A lengthy search process involved 50 listening sessions with staff and families, and the district fielded over 6,000 comments from the community, according to the release. c***@oside.us. 2023 Richmond Confidential. So I sort of felt disenfranchised as a youth. So if there is some trauma thats happening with a child at the home that our teachers know precisely the steps to take to get help or to refer to that child. I think warning signs are important so our teachers receiving training on how to identify those warning signs of any type of abuse thats happening, and then the referral process as well. Join to connect . Hurst got his start in the education field in San Diego County, after serving 12 years in the Marines; he served combat duty in Desert Storm and was a drill instructor, communications specialist and maintenance supervisor at Camp Pendleton. So its going to be really important that our teachers check in individually with our students and really find out whats happening. Dr. Hurst joins WCCUSD after spending the past five years as the Superintendent of the Othello District in Othello, Washington where he significantly increased graduation rates and decreased chronic absenteeism rates for students. So professional learning is going to be a very big key here in Richmond and across the United States. Really, we love to read. Hurst said he assisted in Bersins, From San Diego, he became a principal in Oceanside in. While serving as the Associate Superintendent of Educational Services, he supervised the Oceanside Promises implementation to ensure all Oceanside students graduated ready for college and career and established the Oceanside Promise Foundation, a 501(c)(3). Dr. Hurst may think that his SoCal experience will help him. The district has hired a new superintendent, Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, who will begin May 17. Othellos student population this year is 91% Latino; 32% are English learners, and 75% qualify for free and reduced-price lunch. Kenneth Chris Hurst Sr., Ed.D | Superintendent | West Contra Costa Unified School District | (510) 231-1101 CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This electronic mail transmission may contain privileged. Dr. Hurst becomes WCCUSDs 10th permanent superintendent and its first permanent African American superintendent. Anyone reading articles, research and more, both academic and not, knows this. And I really am now interested in making sure that that doesnt happen to kids, which is why Im really invested in education but especially in systemic inequities and vertical inequities within the system. All Rights Reserved. West Contra Costa Unified school board members unanimously approve a three-year superintendent contract for Kenneth Chris Hurst, shown with his wife Crystal in the center of the bottom row. Privacy Policy So anything that involves her is what I like to be involved in. This is kind of a lengthy response, but what I will say, first we have to build a healthy system, which means looking at our organization and how we are structured. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); We welcome your comments. Next, he worked as a principal under former San Diego Unified Superintendent Alan Bersin. 2023 EdSource. Actually, I have an overall safety concern from COVID, and then the Delta variant as well. To get more reports like this one, click here to sign up for EdSources no-cost daily email on latest developments in education. So, even though we have some high-performing districts across the United States, theyre not as high-performing as other countries, other developed countries across the globe. I think its inspirational, motivational, and I know people will look up to me as a positive African American role model.. My dad was in the Army for 30 years and I was in the Marine Corps for 11 years and I loved it. Yeah, I did address this a little bit. It takes things like early literacy as well. So I have a number of priorities but I would certainly say my top priority is improving student learning and student achievement. Like many large urban California districts, West Contra Costa Unified has experienced considerable budget woes in recent years. In 2004, Bersin divided the three schools into 14 smaller 500-student academies, funded in part by millions of dollars in grants, mostly from the Gates foundation. I really believe in investing in building teacher capacity and building leadership capacity, and thats what it really comes down to when we talk about BIPOC and racism and implicit biases as well. I'm excited about this partnership.. Chris Hurst (D) officially conceded to Jason Ballard (R) Wednesday morning in the race for the House of Delegates' 12th District. Watching superintendents fail in LCFF-funded districts in high-cost counties has become routine. He and his wife, Crystal, have two grown children. We had the opportunity to serve the WCCUSD community in the highest way by hiring a new superintendent, Board Clerk Jamela Smith-Folds said. I think its encouraging when we see people like President Obama and Kamala Harris. What is your biggest concern heading into the school year? Ervin. The Board voted 5-0 at Wednesday night's board meeting on a three-year contract for Dr. Hurst that begins May 17. total compensation and benefits last year, reopen campuses for hybrid instruction on Monday, Harriette Cole: My friend's mom didn't recognize me at my job, and she was very rude. After a nearly six-month search, the West