About
Origins
For 50 years, the GATE District Advisory Committee has served as an important partner for program development, review, innovation, and implementation. Through it's decades of work, the GATE DAC has engaged parents as stakeholders, supported the families of gifted students, and helped maintain program quality.
Since it was organized back in 1972 by Dave Hermanson and Eugene Brucker, GATE parents representing all the schools across the District have met monthly with SDUSD program administrators to Inform, Educate, and Engage.
The GATE DAC is one of several District Advisory Committees that report annually to the Board of Education. It partners with these other DACs on cross-cutting issues such as special education, Title 1, and ELL.
Executive
The GATE DAC is led by an executive team consisting of a Chair plus 2 Vice-Chairs who are elected to serve a 2-year term. It is a volunteer-run organization, so consider nominating someone, or running yourself. Two additional members at-large may be nominated by the Chair. Election information is here.
The executive team works hard 12 months of the year to advocate on behalf of GATE families in SD Unified by representing you at District meetings, and working with the Chairs of the other District Advisory Committees and the PTA to advance common goals. Monthly informational meetings for GATE parents are organized and presented virtually in conjunction with the District staff overseeing GATE (Maria Montgomery, Senior Director of Humanities).
Mary Ann Hawke is the Chair currently serving from August 2024-2026. The 1st Vice Chair is Jennifer Marrewa. The 2nd Vice Chair is Melinda Therkalsen. You can contact Mary Ann and the executive team by emailing gatedacsdusd@gmail.com
Local Control & GATE
In 2013, the sections of the CA Education Code about GATE were repealed. At the local level, SDUSD closed their GATE office in 2017 (eliminating both the GATE manager and resource teacher positions) and adopted a "site based" model for GATE, which gave Principals direct control of their own programs. GATE has been impacted by this shift to Local Control because many Principals are opting to eliminate it. Site-based GATE management weakens the oversight role of District administration. It also collapsed the District's logistical support for running the GATE DAC. It multiplies our volunteer workload across all the school sites, which makes it much harder for the GATE DAC to act effectively.
Parents now play an even more crucial role in supporting GATE at their school sites, so please get involved! GATE DAC has experienced parent advocates willing to train you.
Join Us
Do something BIG or small - your choice - but please get involved! Attend the GATE DAC meetings. Monitor and report back on your Cluster meetings. Create contact lists for GATE parents at your school and form a group. Set up a GATE info table during school events using our printable poster. Volunteer to sit on your schools School Governance Team (SGT) or School Site Council (SSC) where all the important decisions are made - or get to know the parent sitting on the SGT/SSC to get the latest news. Become a member of a gifted advocacy organization such as the CAG, SENG or NAGC. Join our private group for GATE parents on Facebook by searching for GATESD. See this flyer that explains why the GATE DAC needs YOU!
Bylaws
The GATE DAC is governed by a set of bylaws that are posted here.