Well, it turns out my husband and I have created one smart little dude! Of course we couldn’t be happier about this, however, it comes with some glaring set backs.
As parents of a 9-R third grader, we have only recently had the “GT” (gifted and talented) veil lifted – and it’s both exciting and scary at the same time.
Of 10 schools in the 9-R district, only three, yes three, have a half-time gifted and talented teacher! From what I understand, other schools are using their counselors or other teachers to fill the gap and provide what they can for their schools GT students.
Knowing what I do about our school, it seems these staff have quite the load already. My son is currently receiving 30 minutes of GT services, two times a week – where other districts are offering their students two to four hours, twice a week. These are the same students who will be competing for scholarships and college entry (not that I’m ready, sniff sniff!).
As Parent Teacher Organization president, I am very aware of how hard our teachers work, and how much of their own money they use in their classrooms. The Gifted and Talented Program is a fraction of the reason I’m asking you to support Ballot Question 3A.
Heather Hooten
Park Elementary PTO president
Durango