Contra Costa Unified School District has hired a new superintendent. But in addition inequitable funding of districts, the bigger issue is that a _familys_ income is the biggest factor in a childs educational success. So what were doing right now were trying to build a system that allows that to happen, for more and more students to be successful. And I always had a talent in mathematics. Its really a framework Im using and its called Central Office Transformation Toolkit and its out of the University of Washington. Theres this assessment that comes out on an annual basis, its called the program of International Student Assessment, and it has rankings in English language arts, math and science, and were close to the bottom out of 35 industrial nations. The Bay Area is a "liberal" place with perhaps the worst economic inequality in the country, and until that changes, WCCUSD will have the same outcomes. During his five years at Othello, graduation rates increased from 71% to 87%, and absences declined by 33%, He also implemented the districts social-emotional learning standards. Hurst is only one of a tiny number of Black superintendents among the states 1,000-plus school districts. One of the things we do know is, were able to reduce class sizes so our teachers can really have smaller class sizes and be able to check in with students more frequently. He previously reported in Contra Costa County and before joining the Bay Area News Group he worked in Eureka and Santa Barbara. Chief Business Official: Robert McEntire Interim Associate Superintendent / Chief Business Officer (510) 231-1170 robert.mcentire@wccusd.net. He started his educational career in Poway Unified as a math and computer programming and computer science teacher. I think its really dependent upon our students I think its individual success and individually defined. Reading articles, research and more, both academic and not.. Ive been in the San Diego area the longest, I was there for 35 years, so we kind of call Southern California our home. When that doesnt happen, what the research says, by the time a student gets into third grade, then they are 30 million words behind those students whose families read to them 30 million words. That is not to say unions are bad, quite the contrary they just need to focus more on helping protect employees, especially the most vulnerable not raising salaries. Dr. Hurst joins WCCUSD after spending the past five years as the Superintendent of the Othello District in Othello, Washington. I was the type of student that really excelled in math and I used to love taking tests like an assessment, and I was the type of student that would go in and I would just excel, get 100% and do the extra credit. WCCUSD's new Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst's first official day was May 17. Before his career in education, Dr. Hurst served 12 years in the Marines. Given the number of students of color, I am certain that his presence will be appreciated by students and parents of color, as well as the faculty and staff of the district, Camp said. So I think, just to go back to your question, I think success is going to be individually defined by our students. UPDATE 10:06 a.m.: Incumbent Del. I think those are the big pieces that Im really focusing on coming back for fall. 12/31/2022 7:59 PM. Email [emailprotected]Copyright (C) 2015, by Don Gosney and Felix Hunziker. Hurst is apparently just another neoliberal, protecting the wealthy by betraying his students and their families, when he asserts that his "out of the Read More. Previously, Chris was an Assistant Principal at Camino High School. But what we see also across the United States and in Richmond is that, generally speaking, our teaching force is made up 70% of white women. Its an unhealthy system. Its about accumulating these skills so I can use these skills to make the United States or the globe a better place, and to really tackle pressing economic issues and global issues like COVID. The research says that kids should be reading at least 20 minutes per day or parents should be reading to their kids 20 minutes per day. Questions, comments, or suggestions? Dr. Hurst succeeds Matthew Duffy, who announced in November that he would not seek an extension to his contract. Superintendent: Dr. Kenneth C. Hurst Superintendent (510) 231-1101 chris.hurst@wccusd.net. Its going to take a community effort, to take all of us working together as one for a shared vision.. The main reason he took the job, though, was to be a part of the work happening there to improve student success. I think Ive spent more time in California than any place, because after I got out of the Marine Corps, we kind of settled in Southern California and San Diego. It was a close decision, he added. The systemic inequities that Ive seen in different districts that Ive been in Ive been in high-performing districts and low-performing communities as well it reminds me of my experience kind of growing up being a disenfranchised youth. She actually contracted encephalitis at 9, which is a virus, and we believe it was an insect like a mosquito that was carrying the virus, but shes had to go through a lot in her life and to prove to people that she can do anything, because sometimes people view people who are visually impaired as being disabled and not being able to do certain things. The staff at Richmond High School are backing student demands and uplifting them to engage the whole community. Hurst is apparently