Gifted students shouldn't take a back seat to anybody in the school system.

While necessity dictates an alliance with special education programs for the present, Tennessee must start working toward a system that addresses the specific needs and stimulus that gifted students should have.

The special education designation is more convenience than good policy. As part of the umbrella of services under that designation, gifted students get mandated assistance. They have legal standing under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

In the current climate, gifted students also get far more attention than they would without it. And that's why parents have resisted legislative efforts to remove their children from the designation.

For the most part, they are right to fight independence from the act. Until Tennessee has a program for gifted students, they shouldn't be removed from others with special education needs. A spokesman for Education Commissioner Faye Taylor said that without any alternatives, her department would also resist any effort to take gifted students out of the program.

With money tight, the state can hardly embark on new programs for the gifted or anyone else for that matter. One of the well-founded fears of removing gifted students from the special education services is that support will rise and fall with the budget needs.

Yet, gifted students don't belong under the umbrella of special education either. Disabled and learning impaired students have their own needs and programs which are expensive anyway. The state needs to make the best use of resources for their needs. They have challenges to overcome.

Gifted students need challenges of a different sort both outside and inside regular classrooms. Tennessee should get smart about finding ways to enhance their experience without phony designations.