Many North Texas school districts are facing tough budget decisions. McKinney ISD is facing a $22 million budget shortfall. Proposed cuts have parents rallying to save a program they believe is vital to their child’s education. At Monday night’s McKinney ISD board meeting, the adults le t the kids do the talking. One by one, students enrolled in the gifted and talented program appealed to board members to save it. Fourth grader Bennett Miles brought his piggy bank. “Personally, if it means bringing ‘Alpha’ back, I’d donate my whole piggy bank,” Miles said. In March, the district announced its plan to save money. Citing stagnant state funding & enrollment, inflation and other factors, the district announced a series of cuts, including changes to the elementary gifted and talented program known as “Alpha.” Parents were informed that a staff of 12 teachers would be cut to four and students would receive less instructional time. The program currently serves 1,300 students. “I don’t think [the district] wants to make any budget cuts, but unfortunately, they’re being put in a really difficult position by the Texas state government,” said parent Halcyon Ramsey. Ramsey said McKinney’s GT program is a model for other districts and gave her son the tools to thrive. “I like the social connections where I get to meet kids from different campuses that think like me and have the same hobbies as me,” said fifth-grader Jaxton Ramsey. “My fear is because of these state cuts, our district is being forced to make some really difficult decisions and if we lose these teachers, this program is not going to be able to recover,” Ramsey said. Following Monday night’s public comments, school board members asked the superintendent to revisit cuts to the gifted and talented program and look for solutions. ...read more read less