Darien Board Of Education Votes To Keep Gifted And Talented Program

DARIEN, CT — After garnering feedback from parents, students and alumni, Darien Public Schools will not be cutting its gifted and talented program after all.

The Board of Education on Tuesday voted 7-2 to keep the Idea Program (Interesting Dimensions that Extend Abilities) as is at least for the next fiscal year.

As part of his proposed $125 million budget, Superintendent of Darien Public Schools Dr. Alan Addley proposed cutting 3.3 full-time equivalent staff positions in the program for an estimated savings of $469,015, saying students in the program could be served in a different capacity through differentiated practices, curricular extensions, school-wide enrichment, extracurricular opportunities, and more professional learning for teachers.

However, students and families who have been involved in the Idea Program made it clear there's no appetite for getting rid of it.

Maggie Russell graduated from Darien High School in 2022 and participated in the Idea Program from fourth grade through ninth grade. She left class early on Tuesday at Yale University, where she's a pre-med junior, to speak at the school board meeting.

"Idea allowed me to thrive in an academic and personal setting. Idea helped grow my curiosity, even when opportunities seemed new and overwhelming. I've gotten to do some amazing experiences in high school and college, such as working for an archaeologist in East Africa and studying traditional medicine in Northern India," she said. "It's because of these experiences, they all stem back to Idea and really loving learning and challenging myself."

Chiara Hu, a fifth grade student at Ox Ridge Elementary School, began in the Idea Program in second grade.

"I have not only learned, but I have grown as a student and as a person," Hu said.

Outside of the Idea program, Hu said she would raise her hand in class but her teachers oftentimes wouldn't call on her.

"This isn't just a small problem, this is a pattern, one that has occurred multiple times in my learning career. Idea is a program that has taught me and others like me, giving each of us the same attention to help us grow," Hu said

Hu showed off a project she made in the Idea Program while learning about ancient civilizations.

"That's the special thing about Idea," Hu added. "It isn't just an extra class, it's an opportunity for gifted students like me to engage and learn."

Following the roughly two-hour public comment period, the school board briefly discussed alternate proposals from Addley that included restoring the $469,015.

Board member Sara Parent then put a motion forward to keep the Idea Program as is and strike it from fiscal year 2026 budget deliberations.

"I think the most efficient use of our time is to move forward, and I think that's the most efficient and respectful way to treat our community as well, so they can understand what their elected officials are hearing and deciding, and then we can focus on the rest of the budget," said board member Kadi Lublin. "Because right now, this has become a distraction and there's a lot of material here we have a responsibility to go through."

Board member John Sini, who voted against Parent's motion, asked, "Do we really want to tie our hands now and say, 'absolutely no change' to this? Because it's going to impact other things."

Members indicated conversations about the program and ways to enhance it could be had throughout the school year.

You can watch the full Board of Education meeting from Jan. 14 on-demand on DarienTV79.