Parents Help Guide Future of Gifted, Talented Program

The Bedminster Township School administration recently held a parent session to discuss ideas for the gifted and talented program—and parents in attendance gave their thoughts on how to maintain the program, while also saving money.

At a recent board of education meeting, parents said they are concerned about rumors they have heard concerning possible cuts to the program.

Parents have said they had heard the program might be cut, or that it could be continued without program teacher Patricia Pillon.

Board members have said that no decisions have been made at this point, but the program will not be cut.

A brainstorming session was held April 24 with parents, Superintendent Carolyn Koos and Principal Corby Swan.

“We received many innovative, positive and creative ideas that were shared,” Koos said. “[Groups] discussed possible innovative, creative ideas for gifted and talented.”

Koos said groups at each table discussed ideas for the program and wrote them on sticky notes, and then designated one spokesperson to present them to the entire group.

“The sheets were collected and will be used by the administration team in their researched and data-based decision-making for future programming and scheduling,” she said. “The solution-focused brainstorming session was a positive proactive experience for informational gathering.”

Parent Basil Scaperdas, who was at the meeting, said it was a one-way process with the administration taking ideas to be considered.

“Lots of parents said to look at what other schools are doing,” he said. “There was no commitment, it was information gathering.”

Koos said the district is already in the process of researching how gifted and talented programs are being handled in other districts around the state.

“Indeed it is the district’s goal that we engage all of our students’ learning needs in a challenging and more rigorous global education,” she said. “We need to distinguish each child’s gifts and talents, while addressing them on a more frequent basis.”

In total, Koos said, the session led to more than 25 different ideas to be considered by the district in the coming weeks.

Scaperdas said that, for the parents, it is about making sure the students are challenged.

“The key thing is to make sure the kids are challenged in creative ways, to take what they are learning and interpret it and take it to the next level if they have the ability or desire to do so,” he said. “We can develop more of a creative environment.”

Koos said, there may be more meetings in the future on this topic and more.

“The administration looks forward to future meeting experiences covering topics of interest,” she said.