SB 290 - This act modifies provisions relating to gifted education. This act prohibits school districts from determining whether a child is gifted based on the child's participation in an advanced placement course or international baccalaureate course. Whether a child is gifted must be determined using the statutory definition of "gifted children." (Section 162.720)
Beginning in the 2015-2016 school year, a school district will incur a financial penalty if it experiences a decrease in its gifted program enrollment of more than twenty percent from its 2014-2015 gifted program enrollment. An amount equal to the product of the percent reduction in the district's gifted program enrollment multiplied by the funds generated by the district's gifted program in the 2014-2015 school year will be subtracted from the district's current year payment amount. (Section 163.031)
This act also repeals a similar obsolete penalty on districts with reductions in gifted program enrollment. This penalty expired at the end of the 2011-2012 school year. (Section 163.031)
The financial penalty provision and repeal of the obsolete penalty will become effective on July 1, 2016.
This act is similar to SCS/HCS/HB 637 (2015) and a provision contained in CCS#2/HCS/SCS/SB 172 (2015) and in HCS/SCS/SB 113 (2015).
MICHAEL RUFF