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. Were able to hire more counselors as well. Hurst said theres a correlation between students not being in class due to suspensions and expulsion and their academic performance. There are also massive inequalities in income levels among families in the district and the different communities it encompasses. Its not just about getting a job and making money. I have a lot of rich experiences, so I cant say that I grew up in one single place. Thats really what our parents and community is worried about, they want to know that the kids are coming back to a safe environment. 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. Email. 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. I had a couple of few role models in my life. Hurst is not just qualified to support our district through these very challenging times, but he has also gone through a successful school reopening in his previous district.. He previously reported in Contra Costa County and before joining the Bay Area News Group he worked in Eureka and Santa Barbara. Our goal is to produce professional and engaging journalism that is useful for the citizens of the city.Please send news tips to richconstaff@gmail.com. Linsi Crain Public Affairs Manager, Chevron Richmond Refinery. The West Contra Costa Unified School District's Board of Trustees named Othello School District Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Sr. as the District's next superintendent. Ive traveled across the United States and lived from New York, New Jersey. Copyright 2002-2023 Blackboard, Inc. All rights reserved. I think its inspirational, motivational, and I know people will look up to me as a positive African American role model.. Hurst is only one of a tiny number of Black superintendents among the states 1,000-plus school districts. Dr. 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. Please make sure JavaScript is enabled and then try loading this page again. Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Sr. is the 10th permanent superintendent in West Contra Costa Unified School District History. Hell get better at his craft, but he is a sitting superintendent with a track record of success, not just where he currently is, but everywhere hes gone, from what I can see.. The staff at Richmond High School are backing student demands and uplifting them to engage the whole community. I have seen him on the phone, while emailing someone and texting yet another about a different issue, Stevenson said via email. The release also credits Hurst with boosting graduation rates by 16% and lowering absences by 33% at the Othello district, which has about 4,500 students. Your access to this page has been blocked. Coming from Washington State as a superintendent, there, our students were back in January. Then you dont see students walk into the classroom, where they disengaged. Because of the professors or because of the teachers. 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. So it really boils down to our teaching force and really preparing them to be culturally responsive to our students. The position title is Secondary Teacher. UPDATE 10:06 a.m.: Incumbent Del. Californias Community Colleges: At a Crossroads, Adjuncts gig economy at CA community colleges, College And Covid: Freshman Year Disrupted, Education during Covid: California families struggle to learn, Tainted Taps: Lead puts California Students at Risk, Full Circle: California Schools Work To Transform Discipline, Californias Homeless Students: Undercounted, Underfunded And Growing, Eyes on the Early Years Newsletter Archive, California Association for African American Superintendents and Administrators, funded in part by millions of dollars in grants, mostly from the Gates foundation, West Contra Costa Unified School District, Click here for EdSource's Comments Policy. Kenneth Chris Hurst was chosen as the next superintendent of West Contra Costa Unified. But in addition inequitable funding of districts, the bigger issue is that a _familys_ income is the biggest factor in a childs educational success. I think its important for African-American, Latinx and students of color to see other people of color in leadership positions, Hurst said. And I always had a talent in mathematics. I know that Ive never had that growing up as a Black male. I really believe in developing skills on a continuum, because I know that skills are transferable. 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. So we have a lot of work to do. This is in addition to sending a letter of demands to the superintendent and being present for public comment at the school board meeting. Teachers, principals, and district administrators need to learn the notes of high quality instruction before they can play jazz. He also holds an Associate of Arts degree from National University, San Diego. Find Us . File photo Finalists for superintendent are: Dr. Kenneth (Chris) Hurst, superintendent, Othello School District, Othello, WA He also facilitated instructional rounds for the Oceanside high school network and the LCAP development. West Contra Costa Unified enrolled about 28,000 students last school year, according to U.S. Department of Education data. They are Adam Clark of Mt. Silent. We had the opportunity to serve the WCCUSD community in the highest way by hiring a new superintendent, Board Clerk Jamela Smith-Folds said. If it needed to be longer, it would have been. His second should be to Assm. We think thats important to check in with the families. Rumors circulated in late 2019 that the school board might consider firing Duffy, but multiple trustees publicly stood by the superintendent, EdSource reported at the time. Dr. Hurst also served as an administrator in the San Diego Unified and Poway Unified school districts. 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. 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. Sylvester Greenwood and Dr. Cynthia LeBlanc each served one-year terms as interim . Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Sr. is WCCUSD's 10th permanent superintendent. 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. Prior to his long career in education, he served 12 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. Dr. Hurst may think that his SoCal experience will help him. He earned a master of arts in educational administration in 2008 and a. His acumen in social justice, equity, and focus on accelerating student achievement here is impressive. 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. That can involve, for example, a few teachers participating in a training session on restorative practices; they then teach their colleagues what they learned. Actually, I have an overall safety concern from COVID, and then the Delta variant as well. West Contra Costa Unified has had two African American interim superintendents in the past. So I just love spending time with her. Questions, comments, or suggestions? Are there strategies you used in the Othello, Washington, district that you hope to implement here? Best to relabel it the Professional Practices Gap. 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. Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Sr. is WCCUSD's 10th permanent superintendent. Of course the masking. 