Stephen B. Whiting, resident of Conway and an attorney with the H. Chris Christy Law Firm in Little Rock, received the prestigious Presidential Award from Dr. Ann Robinson, President of AGATE (Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education) at the recent AGATE State Conference in Little Rock.
Whiting was presented the award for volunteering his time to provide advice and analysis on the impact of proposed and current legislation upon students, teachers and administrators involved in Gifted and Talented education in Arkansas.
During the recent special session of the Legislature, Whiting discovered that the funding language for gifted education in Arkansas had been omitted from statutory language. Due to this discovery, sections of the Arkansas code were re-written and with the help of Rep. Jodie Mahoney and Sen. Shane Broadway, the language was restored to mandate funding for gifted and talented education.
Barbara Prichard, director of Gifted Programs for the Fayetteville Public Schools said, "Were it not for the skill and support of Steve Whiting there probably no longer would be any gifted services in Arkansas."
Whiting recently accompanied his wife, Donna, to Washington, D.C. to lobby for gifted education on the national level. As a result of his work there, key signatures were obtained for the Javits bill for national funding of gifted programs. Donna Whiting is director of Gifted Programs for the Conway Public Schools.
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