Gifted education has felt the effects of budget cutting and the district’s Guiding Change Policy.

“In response to questions and suggestions regarding the gifted program coming from various stakeholder meetings, the district has launched a guiding change process on the gifted program,” Shirley Broz, chief financial officer, said.

The Guiding Change Process is a decision making model involving different phases to help plan the budget for gifted education. The process will be ongoing in FY11 (financial year 2011) and FY12.

The gifted program serves about 16 percent of Rockwood students. Its purpose is to be “the system by which school districts recognize and serve students with exceptional abilities and potential for high levels of achievement,” according to Rockwood’s website.

The aims of the program at the high school level are to help students by providing services such as assistance in post-high school education, summer programs and individual consultations. Broz said she doesn’t think changes will be implemented at the high school level.

According to the gifted education guiding change webpage, the goals of the process are to review the current gifted program and its strengths and weaknesses and how to address limitations so that the program can move forward.

The gifted program was chosen based on feedback received from stakeholder meetings during the planning of the FY12 finances and budget, but this isn’t the first year the gifted program has faced changes.

“Because of budget constraints, reductions in the gifted program have been made [in the past years],” Broz said. “In the past two years, 2.8 teaching positions and 25 percent of other costs have been reduced.”

Rockwood’s FY11 budget was $4.5 million with more than 88 percent of the budget going to teacher salaries and benefits. $80,000 is spent to transport students to the Center for Creative Learning (CCL) at the elementary level. The district receives $1.9 million from the state as a result of having a gifted program.

Since FY09, the district has been reducing the non-staff budget. They’ve also raised IQ score requirement from 130 to 132 to “address program growth,” according to the guiding change webpage.

“We welcome all students, not just gifted, to come in and talk about scheduling and college selection,” Mary Parish, gifted resources teacher, said.

Parish said the district has cut two teachers in the whole gifted program, but she’s heard two or three more teachers may be cut.

Mary Baker, sophomore, has been in the gifted program since kindergarten.

“The gifted program helped me get through elementary and middle school by actually challenging me,” Baker said. “It helped me escape the monotony of school. It was my favorite part of the week by far.”

Baker says she is upset by the elimination of staffing positions and the raising of the IQ level.

“It makes me angry,” Baker said. “Without the gifted program, I would be a different person.”