As discussed in our last blog post, Texas families are fortunate to live in a state that requires both identification and services for GT students. Unfortunately, not all states provide adequate funding for GT programs—if any dedicated funding is provided at all— which can lead to inconsistencies in the quality and effectiveness of GT services and identification. In states where insufficient GT funding is provided, GT programs suffer, especially when overall funding is tight.
For the past several years, parents and educators have asked us: how does Texas fund GT programs, and what must districts do to receive GT funding?
Short answers:
Texas currently provides dedicated GT program funding through the “GT Allotment” (Tex. Educ. Code § 48.109). However, the GT Allotment is not enough to fully fund GT programs that meet state requirements, follow current recommendations, and meet the needs of GT students. To maintain adequate GT services, districts must also supplement their GT program budgets with basic allotment funding as well as local funding. This supplementation is expected by the state.
Districts can receive GT funding if they maintain a GT program that is in compliance with Texas laws and rules for GT services. (For a detailed discussion on what this means, see our last blog post.)
Readers familiar with the GT Allotment may recall legislative changes in the past several years. Families may also wonder what happens if districts claim GT Allotment funding but aren’t actually following all applicable requirements. GEFN is here to help! Read below to learn how parents and educators can work together to ensure that districts stay in compliance and receive maximum GT funding.
Background: what is the Texas GT Allotment, and why does it exist?
In public education, funding is sometimes earmarked for specific educational needs. These allotments are designed to ensure that districts always maintain adequate staff and resources for certain programs or services. An example of a recently created allotment in Texas is the Dyslexia Allotment. A list of state allotment programs can be found on the TEA website.
In gifted education, educators nationwide have found that if dedicated funding is not set aside for GT programs, these programs are often at higher risk for budget cuts. The need for GT services is not always understood by district leaders, and in many states, including Texas, public education is severely underfunded. Districts must often weigh difficult funding decisions. Without earmarked funding, GT programs can be seen as a lower priority and can end up on the chopping block.
Hasn’t the GT Allotment changed recently?
Yes. Between 1995 and 2019, districts received additional funding for each GT-identified student—for up to 5% of the district’s total students—in the amount of the basic allotment multiplied by 0.12. (The “basic allotment” is the lump sum districts receive from the state for the general education needs of each student.) However, even then, the amount of the GT Allotment was usually not adequate to maintain state-compliant GT programs. Since districts were given the freedom to determine how much supplemental funding (if any) to use towards GT budgets, the quality of GT services varied across the state. Matters were made significantly worse in 2019 when the Texas Legislature eliminated the GT Allotment entirely. Parents successfully advocated for mitigation measures, including a penalty for districts that fell out of compliance with state GT requirements. The TEA issued guidance making it clear that districts should continue budgeting at least the amount of the former GT allotment— but for a time, earmarked GT funding was lost.
Why was the allotment eliminated? In 2018 and 2019, some opponents of GT education made the claim—inaccurately—that the 5% cap on Allotment funding also capped the number of students that could be identified for GT services, which they claimed was hurting diversity in GT programs. This was not true. Districts have always been able to determine which and how many students need GT services (there was no state cap on identification), and districts have always been free to supplement GT Allotment funding with basic allotment funds and local funds. Most importantly, improving diversity in GT programs requires measures such as universal screening (this ensures that all students can be considered for GT services), which costs money—so in order for districts to improve diversity, they actually needed more GT Allotment funding, not less. Eliminating dedicated GT funding makes it less likely that districts will choose to fund identification processes recommended by experts. Unfortunately, by the time Texas legislators held public hearings discussing the proposed elimination of the GT Allotment, bipartisan agreements about school funding had already been finalized. Parents were told by legislators that not enough legislators had heard from their constituents about GT funding.
In 2021, the GT Allotment was reinstated, but at a much lower amount. The basic allotment is now multiplied by 0.07 (instead of 0.12) to determine how much funding the district receives for each GT-identified student. Gifted education experts were not consulted on this new amount. Fortunately, TEA guidance still makes it clear that districts should continue to supplement GT budgets with both local and basic allotment funds.
Wait, so my district really should be budgeting for its GT program beyond the amount of the GT Allotment?
YES. First, districts are specifically required to supplement the GT Allotment with local funding. Section 1.4 of the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students states: “To the extent that state funding is provided for gifted/talented student education, local funding for gifted/talented education programs is used to supplement the state funding.”
