I am a mom and I wanted to protest against the Gov. Gregoire’s proposal to eliminate all state highly capable program funding for the next two years. My kid is in the gifted program and is thriving well with the challenge the education provides. He actually enjoys going to school and learning which was not the case before he was accepted into the program. I also volunteer in his class and have seen firsthand how much all the kids love it there.

Some of the kids who could not get in this program are really suffering in the normal classrooms as they are way ahead of their peers. They usually finish their work a long time before and are then disturbing the other kids. The teachers are then frustrated with the disruptions. If due to closure of gifted classes the gifted kids join the normal classrooms there would be more disturbances. I am sure the teachers are also going to be frustrated with the whole situation.

Also the gifted kids will not find studies as interesting or challenging and just might give up. These kids are really ahead of the curve and just holding them back will mean making underacheivers out of them.

Many of these kids cannot afford a privated education and this program is the only chance they get at showing their true potential.

I would request all the other parents to protest against this proposal. We need to give our kids good education and opportunities, not take away whatever few remain now.

Nisha Gidwani, Redmond