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Parents urge Sherman ISD to bolster gifted-and-talented support, reinstate advisory committee
Summary
Parents and students told the board that gifted services need more staff and structured parent‑district collaboration: PACEs asked the district to reinstate the GT advisory committee and to staff one gifted teacher at each elementary campus instead of three teachers traveling among seven schools.
Parents and a fourth‑grade Challenge student told the Sherman Independent School District board that the district should strengthen services for gifted learners, reinstate a formal advisory committee and ensure more on‑campus staffing.
Jim Hebda, a parent and professor of biochemistry, said he represents PACEs (Parents Advocating for a Challenging Education in Sherman) and urged the district to “support Sherman ISD by helping to advocate for kids who are in need of an education due to their gifting.” He described the Challenge program as pivotal to his family’s decision to remain in Sherman. Talia Molina, who identified herself as a parent and communications director of PACEUS, asked the board to “bring back the gifted and talented advisory committee,” noting the committee last existed in 2020 and that state guidance recommends such a group to provide parent‑educator input and program oversight.
Riley Arnott, a parent of two gifted students, told trustees the district currently has three GT teachers who travel between seven elementary campuses and asked the board to make hiring “one gifted and talented teacher on every elementary campus” a priority. “This is simply about equity and investing in the potential of our students,” Arnott said, arguing that campus‑based GT staff prevent loss of instructional time and provide consistent differentiation and teacher support.
Fourth‑grader Guy Arnaud described his experience in the Challenge program and said dedicated campus teachers made a difference in how deeply students can study topics. “I don't want [teachers] to burn out trying to teach three schools at once,” he said.
Why it matters: Gifted‑and‑talented program design and staffing affect instructional time, teacher workload and parental confidence in district services. Parents said restoring an advisory committee would create regular opportunities to review programs, suggest improvements and align district practice with state expectations.
What the board said: The presiding officer thanked the speakers and asked Dr. O'Neil to follow up with the parents, signaling staff will respond with additional information. The board did not take formal action on staffing or committee reinstatement at this meeting.
Next steps: Parents who testified said they are willing to partner with the district; the board asked staff to follow up. Any formal change to staffing or to reconstitute an advisory committee would appear on a future agenda for consideration.