just another neoliberal, protecting the wealthy by betraying his students and their families, when he asserts that his out of the box ideas (in fact, common buzzwords for years now) can change change educational outcomes without addressing wealth inequality. He also facilitated instructional rounds for the Oceanside high school network and the LCAP development. And their whole theory of action is, if we can really transform the central office, like people that work up here with me, and if we put the right people in place to have the right tools, then we could better go down to the school sites and support them and build capacity with the leaders. Some students may define their success as going into a career field of their choice, or some may define success, another different way. That is a huge concern, and we have been stagnant for years for a number of years. Find him taking walks around town; he is always looking for story tips. Dr. Hurst also served as an administrator in the San Diego Unified and Poway Unified school districts. So those conversations are going to happen and thats part of my vision. I think for me, overarching, were going to be working on what we call a graduate profile, which is what we want our students to know and be able to do when they graduate. He earned a master of arts in educational administration in 2008 and a. So there has to be a big investment in preschool to make sure that we close that early literacy gap. Hurst should identify a few professional practices such as Explicit Instruction or Formative Assessment with Descriptive Feedback and develop a plan to implement, monitor, and hold everyone accountable for the execution of these aligned practices at very high performance levels. But I also knew that in my growing up in high school expressly, there was not a lot of encouragement for me, being a Black male, an African American male, from my teachers and my counselors. Dr. Chris Hurst, Superintendent of WCCUSD and the Office of African American Student Achievement (OAASA) led the effort to raise the Pan-African flag at all schools and at the district office for . EditorsNote: As a special project, EdSource is tracking developments in theOaklandUnified and West Contra Costa Unified School Districts as a way to illustrate some of the challenges facing other urban districts in California. Kenneth Hurst Superintendent at West Contra Costa Unified School District Pinole, California, United States 1K followers 500+ connections Join to follow West Contra Costa Unified School. Dr. Hurst joins WCCUSD after spending the past five years as the Superintendent of the Othello District in Othello, Washington where he significantly increased graduation rates and decreased chronic absenteeism rates for students. Ervin has just been selected to be the next of superintendent of San Bernardino City Unified, and will take over there on July 1. Paris le-de-France CCI is a source of proposals, informs debates on key issues and plays an active role in the growth of local companies and the economy in its territory. I just loved it, from low-entry mathematics to high-level calculus. Please check your e-mail for a link to activate your account. He said his drawn to central Washington in part because of the beautiful countryside his parents had lived in Yakima, and he and his wife always dreamed of living there. AnnMarie Baines Founder & Executive Director, The Practice Space. In the 2019-20 school year at West Contra Costa Unified, about 56% of its students were Latino, 31% were English learners, and 66% qualified for free and reduced-price lunch. So a big reduction so our counselors could check in more. Dear Abby: I have a great life, so why have I fallen into this shameful behavior? We think thats important to check in with the families. There are some other pieces that are priorities for me but I would say those are the top two priorities. Dr. I have an unwavering commitment and dedication to supporting a culture of inclusion and equity throughout the district and community, and what excites me is that we have a board and learning community interested in educational equity for all students., Fight your California speeding ticket and win, Recover Stolen/Missing Crypto/Funds/Assets. Its going to take a community effort, to take all of us working together as one for a shared vision., Currently, only four of the states 30 largest school districts have Black superintendents. Hurst has also used a train the trainer approach to professional development. Hurst said theres a correlation between students not being in class due to suspensions and expulsion and their academic performance. Hurst should identify a few professional practices such as Explicit Instruction or Formative Assessment with Descriptive Feedback and develop a plan to implement, monitor, and hold everyone accountable for the execution of these aligned practices at very high performance levels. Its general assembly is made up of elected business leaders and acts to represent and defend the interests of businesses with public authorities, as well as taking positions . I really believe that especially urban systems are fundamentally broken and are failing Black and brown students across the United States. But also were doing whats called a soft start to our school year, which means that were taking this whole social emotional learning piece and trauma that may have happened very seriously. From San Diego, he became a principal in Oceanside in North San Diego