Gifted Funding: What can be done with this money? 5/15

Resources found on Iowa Department of Education website: categories/gifted-and-talented Department of Education website

The Code: 281—98.20(257) Gifted and talented program. Gifted and talented funding is included in the school district cost per pupil calculated for each school district under the school foundation formula. The per pupil amount increases each year by the allowable growth percentage. This amount must account for no more than 75 percent of the school district’s total gifted and talented budget. The school district must also provide a local match from the school district’s regular program school district cost and this portion must be a minimum of 25 percent of the total gifted and talented budget. In addition, school districts may have donations and grants, and the school district may contribute more local school district resources toward the program. The 75 percent portion, the local match, and all donations and grants shall be accounted for as categorical funding.

Summary Categorical funding is earmarked usually with qualifications attached. 75% categorical funding from state At least 25% funding from school district All donations or grants for Gifted and Talented are treated as categorical funding & must stay with the program.

The Code The purpose of the gifted and talented funding described in Iowa Code section is to provide for identified gifted students’ needs beyond those provided by the regular school program pursuant to each gifted student’s individualized plan. The funding shall be used only for expenditures that are directly related to providing the gifted and talented program.

Summary The G & T dollars can ONLY be used for G & T program and G & T students’ needs. Anything that involves general education students is not to be supported by G & T funding.

98.20(1) Appropriate uses of the gifted and talented program funding include, but are not limited to : a. Salary and benefits for the teacher of gifted and talented students. If the teacher is a part- time gifted and talented and a part-time regular classroom teacher, then the portion of time that is related to the gifted and talented program may be charged to the program, but the portion of time that is related to the regular classroom shall not.

Summary A district may pay for the salary and benefits of a gifted teacher out of gifted funds as long as it corresponds with the portion of the day the gifted teacher works with and for gifted students. A gifted teacher using part of their time to model or collaborate (not co-teach)with general education teachers for the benefit of gifted students is an acceptable use of gifted monies.

98.20(1) Appropriate uses of the gifted and talented program funding include, but are not limited to: b. Staff development for the Gifted and Talented teacher.

Summary Gifted teachers’ professional development cost is an expense that G & T monies can be spent on. Transportation costs, substitute teachers etc. is allowable with the categorical funding for gifted programming if the professional development is unique to responding to identified student needs in the district.

98.20(1) Appropriate uses of the gifted and talented program funding include, but are not limited to: c. Resources, materials, software, supplies, equipment, and purchased services that meet all of the following criteria: (1) Meet the needs of K through 12 identified students, (2) Are beyond those provided by the regular school program, (3) Are necessary to provide the services listed on the gifted students’ individualized plans, and (4) Will remain with the K through 12 gifted and talented program.

Summary Gifted monies can be spent on programming that meets the needs of gifted AND are beyond what is provided in the regular classroom AND necessary to provide the services for the gifted AND remains exclusively for identified gifted students.

98.20(1) Appropriate uses of the gifted and talented program funding include, but are not limited to: d. Student transportation exclusively for approved gifted and talented field trips or other educational activities.

Summary If the transporting vehicle has general education students aboard along with the Gifted students, then Gifted monies cannot be used for the cost of transportation.

98.20(2) Inappropriate uses of the gifted and talented program funding include, but are not limited to, indirect costs or use charges, operational or maintenance costs, capital expenditures other than equipment, student transportation, administrative costs, or any other expenditures not directly related to providing the gifted and talented program beyond the scope of the regular classroom.

Summary If in doubt about the use of Gifted monies call the DE for clarification. Rosanne Malek, Consultant, Gifted and Talented Programming Iowa Department of Education Phone:

Read on for Q & A’s from the Iowa Department of Education

Can high school teachers who teach advanced courses be paid from gifted and talented categorical funds? Answer: No. Advanced curriculum offerings are a student/family choice and is what your school offers as regular programming. Regular program offerings would not be expended from the district's gifted and talented funding.

Can the school district count the square footage of the room and the prorata share of utilities as its local match for its gifted and talented program? Answer: No. These costs are called indirect costs or overhead and are specifically disallowed costs to categorical funding. Those costs are the responsibility of the district from its general purpose revenues.

Our district has established a required class for all 9th graders called 21st Century Learning Skills. This effectively eliminates our gifted program for ninth graders since it will take up an additional period of the school day. Can we use any gifted monies? Answer: No. Because all 9th graders would not be identified as gifted and talented students, but all students are required to participate in the 21st Century Learning Skills program, none of the costs for that program would be allowable from gifted and talented funding.

Can a percent of the salaries of an administrator or secretary be paid with gifted and talented funding? Answer: No. Staff who are not exclusively assigned for a specified period of time to providing instructional services to meet the needs of identified gifted and talented students, should not be funded from gifted and talented funding.

Can gifted and talented funding be used to pay for the salary of a Curriculum Director? Answer: No.

What accountability measures are in place if a district doesn't comply with the law on gifted and talented funding? Answer: The local auditor is now required under Iowa Code chapter 11 to review the accounting for categorical funding annually to ensure that Iowa law and rules have been followed.

Is it allowable to use gifted and talented funds to pay for PSEO tuition to a community college for identified gifted and talented students? Answer: No for junior and senior students; yes for g/t-identified students in ninth and tenth grade. The opportunity to participate in PSEO is available for all juniors and seniors and is therefore considered the regular school program, whether the students are g/t-identified or not.

If some of the students going to a math tournament are g/t-identified students, can their registration fees, lunch and transportation come from the gifted and talented funding? Answer: No. The gifted programming funding is not attached to events in which the identified student participates, rather it is available to provide for specific opportunities where regular programming/curricular opportunities are not adequate to meet identified needs beyond what the school offers.

Does the instructional staff need to have 100% g/t-identified students in their classroom to be paid from the gifted and talented funding? Answer: It does not matter how many identified students are in a teacher's classroom if the class is a part of the general curricular program offered in the school. Gifted and talented funding is not to supplant the responsibilities of the general fund.

What are the guidelines for instructional staff paid from the gifted and talented budget? Answer: Gifted funding is to be used in response to needs of identified students beyond the regular school program. The endorsed gifted teacher is responsible for the Chapter 12 requirements of the school district.

Contacts Rosanne Malek, Consultant, Gifted and Talented Programming, Iowa Department of Education Phone: For your AEA 267 representative contact Marcia Knupp or Kay Schmalen. Any mistakes and or misinformation is solely the responsibility of the author. This is an attempt to clarify issues around Gifted programming for administrators and other interested persons.