I think that really important that our kids see role models. The district has schools in Richmond, El Cerrito, San Pablo, Hercules, Pinole and other cities and communities in west Contra Costa County. The finalists are Camas School District Superintendent Jeff Snell, right, and Kenneth (Chris) Hurst, superintendent of the Othello School District in Adams County. Dr. Hurst joins WCCUSD after spending the past five years as the Superintendent of the Othello District in Othello, Washington. Welcome Message from WCCUSD's new Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst Yeah, I did address this a little bit. We are thrilled with Dr. Hursts background, experience, and readiness to hit the ground running here in our District and help us to the next level, WCCUSD Board President Mister Phillips said. 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. Categorical Instructional Support Services (CISS), Early Learning Pre-K to Adult Educational Operations, Office of African American Student Achievement (OAASA), Teacher Support and Assistance Program (TSAP), Community Budget Advisory Committee (CBAC), Research, Assessment, Accountability & Data (RAAD), West Contra Costa Unified School District, I am excited to join the WCCUSD Community, Blackboard Web Community Manager Privacy Policy (Updated). He also boosted the districts linked learning programs, which integrate academics with real-world work experiences. Kenneth Chris Hurst Sr. is the new leader of the West Contra Costa Unified School District,replacing Matthew Duffy, who led WCCUSD for five years. Dr. Kenneth Hurst Email: chris.hurst@wccusd.net Phone: (510) 231-1103 . The board for the West Contra Costa Unified School District unanimously selected Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Sr., Wednesday as the District's next superintendent. Dr. Hurst also tripled the number of children enrolled in preschool and increased the percent of preschool students prepared for kindergarten from 30 percent to more than 98 percent. So theres a lot of studies based on it, especially out of Stanford, and I was reading one a couple of months ago that actually addresses how teachers will bring in biases and implicit biases into the classroom. 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. WCCUSD's Board of Education hired Dr. Hurst on April 14, 2021,making him the first permanent African American superintendent. Thats had a positive impact on students everywhere he has worked, 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. Kenneth Chris Hurst, 60, who served as a superintendent at a school district in Washington state, will be West Contra Costa Unifieds first permanent Black superintendent. How do you like to spend your leisure time? West Contra Costa superintendent disappointed after SF Galileo's game Chris Hurst is an Associate Superintendent at Oceanside Unified School District based in Oceanside, California. And I did not want people to have that experience and kids to have that experience, so thats why I went into education. Some students may define their success as going into a career field of their choice, or some may define success, another different way. Hurst said he assisted in Bersins, From San Diego, he became a principal in Oceanside in. Dr. 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. I talked about [social, emotional learning] as well, thats a big concern. 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. Diablo Unified, Kyla Johnson-Trammell of Oakland Unified, Vincent Matthews of San Francisco Unified and Harry Doc Ervin of Bakersfield City School District. So I have a number of priorities but I would certainly say my top priority is improving student learning and student achievement. But WCCUSD spent just $450 (3%) more per student than Oceanside did last year yet (a) Oceanside has only 61% disadvantaged vs 71% in WCCUSD, and (b) San Diego County is just a hair over the statewide average cost of living. So there has to be a big investment in preschool to make sure that we close that early literacy gap. Duffy saw the district through a difficult financial stretch. If we build those early literacy skills, then we have more literate students and theyre ready to engage in the learning when theyre in kindergarten. He earned a master of arts in educational administration in 2008 and a. The district was able to close a very large deficit this year, but at the cost of eliminating positions, reining in expenses and borrowing from reserves. The patient needs a very limited and focused diet for improvement. Something went wrong. Read More. Richmond Confidential assumes no liability for comments posted to the site and no endorsement is implied; commenters are solely responsible for their own content. Please check your e-mail for a link to activate your account. 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. So I sort of felt disenfranchised as a youth. Chief Business Official: Robert McEntire Interim Associate Superintendent / Chief Business Officer (510) 231-1170 robert.mcentire@wccusd.net. Dr. Like many large urban California districts, West Contra Costa Unified has experienced considerable budget woes in recent years. 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. North San Diego County, turning around Jefferson Middle School and Oceanside High, he said. Contact. But WCCUSD spent just $450 (3%) more per student than Oceanside did last year yet (a) Oceanside has only 61% disadvantaged vs 71% in WCCUSD, Read More. Thats really what our parents and community is worried about, they want to know that the kids are coming back to a safe environment. 