Goals, focal points shared for new school year

The Webutuck Central School District welcomed back staff Sept. 2 with the first of two Superintendent’s Conference Days for the start of 2026-2027 school year. The staff greeted each other at a continental breakfast prepared by the food services team in the senior lounge before heading to the high school auditorium for the start of the program.

Interim Superintendent of Schools Raymond Castellani delivered opening remarks, welcomed new staff, highlighted staff for 20 and 25 years of service, and introduced board members in attendance – President Judy Moran and Vice President Joanne Boyd.

“I do want to thank everybody,” said Moran to staff. “I can tell you that the entire board very much appreciates the relationship between staff, the administration and the board. It’s essential.”

Moran added, “If you don’t work with the kids, then nothing happens. So, thank you very much from the bottom of my heard for that and I sincerely hope the year goes well for all of us. I think we’re hitting it in a good direction.”

Castellani shared district goals and focal points:

--  Tiered student supports/special education programming

--  Data driven instructional practices

--  Portrait of a graduate: authentic learning through project-based learning

--  Community and family engagement

--  Fiscal stewardship

--  Improvement of facilities and grounds

Castellani also highlighted what makes the district special: the first pre-K3 program in Dutchess County, the first School-Based Health Center and the district pays the tuition for students to earn Dutchess Community College credits.

“You can graduate from Webutuck with one year of college credits, 30 credits minimum, under your belt,” said Castellani. “We’re working toward expanding that with other opportunities and pathways, which we’ll talk about in the next two days.

“People say, ‘Why do you get into education?’ It’s about those smiling faces, and then you see the graduation and the culmination of that. So every day, what you do does make a difference and we thank the community and the board for all that.”