Superintendent Dr. Danielle Gately Discusses the Vision Behind East Williston's School District 2024-2025 Budget
By Sital S. Patel
In a recent conversation with Dr. Danielle Gately, Superintendent of Schools, she shared insights into the guiding principles behind the East Williston School District's budget for the 2024-2025 school year. Dr. Gately emphasized the district's commitment to mental health, real-world learning, and the overall well-being of students. She highlighted the importance of safety, professional development for teachers, and the invaluable support from the community, all contributing to a strategic and student-focused budget.
Dr. Gately: "Our budget is always built with our strategic plan in mind. We focus on mental health and social-emotional health, real-world learning, and helping students find their passions, whether they are heading to college or entering the workforce after school. We look at what is available and how we can bring real-world experiences into the building and outside."
On Mental Health and Social & Emotional Wellbeing:
"You can't pick up the paper these days without reading about how kids are struggling with emotional health. We see that with younger students. We don't forget the kids that really excel, and we want to provide them with the most advanced technology."
On Real World Experiences:
"Looking ahead, when we build our electives, this year we are adding a pre-law elective and a financial business course for 8th graders to build their financial knowledge. These specialized pathways offer students more in-depth experiences. Looking ahead we would like to build additional pathways in other areas like medicine while continuing to grow our business program."
On Safety and Security:
"Safety and security are always primary for us. We will be doing a new security audit to ensure we have the most up-to-date practices, our protocols are tight, and our procedures are tight so we can improve and prioritize the next phase of safety and security upgrades."
On Professional Growth for Teachers:
"When you look at the budget, it's all about prioritizing. Professional development is a big part of the budget to keep our teachers growing as professionals."
On Community Support:
"The most important part of the budget is the community support. We are so grateful for the partnership with parents and the community. The willingness of parents to give back their time for the kids is invaluable. It cannot be done without this community support."
"I've been here for 12 years, in various positions within the district. Starting in middle school, I know it's a special place, different from the surrounding areas. We take pride in knowing every child. We are a district that tries not to say no, and we are uniquely equipped to say yes. This ties back to the budget, where we try to accommodate and support our students. The leadership team fosters this kind of communication, maintaining a K-12 continuum."
