TO: Rockford friends of Gifted Education
FROM: Terry James Mohaupt  tmohaupt@chicago.us.mensa.org

  • Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Advisory Council on the Education of Gifted and Talented Children http://www.isbe.net
  • Illinois Association for Gifted Children (IAGC) Parent Affiliates Chair and Advocacy Committee  http://www.iagcgifted.org/ an affiliate of NAGC http://www.nagc.org/
  • Regional Office of Education Boone/Winnebago Counties Advisory Board http://4roe.org/ and http://www.kidsroe.org/Chicago Area Mensa Gifted Children Committee http://www.chicago.us.mensa.org/
  • Rockford Public Schools Parents for Gifted Education Past Past President http://www.rps205.com/departments/gifted/ and http://www.pge205.org/

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Alert!

We have less than 3 weeks left to let Illinois legislators know that we need gifted funding restored as a line item in the budget.
Without funding the gifted language legislation has no teeth.
Currently, school districts are not required to have any type of gifted programming.
YOU need to contact your state senators and representatives now.

Go to this website to find how to contact yours: http://www.vote-smart.org/
Ask them to urge the 4 leaders to support a line item for gifted funding in the budget. And ask them to then to vote for it.

Ultimately, the budget is agreed to by the 4 leaders and the Governor. That means Speaker Madigan, President Jones, Leader Cross and Leader Watson ultimately will decide if gifted is to be included. If you know people who live in their districts, try to set up meetings or call them.

The gifted children in Illinois need you NOW!


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Here is contact information for the 4 key people:


District 14 -  Emil Jones, Jr.
 jones@senatedem.state.il.us
Address: 327 Statehouse
Springfield , IL 62706
Phone: (217) 782-2728
Fax: (217) 782-3242
URL: www.senatedem.state.il.us <http://www.senatedem.state.il.us>

Address 2: 507 W. 111th St., Suite 8
Chicago , IL 60628
Phone 2: (773) 995-7748
Fax 2: (773) 995-9061

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District 22 -  Michael Madigan
mmadigan@hds.ilga.gov
Address: 300 Statehouse
Springfield , IL 62706
Phone: (217) 782-5350
Fax: (217) 524-1794

Address 2: 6500 S. Pulaski Rd.
Chicago , IL 60629
Phone 2: (773) 581-8000
Fax 2: (773) 581-9414

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Frank C. Watson - Senator 51st District
watson@gvc.net
Springfield Office:
309A Capitol Building
Springfield, IL   62706 
(217) 782-5755
 
District Office:
1355A South State Route 127
Greenville, IL  62246 
(618) 664-9108
(618) 664-9112 FAX

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Tom Cross - Republican Representative 84th District
Tom@TomCross.com
Springfield Office:
316 Capitol Building
Springfield, IL   62706 
(217) 782-1331
(217) 782-7012 FAX

District Office:
530 W. Lockport St.
Suite 204
Plainfield, IL  60544 
(815) 254-0000
(815) 609-3994 FAX
Kendall County


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³While we understand that it takes time to make phone calls and send letters, we know it is the only thing that will bring about the necessary changes.²
-PAGES, Newsletter for Parent Advocates of Gifted Education, Normal IL District 5, October, 2004, Cathy Greene, Editor.

"One problem we have is that we don't hear enough from people we represent."
-U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo, R-Egan, Rockford Register Star, May 2, 2005
[This also applies to our state legislators.]

"Anytime you see something that is not in alignment with excellence, you have to get engaged."
- Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey at Auburn High School, March 17, 2006.

Go to this website: http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm and enter your 9-digit zipcode to find how to contact your elected officials.

Those of us on the ISBE Advisory Council on the Education of Gifted and Talented Children have been working on the Rules and Regulations for distribution of the funding. The line item must be passed soon for funding to be available for next year. Othrwise, it will be too late; and we'll have to wait another year for funding.

Telephone or fax now.

-T J M