Please take time to contact your legislator regarding funding for gifted education. Budget hearings soon will be held for the Illinois State Board of Education budget. The legislators listed below are key individuals in determining if money for gifted education will be included in this year's Illinois State Board of Education budget.

You can make a difference with a phone call, e-mail or letter. Just let your legislator know that you are the parent or teacher of a gifted student and that funding specifically for gifted children is necessary if we want them to have the opportunity to make a year's progress for a year of seat time in our Illinois classrooms.

If you have a specific story about your child or class, include it in your phone call, letter or e-mail. If you are a classroom teacher, invite the legislator to your classroom. If you are the parent of a gifted child, contact your school to see if they would agree to such an invitation.

Then be on hand to talk with the legislator so he or she knows the importance of professional development for teachers and specific programming for gifted children, both of which require funding. Let legislators know that discretionary money that goes to the district will NOT be spent on gifted children as long as NCLB exists which is why specific funding is necessary.

Make sure you thank your legislator for their time and energy as they do have a lot on their plate, and there are many advocates competing for dollars and attention.