The Trump administration conspired this summer to cruelly disrupt all the public schools in our country by illegally freezing federal Title II funds. They claimed that, essentially, the money was being spent on the “woke agenda.” Right before the school year started, there was a thaw. Funds were released after 24 state attorneys general challenged the freeze in federal court.  

The fallout of the cruelty on Knox County Schools (KCS) and its stakeholders? KCS cut 27.5 positions and dissolved the Gifted and Talented department. Many GT teachers were transferred into academic coaching positions (working with teachers) or open teaching positions (whether their license fit the position or not). These teachers face uncertainty going forward.

Gifted and Talented is a program for students who qualify for additional educational services under federal special education law. GT students have individualized education plans (IEPs) to support their growth. GT students are intellectually gifted, but it’s not just “smart kids.” Many gifted children suffer anxiety, and some have other diagnoses such as autism. They are neurodiverse, and schools aren’t designed for neurodiversity.

Gifted children who do not get their intellectual needs met often become problems for teachers (and caregivers). Most teachers are not adequately trained in how to support GT students, and now, along with everything else they are tasked with, teachers will have to provide enrichment for GT students.

The additional burden placed on teachers will place additional burdens on principals. It all adds up, and it was all unnecessary.

KCS, under scrutiny for its administration of special education, may well be found to be acting in bad faith regarding administering the GT aspect of special education. If the funds were made available, why not reinstate the Gifted and Talented department? We know at least one answer to that question—you can’t just move people back. Here at KCS we can see the problem of DOGE.

When you fire someone, or transfer someone into a new position, it’s often difficult to get the person back or refill the position. People have to have income—they move on to new jobs. Classroom positions have to be filled. Thanks to years of disinvestment in education, never funding it fully in the first place, and a war on schools and teachers waged from the right, fewer people than ever want to be teachers.

The removal of the Gifted and Talented department is only one of the problems KCS faces, but it’s one that hit home for me. My son received excellent GT services from 2^nd through 5^th grade. It kept him excited for school with academic enrichment and provided important social and emotional learning supports. I hate to think that other students like him will not receive specialized instruction from teachers with frequent professional development and interest in gifted education. They will receive it from teachers that have a million other things to do.