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. Ervin has just been selected to be the next of superintendent of San Bernardino City Unified, and will take over there on July 1. John Moore, 757th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron superintendent, Chief Master Sgt. The staff at Richmond High School are backing student demands and uplifting them to engage the whole community. His military service includes Maintenance Supervisor at Camp Pendleton (19911993), Combat Duty (Desert Storm), Saudi Arabia (19901991), Communications Instructor/Supervisor at Camp Pendleton (19881990), Drill Instructor, San Diego (19861988), and Communications Specialist at Camp Pendleton (19821986). He also holds an Associate of Arts degree from National University, San Diego. This is not a warm-body job.. 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 received a bachelor of science in mathematics at California State University, San Marcos, in 1997 before teaching math, algebra, college preparation and computer science in Poway. 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. But I will share with you, also, that that is a systemic issue and that it cant just be that. Hurst also led the districts transition to distance learning at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and to a hybrid model this school year in which students get part of their instruction via distance learning, and some in-person. 2023 EdSource. 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. The district has hired a new superintendent, Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, who will begin May 17. And that translates to them, saying, OK, well, were going to discipline this student, where with a white student, or with even an Asian student, they may not have given the same consequence. The patient is in the hospital with a mortal stab wound. I think its not just Richmond, I think its an issue across the United States and mostly found in large urban school districts, you see a high rate of suspensions. to be the next of superintendent of San Bernardino City Unified, and will take over there on July 1. He started his educational career in Poway Unified as a math and computer programming and computer science teacher. Phillips declined to comment on what set Hurst apart from other applicants, citing a closed-session deliberation, but he did praise the hiring process as yielding a desirable outcome. If it needed to be longer, it would have been. I think also, you will see a teacher that may not be culturally proficient or culturally responsive or not exercising culturally responsive teaching, and they have this bias, say for instance about a Black student or about a Latinx student, and then that translates to that teacher issuing out discipline when they could have done something else. Kenneth Hurst - Superintendent - West Contra Costa Unified School Ive been to France and Italy and Austria. Othellos student population this year is 91% Latino; 32% are English learners, and 75% qualify for free and reduced-price lunch. Wccusd School Board Selects Dr. Kenneth Chris Hurst As Next Superintendent Comments from the same user posted under multiple aliases may be deleted. 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. That doesnt happen. Its about sitting down with teachers, support staff, with parents, district office personnel and all stakeholders to have this conversation about what the data is telling us, Hurst said. He also holds an Associate of Arts degree from National University, San Diego. Ive been looking over the trend data over the past several years and Ive seen that, especially our Black students and our Latinx students have struggled in especially mathematics and English language arts, but also a number of suspensions, expulsions; we have a high chronic absenteeism rate. 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. Daryl Camp, superintendent of San Lorenzo Unified near Oakland and president of the California Association for African American Superintendents and Administrators, or CAAASA, agreed. Best to relabel it the Professional Practices Gap. Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Sr. is the 10th permanent superintendent in West Contra Costa Unified School District History. With my wife. West Contra Costa Unified School District | LinkedIn File photo Finalists for superintendent are: Dr. Kenneth (Chris) Hurst, superintendent, Othello School District, Othello, WA More than half of the districts students are Latino, 14% are Black, 10% are white, and 8% are Asian. I think ethnic studies is certainly a great way to start. And sometimes were just like sitting on the couch and she has a book and I have a book and were just kind of reading together in the same room, or Im working on a laptop or something like that. Thurmonds leadership? Please make sure JavaScript is enabled and then try loading this page again. 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. 