Georgia schools took money for gifted services they didn’t provide

Georgia education officials let schools collect state funding for gifted services they didn’t provide, a new state audit has found.

By law, Georgia’s education funding formula gives schools a premium for each “gifted” student served by a teacher with special training.

During the 2020-21 fiscal year, Georgia school districts collected the surplus money for 1 in 10 classes that did not qualify because the teacher lacked the specialized training required, says the review released last week by the Georgia Department of Audits & Accounts.

“While most Gifted-eligible students are receiving Gifted services, some students are enrolled in schools that do not appear to offer any Gifted classes,” the review added.

Schools may have been “overpaid” as much as $9.7 million for classes that lacked a teacher with the kind of training that bestows a gifted “endorsement,” the review said.

That wasn’t the only problem.

Nearly 4,000 students for whom school districts received extra money to provide gifted services weren’t listed as eligible, the review said.

In all, schools may have been allocated at least $13 million that they should not have, the review found.

The Georgia Department of Education distributes federal and state funding to school districts, and is required to hold them accountable.

The agency said in the 41-page review it was undertaking what it described as a “Data Modernization Initiative” to enhance oversight. It also objected to some of the findings and recommendations. One argument: The information collected by...