More importantly, in 2019 and again in 2021, the Texas Education Agency issued guidance explicitly directing districts to supplement the GT Allotment using basic allotment funding. Current TEA guidance states: “LEAs should continue to use the basic allotment to fund G/T program services in addition to funds received under the new G/T allotment.” As a practical matter, any educator involved in GT in Texas knows that it is not possible to maintain a GT program in compliance with state requirements without supplementing GT budgets with basic allotment funds. Unfortunately, not all Texas districts acknowledge these important points, and a number of Texas district GT programs remain underfunded and under-resourced.
Should we try to increase the state GT Allotment, to strengthen GT programs?
GEFN strongly supports increasing the GT Allotment and would support legislation to accomplish this. However, GEFN also recognizes that Texas public education as a whole is facing a funding crisis. At the beginning of the 2023 legislative session, Texas had a $32.7 billion surplus, but none of these surplus funds were spent on our public schools, which were already underfunded. Texas ranks 42nd in the nation in per-student spending, spending $4,000 less than the national average on each student in our public schools.
The impact of underfunding schools is long-lasting. Districts are currently being forced to close schools and to make painful budget cuts. GEFN suggests that Texas families consider monitoring district budgets (attending school board meetings and updating other GT families is one way to do this), and if necessary, consider advocating to protect existing levels of GT funding, both at the state and district level. GEFN further urges all Texas families and educators to contact their state legislators and to insist on adequate funding for public education overall.
The battle over school vouchers is an unfortunate distraction and an obstacle to meeting the needs of Texas students. Vouchers would give tax money to schools that do not have to serve either GT students or students with disabilities, and they would siphon desperately needed resources away from our existing public schools, just as they have hurt public schools in other states with voucher programs. For these reasons and more, GEFN strongly opposes vouchers in any form. To learn more about the Texas school funding crisis, families may wish to visit Raise Your Hand Texas, Texas AFT, Texas PTA, and other organizations working to improve Texas public education for all children.
How are the GT program requirements for Texas schools related to GT funding?
Under the current Texas GT Allotment law, Tex. Educ. Code § 48.109, districts can ONLY claim GT Allotment funds if they:
- have a “program for gifted and talented students,”
- certify to the commissioner of education that the program complies with Texas Education Code “Subchapter D, Chapter 29,” and
- use the funds “in providing programs for gifted and talented students under Subchapter D, Chapter 29, including programs sanctioned by International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement, or in developing programs for gifted and talented students.” Districts can also spend the funds on an “amount that represents the program’s share of general administrative costs.”
Tex. Educ. Code § 29.123, which is within “Subchapter D, Chapter 29,” directs the State Board of Education to establish the “state plan for the education of gifted and talented students,” which “shall be used for accountability purposes to measure the performance of districts in providing services to students identified as gifted and talented.”
In other words, if districts are not in compliance with the State Plan, they are at risk of being disqualified for receiving any GT Allotment funding under § 48.109(a).
What can parents do if their district is out of compliance with GT requirements? Our closing thoughts
Under current circumstances, taking any funding away from our public schools will result in further harm to students. However, if Texas districts do not maintain GT programs that comply with state requirements, this also hurts students. Texas GT requirements were carefully written to follow current best practices and expert recommendations, and they are designed to protect the learning needs of GT students in all populations. Texas GT services are especially critical for students in families who cannot afford or access alternatives to public schools. GT researchers have published extensively on both the short- and long-term harm that can result from ignoring the academic and social-emotional needs of GT students. Allowing GT services to further decline is not in the best interest of Texas children or of the Texas economy.
In any advocacy to improve or protect GT services, connections are crucial. GEFN advises parents to network with other local GT families, and when possible, to engage in positive advocacy as a local group. It may be effective to alert district leaders to the potential loss of GT Allotment funding if their district’s GT program remains out of compliance. Reporting a district to the state for noncompliance should be a last resort when other methods of advocacy have been attempted and have not succeeded. We strongly encourage local GT groups to explore GEFN’s advocacy resources and to find ways to collaborate with district leaders and/or board members in making improvements that both protect district funding and strengthen district programs for all students with advanced learning needs.
Every Texas student deserves a public education that allows them to learn each day and to reach their potential— including Texas GT students. It is past time for Texas to invest in its future and to support the learning needs of all students. As parents and educators, it is up to us to use our voices and to make change happen.
Do you have a burning question or a suggestion for a future post topic? Write us at giftededucationfamilynetwork@gmail.com!
This resource is provided for general information purposes, does not constitute legal advice, is not intended as and should not be interpreted as legal advice, and does not establish an attorney-client relationship.
Gifted Education Family Network 