We need your help today to fend off yet another assault on the Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act.  This time, the attack is not about funding levels, but about whether the program should continue to exist.  Senator Mark Warner (VA) has introduced an amendment to a bill currently on the Senate floor (The Tax Extenders Bill), that would eliminate the Javits program (plus 16 other programs), to “save” the taxpayers $800 million.

If the amendment were to pass, the Javits program would end abruptly, just as we’re gaining new support in Congress and in the Obama administration for meeting the needs of gifted and talented children.  NAGC is working with the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) to urge Senators to oppose Senator Warner’s amendment.

To make your communication with your two U.S. Senators easier, CEC has put a letter in its Legislative Action Center about the amendment.

Click here to access the letter and send it to your Senators.

You have the opportunity to edit the letter with examples of how the Javits program has made a difference in your school. Perhaps your school or school district has participated in a Javits research grant, or maybe your school has used information from the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, which is also funded by the Javits program, to improve identification or services for gifted students. Such examples will strengthen the impact of the letter.

Unfortunately, Senator Warner is misinformed about the value of the Javits program, or he simply misunderstands the Javits program. Either way, his amendment would be devastating.

Please contact your Senators today.

 

Thank you!

OATAG, CAGT & NAGC