page 2
daily nebraskan
tuesday, february 3, 1981
Bill would increase state aid for gifted children
By Patti Gallagher
The gifted child. One who learns faster,
reads earlier, retains more. One who is
usually bored by the educational pace in
the "regular" classroom. One who needs
special programs to encourage his gift.
But for the approximate 12,500 gifted
children in Nebraska, the procedure re
quires a program to operate for a full
academic year before receiving state
money.
That may change, however, if the
Nebraska Legislature approves LB423.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Peter Hoag
land of Omaha, would allocate a maximum
of $100 for each gifted child and would
establish a separate Gifted Children Edu
cation Fund. The aid would still be admini
stered by the State Board of Education,
but would be considered separate from
other educational aid.
Hoagland introduced an identical bill
last session that was killed in the Educa
tion Committee. A hearing before the same
committee has not been scheduled yet this
year for LB423.
The current "after-the-fact" funding,
according to Anne Crabbe, supervisor of
the Nebraska Association for the Gifted,
leaves school districts wondering how
much to allocate for gifted programs.
The result is that the majority of
schools spend far more than they receive,
Crabbe said. If state funds don't cover
what was spent the previous year, the pro
grams end up being subsidized by the
district itself.
Two advantages
Although Crabbe said she "can't take
sides" in her position, Hoagland's bill has
two advantages.
If the proposed funding was fixed at
$100, schools would know in advance how
much they were getting, and could set up
programs accordingly, Crabbe said.
"It would be considerably more than
what they are getting now," she said.
In 1980, the state paid $413,000 for
1979 programs for the educationally gift
ed. Divided by the 12,500 considered gift
ed, each child received about $33 for
special programs.
In the Lincoln schools 2,700 children
were identified as gifted in 1980, said Jody
Batten, gifted children consultant for the
Lincoln Public Schools.
Lirifcoln received about $60,000 from
the state for gifted programs, Batten said,
bringing the per-student payment to just
more than $22. The state fund was, how
ever, augmented with $315,000 from the
Lincoln district, she said, bringing the total
program cost to $375,000.
The advantage of LB423, according to
Batten are at least you'd know how much
you could spend and how much the district
would have to spend."
Present state aid
As it stands now, gifted programs are
funded from what is called the "equaliza
tion portion" of state aid to education.
Crabbe explained that the equalization
formula is "designed to bring schools that
are not as wealthy up to the level with
wealthy schools."
Therefore, Crabbe said, each school-depending
on its overall wealth-gets a differ
ent amount from the equalization fund.
And the fund is not exclusively for the gift
ed, she said. It is divided among several
programs.
Planning programs is difficult, she said,
because, "schools do not know from year
to year how much they can expect."
The problem is further complicated be
cause the funding is actually a reimburse
ment. A school district considering a
special program for a gifted child must first
file a letter of intent with Crabbe, then
conduct the program for a full year. The
program is then evaluated by Crabbe.
She then makes a recommendation to
the State Board of Education if a child
should be considered gifted. The actual
amount of reimbursement, however, is out
of Crabbe's hands. It is decided by the
board through the state aid to education
formula.
There is no way to determine the cost
of completed programs, according to
Crabbe, nor any way to determine if the
district is being under- or overpaid.
"The dilemma," she said, "is that they
(the programs) can be virtually costless or
they can be very costly. Some programs are
within the class, but some kids are pulled
out."
Nebraska's 'Guard' leads in recruitment growth
By Hollie Wieland
The Nebraska National Guard's man power has grown
to the highest level ever in a non-draft atmosphere, Major
Bob Robeson said.
Nebraska leads all other states in such growth during
the past two years, said Robeson, the state recruiting and
retention manager for the National Guard.
More than 75 percent of National Guard members are
using the 75 percent paid college tuition option, which
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seems to be a definite attraction, Robeson said.
The Army Guard division is presently operating at 87.7
percent of its authorized statewide strength, he said, and
the Air Guard is operating at close to 93 percent of its
authorized strength.
The National Guard has not had this level of manpower
since June of 1976, following the Vietnam war, Robeson
said.
Several reasons can explain the growth in strength
Robeson said.
"We like to think it is because of a new patriotism
among Nebraskans, but there are probably some other
factors," he said.
Another possible reason for growth could be the fact
that economic problems have caused fewer job openings,
he said.
"Since the Vietnam era, we have a new generation of
young people," Robeson said, adding that these people
seem to be aware that a community-based organization
can offer education and experience.
"We are looking for 90 percent authorized statewide
strength in two or three months," Robeson said.
Recruitment is the Guard's number one goal, he said.
Along with the growth in strength comes a growth in
federal funds, allowing the Guard to offer more benefits
to its members, Robeson said.
Less then 600 Nebraska positions are open in the Army
Guard division, he said.
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