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. AnnMarie Baines Founder & Executive Director, The Practice Space. Hurst is equity-focused, has a background of increasing student academic achievement, is data-driven, works in collaboration with all labor partners and families, and is always student-centered, Board Trustee Demetrio Gonzalez Hoy said. I think those are the big pieces that Im really focusing on coming back for fall. From San Diego, he became a principal in Oceanside in North San Diego County, turning around Jefferson Middle School and Oceanside High, he said. Chief Master Sgt. Dr. Hurst becomes WCCUSDs 10th permanent superintendent and its first permanent African American superintendent. So shes going to be working for California School for the Blind in Fremont, and shes going to be working in the tech department, and helping students with technology. I had a couple of few role models in my life. There are also massive inequalities in income levels among families in the district and the different communities it encompasses. To get more reports like this one, click here to sign up for EdSources no-cost daily email on latest developments in education. So its almost like if we do this, we can do this and we can better support our students. 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. I think that even our system of education is not as high-performing as some other countries as well. All comments are moderated for civility, relevance and other considerations. Are there strategies you used in the Othello, Washington, district that you hope to implement here? Copyright 2002-2023 Blackboard, Inc. All rights reserved. Email [emailprotected]Copyright (C) 2015, by Don Gosney and Felix Hunziker. I am honored and excited to be the new Superintendent of West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD), and to partner with students, educators, families, community, and business partners to ensure we are meeting the districts mission to prepare students for post-secondary education and to be responsible, thinking, contributing members of our global society. So I think, just to go back to your question, I think success is going to be individually defined by our students. Its going to be a community conversation. WCCUSD received nearly 30 applications for the position from throughout the country. Ask Amy: I put a security camera in my room, and what I saw was creepy, Ask Amy: My fiancee's family says I'm not invited, and she's going without me, The dad whose wife and child were among 5 killed by a neighbor in Texas describes how the massacre unfolded, 'Total dominance': Steph Curry breaks NBA Game 7 record, leads Warriors over Kings, Dear Abby: The reason her fiance hid his phone was something she never guessed, Mortgage fees to rise for buyers with high credit scores, fall for those with lower scores, Kurtenbach: Steph Curry built the Warriors dynasty. How will you address the systemic inequality that BIPOC students have had to deal with? Hurst said every district he has worked in, except for Poway Unified near San Diego, has served a large number of low-income students with not many resources. Superintendent Superintendent Dr. Pete Perez, Superintendent email Pete Perez Executive Assistant to the Superintendent Marissa Garza Click here to email Marissa ext. Sylvester Greenwood andDr. Cynthia LeBlanc each served one-year terms as interim superintendents. Weve been married for almost 40 years, 39 years in December. Since I was in desperate need of a car due to the nature of my new job, I resorted to making online research on how I could restore my credit to a minimum of 650 to enable me to qualify, after a few months of searching, I bumped into a blog and found positive reviews about, 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. I think its inspirational, motivational, and I know people will look up to me as a positive African American role model.. (Courtesy of West Contra Costa Unified). 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. Board of Directors - The Richmond Promise document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); We welcome your comments. Board of Trustees Hires Districts First Permanent African American Superintendent. 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. But that means a lot of work needs to happen within the district, because right now, as I look at our district, West Contra Costa Unified School District, were not set up for success. Based on his 23 years of professional experience in education, he has some concrete ideas for how to do that in this San Francisco Bay Area district, which includes Richmond and several surrounding communities. Its really a framework Im using and its called Central Office Transformation Toolkit and its out of the University of Washington. In his new role, Dr. Hurst will bear the distinction of the being the WCCUSD's first permanent African American superintendent. UPDATE: Del. Chris Hurst concedes after Jason Ballard wins - WFXRtv Im a big proponent on ethnic studies, so youre going to see that happening in our district. Contact. Its not just about getting a job and making money. All Rights Reserved. So its going to be really important that our teachers check in individually with our students and really find out whats happening. Contact Us Educational Equity - Title IX Location: 1108 Bissell Ave. (510) 231-1118 Fax: (510) 236-0662 Dr. Kenneth Chris Hurst Uniform Complaint Procedures Bullying WCCUSD Nondiscrimination Policies and Procedures Non-Discrimination Policy: View the Announcement of Non-Discrimination/Harassment Thousand of students compete in Tech Challenge in San Jose, Will higher pay lure more teachers? Hurst became superintendent of the 4,500-student Othello School District in central Washington in 2016. 