County, turning around Jefferson Middle School and Oceanside High, he said. But Hurst doesnt just want to throw things at people, he said in an interview with EdSource. She also has this Braille laptop as well. And as I look at large, urban systems like San Diego or LA or Oakland or Long Beach and even, West Contra Costa Unified School District, these are large systems which for the most part are failing are Black and brown kids. And how do we get them to understand that students are bringing in differences? Email. Dr. Hurst earned his Doctorate in Education, K-12 Leadership (Magna Cum Laude), at the University of Southern California in 2011, and his Master of Arts Degree in Educational Administration (Magna Cum Laude) in 2008, and his Bachelor of Science, a degree in Mathematics in 1997 at California State University, San Marcos. Sylvester Greenwood and Dr. Cynthia LeBlanc each served one-year terms as interim . And ultimately, our parents and our communities, they want to see their children succeed. Having engaging, culturally relevant curriculum is also important to keeping students on track, he said. My long-term goal is to really transform our system so that we are ensuring that a high number of our students are prepared for college and career. And whether thats either drug abuse, or some other sort of trauma that students are experiencing, we want to make sure that we partner with those agencies so that they can really check in either individually or with groups, those students. He knows how to be a superintendent because hes been doing the work. Dr. Hurst, who will leave his role as superintendent of the Othello School District in Othello, Wash. to lead the WCCUSD, will commence his three-year contract May 17. We are presenting to this community someone who can help and I say help because nobody can do this work alone take us to the next level, board president Mister Phillips said at the school board meeting. I am excited to get to work in West Contra Costa Unified and about working together to provide a world-class educational experience for students that prepares them to be globally competent and allows them to compete and participate in our diverse and global society, Hurst said. Although only 6% of the states student enrollment is Black, an even smaller percentage have been selected to run districts. Dr. So my whole concept is making sure that we get curriculum in front of our kids, that [we get] role models for our kids that look like them. Dr. There just isnt anymore.. John Moore, 757th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron superintendent, Chief Master Sgt. Best to relabel it the Professional Practices Gap. c***@dcdsb.ca. There needs to be people like myself that are willing to invest in challenging the system. He Read More. Among the strategies that he points to are restorative justice alternatives to traditional school discipline, promoting rigorous, engaging and culturally relevant curriculum as well as project-based learning, and aligning curriculum with career pathways and industry occupational sectors. We hired a leader who will lead WCCUSD teachers, administrators, and staff with a united vision, transparency, and accountability. Michael Littleton Richmond Promise Board Chair, Former Senior Vice President of Finance, Gu Energy Labs. So when our students came back in January, what I saw was a disconnect, like our students werent talking a lot, they werent engaging a lot. Click here for EdSource's Comments Policy. I think Ive already talked to you about the soft start and checking with our students about their social social emotional learning needs. So sometimes when you walk into classrooms and even college classrooms, students are disengaged. He refused to let it end in Game 7, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. I think we took the time we needed, Phillips said. Despite that, those districts have all been able to creatively offer engaging curriculum and programs like maker-spaces in which students can bring in materials from the house for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) projects. Dr. Hurst joins WCCUSD after spending the past five years as the Superintendent of the Othello District in Othello, Washington where he significantly increased graduation rates and decreased chronic absenteeism rates for students. Kenneth C. "Chris" Hurst Sr., associate superintendent of educational services with the Oceanside Unified School District, has accepted a job as superintendent of the tiny Othello School. So I would say COVID safety and overall safety is a big component. Contact. Chief Master Sgt. He collaborated to implement the Future Ready technology initiative, designed to create a shared vision of preparing students for success in college, career, and citizenship. College and Covid: Freshman Year Disrupted, Education During Covid: Families Struggle to Learn. In a release, a district spokesman detailed Hursts accomplishments at Othello School District in Othello, Washington, including implementing social-emotional learning standards, which train students to manage their emotions and relationships. Bay Area students chosen as semifinalists in the prestigious U.S. Presidential Scholars Program who made the cut? He said he was also drawn by the district and school boards passion for equity and mission statement to bring students a quality education so that they can better their community while being global citizens. Board president Mister Phillips noted in an