I went to a high school that hard very hard time offering advanced level courses. But they argued, successfully, that gifted students were just the other side of the 'special needs' spectrum and had the same right to resources as students who needed extra help. They got the funding and the advanced courses were a success and continue to this day. They also managed to keep the bar high - i.e. they kept it hard and many students who initially signed up would drop down to regular levels after a few weeks.