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. Previously, Chris was an Assistant Principal at Camino High School. One unfortunate issue he has to face is for funding was the unions driven zealous raising of salaries that hurt the district. Chris Hurst - .. - Durham Catholic District School Board - ZoomInfo Diablo Unified, Kyla Johnson-Trammell of Oakland Unified, Vincent Matthews of San Francisco Unified and Harry Doc Ervin of Bakersfield City School District. So how do we really present curriculum in a way that really entices the student and engages the student. The Vancouver Public Schools board of directors narrowed the selection for superintendent to two candidates after meeting in executive session on Tue., Feb. 23. West Contra Costa Unified includes Richmond, El Cerrito and several other East Bay communities. 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. Its really a focus on safety and COVID safety and having mitigation strategies in place. Watching superintendents fail in LCFF-funded districts in high-cost counties has become routine. 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. Coming from Washington State as a superintendent, there, our students were back in January. What is your biggest concern heading into the school year? Dr. Hurst may think that his SoCal experience will help him. 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. 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. 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. Copyright 2002-2023 Blackboard, Inc. All rights reserved. University of CaliforniaNorth Gate HallBerkeley, CA. He spent 6 years as a principal and assistant principal in Oceanside, including the turnaround principal for Jefferson Middle and Oceanside High schools. I think its encouraging when we see people like President Obama and Kamala Harris. Community meets candidates for new Vancouver schools chief Want to improve the achievement gap? WCCUSD selects Dr. Kenneth Chris Hurst, Sr. as new superintendent Prior to his long career in education, he served 12 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. He went on to become associate superintendent of educational services at Oceanside Unified, where he oversaw the start of the Oceanside Promise a program with a nonprofit arm intended to ensure. Dr. Hurst has served as the Superintendent of the Othello District in Othello, Washington, since 2016. Silent. Sylvester Greenwood and Dr. Cynthia LeBlanc each served one-year terms as interim . Do you have any plan to address any trauma that may have occurred in the household during the pandemic? Buffy Wicks, and his third to ex-WCCUSD trustee, now State Supt. Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Sr. is WCCUSD's 10th permanent superintendent. Dr. Hurst and his wife Crystal have two grown children, a daughter who is a 6th-grade teacher and a son who is a computer scientist. So we have a lot of work to do. So those conversations are going to happen and thats part of my vision. I took my love for teaching in the Marine Corps and my talent for math and I decided to become a math teacher and computer science teacher as well. Following that, he received his doctorate in education at the University of Southern California in 2011. 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. If you continue to be blocked, please send an email to secruxurity@sizetedistrict.cVmwom with: https://richmondstandard.com/community/education/2021/04/15/wccusd-selects-charles-hurst-as-new-superintendent/, Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 15_3_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/605.1.15 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/15.3 Mobile/15E148 Safari/604.1, A summary of what you were doing and why you need access to this site. What are your plans for a successful reopening in the fall? And I loved it so much that I became a math teacher. So thats the conversation that were going to actually have. 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. Agreed. He holds a masters degree in educational administration and a bachelors in mathematics from California State University San Marcos. But in addition inequitable funding of districts, the bigger issue is that a _familys_ income is the biggest factor in a childs educational success. Duffy had served as superintendent since 2016, and his total compensation and benefits last year was about $365,000, according to Transparent California. Hurst said he assisted in Bersins effort to transform three schools whose students were lagging significantly in test scores and other measures San Diego, Kearny and Crawford high schools. Comments post automatically without review from our staff, but we reserve the right to delete material that is libelous, a personal attack, or spam. And ultimately, our parents and our communities, they want to see their children succeed. I think another piece that Im working on that will tie into the graduation rate is student engagement. Kenneth Chris Hurst Sr., Ed.D | Superintendent | West Contra Costa He received a bachelor of science in mathematics at California State University, San Marcos, in 1997 before teaching math, algebra, college preparation and computer science in Poway. Before taking the job in May, Hurst was superintendent of the Othello School District in Othello, Washington, for five years, where he is credited with increasing graduation rates and decreasing overall student absences. Your wife, Crystal Hurst, is also in education? Thats a serious issue. Vancouver Public Schools superintendent candidates, from left, Dr. Karen Cheser, Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Dr. Hector Rico and Dr. Jeff Snell (Provided photos) Educators, students and. 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.