interview that West Contra Costa Unified is a mid-sized district relative to others in California, saying Hursts transition to the Bay Area is a natural progression. His second should be to Assm. You cant just change the organizational structure and expect change to happen. They showed me how to be a leader in school, a great teacher is well. He became assistant principal in Poway Unified just north of San Diego, where he helped open Westview High School in 2002. WCCUSD's Board of Education hired Dr. Hurst on April 14, 2021, making him the first permanent African American superintendent. Prior to his long career in education, he served 12 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Sr. is WCCUSD's 10th permanent superintendent. Chris Hurst's Phone Number and Email. And I think, as I shared before, we overall are not serving our Latinx kids and our Black kids well in our district on a number of different fronts. You know, you hear about the districts that are mandating vaccinations, we are not there yet, but were having conversations about strongly encouraging vaccinations because we know thats one of the best mitigation strategies that we can employ. University of CaliforniaNorth Gate HallBerkeley, CA. Hurst got his start in the education field in San Diego County, after serving 12 years in the Marines; he served combat duty in Desert Storm and was a drill instructor, communications specialist and maintenance supervisor at Camp Pendleton. We love to walk. Copyright 2002-2023 Blackboard, Inc. All rights reserved. They are Adam Clark of Mt. Were able to hire more counselors as well. I have seen him on the phone, while emailing someone and texting yet another about a different issue, Stevenson said via email. This is in addition to sending a letter of demands to the superintendent and being present for public comment at the school board meeting. Everything that Im sharing with you ties to like the graduation rate. Im not sure if youre familiar with the High Tech High School System, mainly in the San Diego area, but they do whats called learn by doing. My dad was in the Army. West Contra Costa Unified has had two African American interim superintendents in the past. In Oceanside, Dr. Hurst collaborated with ConnectEd California, implementing Linked Learning to establish K-12 industry-aligned pathways to prepare students to succeed in college and career. So we have a lot of work to do. I think ethnic studies is certainly a great way to start. Chris is always trying to improve himself and looking for the good in others. Dr. Hurst has a focused intention to plant seeds of greatness in WCCUSD students, provide resources, and create opportunities.. Hurst said he was drawn to West Contra Costa for a similar reason he was drawn to Othello: wanting to improve educational systems to ensure student success. RICHMOND, Calif. (KGO) -- West Contra Costa Superintendent Dr. Chris Hurst says he was disappointed to hear Galileo Academy of Science and Technology had to forfeit their game against. My dad was my role model and he showed me how to be a man, and he showed me how to carry myself, and he showed me how to be a person of integrity and a person with ethics and values and morals. He also boosted the districts linked learning programs, which integrate academics with real-world work experiences. Education | General | Kennedy High School | community. I wanted to go to a military school. Do you have any plan to address any trauma that may have occurred in the household during the pandemic? Diablo Unified, Kyla Johnson-Trammell of Oakland Unified, Vincent Matthews of San Francisco Unified and Harry Doc Ervin of Bakersfield City School District. The districts board of trustees voted 5-0 Wednesday to hire Hurst. 2/22/2023 4:33 PM. The Boards vote followed an exhaustive six-month search process in which WCCUSD held more than 50 listening sessions with students, families, staff, and community stakeholders. So those are the things that Im going to be bringing from Othello to here. Why is the suspension rate for Black and Latinx students so high in Richmond? Robert Hurst is an employee working in Thames Valley District School Board, according to Province of Ontario, Treasury Board Secretariat. Richmond Confidential assumes no liability for comments posted to the site and no endorsement is implied; commenters are solely responsible for their own content. He also implemented the districts social-emotional learning standards prescribed by the state, and the number of children enrolled in preschool tripled, the news release said. So we really want to do both. I really believe in developing skills on a continuum, because I know that skills are transferable. How do we create spaces that allow us to really develop those relationships with adults and students and students to students as well.? All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Richmond Confidential is an online news service produced by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism for, and about, the people of Richmond, California. Before leading the Othello School District, Dr. Hurst served as Associate Superintendent of Educational Services in Oceanside Unified School District, a 19,000 student district 35 minutes northwest of San Diego. He also implemented Othellos K-12 pathway, the Districts Social-Emotional Learning Standards. Your wife, Crystal Hurst, is also in education? Next, he worked as a principal under former San Diego Unified Superintendent Alan, Bersin.
