiliate of NAGC http://www.nagc.org/
- Boone/Winnebago
Counties Regional Office of Education KIDS Advisory Board http://4roe.org/ and http://www.kidsroe.org/
- Chicago Area Mensa Gifted
Children Committee http://www.chicago.us.mensa.org/
- Rockford
Public Schools Parents for Gifted Education Past Past
President http://www.rps205.com/departments/gifted/
and http://www.pge205.org/