District staff told the Westerville City Schools Board of Education on May 19 that the district will reduce pull-out gifted facilitator positions and adjust service models while maintaining the state‑recognized gifted service hours delivered in classrooms.

Scott Reeves, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, introduced the report, then Gerty Klass, executive director of specialized learning programs, and Cheryl Rufford, executive director of elementary education, outlined the changes. Klass and Rufford said the district offers multiple state‑recognized gifted service models — including self‑contained classrooms, cluster grouping, AP/IB, and College Credit Plus — and said those core service models will remain in place.

Rufford said the district is reducing its gifted facilitators (staff who provide pull‑out enrichment activities) to preserve state‑required gifted service models in classrooms: middle‑school facilitators will be reduced from two to one and elementary facilitators will be reduced from four to two. The presenters stressed that facilitator duties were enrichment on top of required service models and that the reductions will lessen (but not eliminate) pull‑out enrichment opportunities.

Rufford said an Ohio Administrative Code change taking effect July 1 removes the 20‑student cap in self‑contained gifted classes for grades 3–5. District staff said they are reviewing data and will determine any new caps with attention to test scores and classroom logistics; staff said they do not intend to exceed the capacity of the physical classrooms, noting the magnet classrooms at Hamby are already set at 26.

Klass and Rufford also described an added service model for grades 9–10: honors courses taught by gifted‑trained teachers will count as a gifted service model, expanding services for hundreds of students in those grades who previously had no formal gifted service beyond middle school. Klass said students taking IB, AP or College Credit Plus continue to receive gifted services under state definitions.

On communication, staff said parents will be notified by email when final staffing decisions are made; that timeline could stretch into June or July as the district incorporates updated Ohio rules and summer enrollment changes. Board members asked for clearer and earlier communications to families and for specific data on changes in pull‑out frequency; staff said they will produce the data and notify families when plans are final.

Why it matters: The district says core gifted service models will be preserved while enrichment frequency will decrease. Parents and teachers asked for detail on how changes will affect classroom size, facilitator scheduling and student invitations to self‑contained placements.