Monday, August 29, 2005

School for gifted needs angels

By Luther Keith / The Detroit News

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By the time you read this, Gibson School for the Gifted will have less than 48 hours to come up with $300,000 or it will close its doors on 32 years of educating students with special educational needs.

The Redford Township private school's Board of Trustees decided after a summer spent fund-raising and scraping for money that Gibson won't open for the new school year unless an angel, or several of them, steps forward by the end of the day Tuesday.

"School was supposed to start for us last week, but our board voted to extend that because we didn't want to start the year and have to close," said Suzanne Young, the school's principal for 14 years.

"We have been talking to foundations and individuals, and we have found that it is a tough time right now. Private foundations are saying they did not make as much to give this year, or that there are so many nonprofits and institutions asking for money that it has already been spent. They are telling us we are a worthy cause, but there are lots of worthy causes."

The school's annual budget is about $750,000, Young said.

Gibson's story is somewhat similar to Catholic school closings in Detroit.

The school, which includes a preschool and kindergarten through eighth grade, has been hit by declining enrollment and a sagging economy that has made it more difficult for parents to afford its tuition of $8,900 a year.

As an inducement to attract students during its current crisis, the school is offering a $1,500 tuition discount for this year, as well as special discounts for enrolling more than one child. Over the past three years, Young said school enrollment has fallen from 68 students to 46 students. So far this year, only 35 students are registered, but more are in the pipeline to come aboard if the school can reopen, Young said.

Business downsizing has taken its toll on the Gibson family.

"This is not a school of wealthy children," Young said. "The economy has affected our families. Some parents who had their children at our school have been laid off and some have had health care issues."

In addition to the myth of the school being exclusively for the wealthy, Young wants to dispel the perception that gifted children and their parents are snobs.

"Many of our kids don't like the word 'gifted' for that reason," Young said. "Their parents just found a place that works for their kids, and their kids are eager to go to school."

About 3 percent to 5 percent of students nationally are considered, "gifted." At Gibson, students are evaluated by a psychologist and must have an IQ of at least 130.

"There is a myth that gifted children will make it on their own," Young said. "Gifted children have special educational needs. They need someone who listens and moves them on in exploration. They think differently and sound different. There aren't even many children that understand them. They also have different emotional needs. We are also a place where parents of gifted children can talk to each other about the unique needs of gifted children."

Gibson also prides itself on ethnic and geographic diversity, attracting students from 24 communities in Metro Detroit.

The Gibson learning philosophy impresses Ramona Pearson, a Detroit accountant and former school principal whose two daughters have attended the school. "They understand the importance of working with kids at the other end of the curve," she said. "Their teachers are coaches, not stumbling blocks, in helping children learn."

Young said Gibson has approached Plymouth businessman Robert Thompson, who recently renewed his offer to provide $200 million to open new charter high schools in Detroit.

"He said he was already committed to his high school project in Detroit, and we thanked him for that, because we want all our kids to be educated," she said. "We still have people working with us to try to shake some dollars down. We hope that there are people committed to children and education and, if they understand what we do, they will come forward. We cannot afford to lose this brainpower for the sake of our future and the country."

Angels should phone (313) 537-8688. You can also learn more at the Web site, gibsonschool.org.

Luther Keith is senior editor of The Detroit News. His column appears on Mondays and Thursdays. He can be reached at (313) 222-2675 or at lkeith@detnews.com.