Parents raise concerns about new Dudley Elementary gifted and talented program

June 29--The Victoria school district is not giving enough time for parents to consider how the Dudley Elementary School's gifted and talented program was changed, said a parent of a Victoria school district student.

"The district did a poor job of communication," said Dan Williams-Capone, Victoria County Senior Citizens Association executive director. "I think they made the case of why they are looking at changes, and the why is understandable. It's the how is the big issue."

Victoria school district officials notified parents of the changes at a meeting Thursday at the Renaissance Center, 102 Profit Drive.

A letter explaining the changes was sent to parents, said Stephanie Wood, the district's advanced academics coordinator. Williams-Capone said his letter arrived last week.

The changes were spurred by the amount of growth of the gifted and talented program, she said. The new structure will be more consistent with the district's model for gifted and talented services and will allow more students who are gifted to be served.

Parents said they were concerned about whether their children will receive differentiated instruction. The parents were not sure if they would have time to consider whether they should seek alternatives to public education or remain at the school for the program.

Williams-Capone; his wife; and their daughter, who is an incoming fourth-grader, attended the meeting. His daughter was identified and tested for gifted and talented services in kindergarten.

The program was great, he said, because of classrooms that were designated for gifted and talented and other high-performing students.

Now, gifted and talented students will be mixed into regular education classrooms, where it will be difficult for teachers to give proper attention and challenge those students, Williams-Capone said.

But Wood said all the teachers will be qualified to teach gifted and talented students, and those students will be clustered in classrooms with some of their academic peers.

Jessica Burdette, a mother of an incoming fifth-grader who has received gifted and talented services since kindergarten, said she drives a 30-minute round trip to take her son to Dudley specifically for its program.

Burdette said there is no reason to keep her son at Dudley for the newly changed program because it now has the same structure as his home campus.

Parents should keep their children at Dudley because teachers will still care for their children, Wood said.

Dudley Elementary School principal Steve Carroll said gifted and talented students will continue to be pulled out for what is called "Unicorn Time," when support staff will go to the different grade levels to work with students for 30 minutes four times a week.

The timing of Thursday's meeting hinders parents who want to pursue private education or other educational options for their children because of the changes, Williams-Capone said.

The district could have phased in the changes instead of making them all at once, he said.

Although Williams-Capone said he understands why the changes are being made, he said he is still considering other opportunities for his daughter's education.

"The information we got today made us feel more comfortable," he said. "We just want to be assured she can continue to be challenged academically."

Gabriella Canales reports on education for the Victoria Advocate. She may be reached at gcanales@vicad.com or 361-580-6578.

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