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. Please check your e-mail for a link to activate your account. 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. Dr. Hurst has 23 years of experience teaching and leading equity in urban, suburban, and rural K-12 districts. Agreed. 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. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, 60, who served as a superintendent at a school district in Washington state, will be West Contra Costa Unified's first permanent Black superintendent. 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. As the incoming superintendent, I am eager to work within our learning community to confront and address issues of systemic racism, implicit bias, and ensuring growth mindset at every level of the organization, Dr. Hurst said. I always share the story of my experience as an African American adolescent; I never saw in the curriculum anyone who looked like me or resembled me, Hurst said. Join to connect . Dr. Hurst has served as the Superintendent of the Othello District in Othello, Washington, since 2016. The Vancouver Public Schools board of directors narrowed the selection for superintendent to two candidates after meeting in executive session on Tue., Feb. 23. He also holds an Associate of Arts degree from National University, San Diego. At USC, I had a professor that showed me how to challenge the system, and that you cant just go on to public education and accept the condition that its in, that we have to literally rewrite the script. CAAASA is pleased that school boards are continuing to recognize the benefits of having a racially diverse administration by selecting persons of color to lead the district.. Last Update. We have to look at our training for our principals, because our principals have responsibility of going into the classrooms and being able to identify what are the elements of culturally responsive teaching, what does great teaching look like, and ensuring that theyre providing really good authentic feedback to those teachers as well, thats going to build their capacity. Richmond Confidential is an online news service produced by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism for, and about, the people of Richmond, California. 2/22/2023 4:33 PM. Like many large urban California districts, West Contra Costa Unified has experienced considerable budget woes in recent years. 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 . Thats probably the biggest piece for me as far as priorities, is really working with our students. Dr. Hurst has a focused intention to plant seeds of greatness in WCCUSD students, provide resources, and create opportunities.. Dr. Hurst has 23 years of experience teaching and leading equity in urban, suburban, and rural K-12 districts. I believe that every person, including you, has a big vision in store for them, and what I believe is that its my responsibility to give people the tools to unlock, like what is that vision, what is my purpose in life, what was I designed to do. 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. The small academy Hurst oversaw was geared toward students interested in careers in medicine, with a pathway for graduates to go directly into nursing assistant jobs. Why struggle with bad credits when you can actually get them fixed within a couple of days with, I tried getting a car loan sometime last year but my credit score of about 521 ruined the process. 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. I think another piece that Im working on that will tie into the graduation rate is student engagement. Hurst became superintendent of the 4,500-student Othello School District in central Washington in 2016. 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. Kenneth Chris Hurst, who will take over as the first permanent African American superintendent of West Contra Costa Unified School District within a few weeks, has his sights set on closing longstanding achievement gaps between Black, Latino and white students at the 30,000-student district. West Contra Costa Unifieds school board unanimously approved a three-year contract for Hurst with an annual base salary of $270,000 at a school board meeting April 14 when his appointment was announced. He needs to review what happened with those vacancies, like the Janitor, or clerk I reported that were hidden from the databases in the subsystem as permanent employees in the same position for years and not posting vacancies, having unequal numbers of subs whom could be temporary contracts if there are equal number of employees out. I think we took the time we needed, Phillips said. Hursts belief in the application of research-based practices and his experience in systems thinking will add structure to our organization, yet enable our entrepreneurial spirit, Board Trustee Leslie Reckler said. 2023 EdSource. Our kids need to see positive influences that resemble their cultures, their ethnic background and ethnic makeup.. What she really loves doing is to teach those technology skills to students who are visually impaired. So thats the conversation that were going to actually have. Its really a framework Im using and its called Central Office Transformation Toolkit and its out of the University of Washington. Improvement in a very few aligned professional practices will go a long way in improving student academic achievement. Chris Hurst's Phone Number and Email Last Update. 12/31/2022 7:59 PM. They didnt in 2019 or after or didnt say they did? That is a huge concern, and we have been stagnant for years for a number of years. So anything that involves her is what I like to be involved in. What are your top priorities for the school district in the coming year? Education | General | Kennedy High School | community. 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. Graduation rate is a systemic issue and it really goes to building this whole healthy system. Chris Hurst -- Los Angeles, California, United States 1 connection. Dr. Please check your entries and try again. So its almost like if we do this, we can do this and we can better support our students. So how do we check in with them during the school day? Ive learned to work within the constraints of a budget; its not an excuse to exclude students from these types of experiences, Hurst said. 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. Chris Hurst is a Superintendent of Education - Ajax at Durham Catholic District School Board based in Oshawa, Ontario. 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. El Cerrito students play at West Contra Costa Unified's Korematsu Middle School during recess before the Covid-19 pandemic. The patient needs a very limited and focused diet for improvement. So its my job to really unlock that potential in students Thats what I want to be for students, that person. 1003 On June 30, 2021, the OSD Board of Directors approved a three year contract naming Pete Perez the district's superintendent. 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. Planning and implementing project-based learning would be expecting a team that is still at the T-ball level to perform at the major league level. Were not going to let anyone hosannah you in and crucify you out, Smith-Folds told Hurst at the meeting, said, alluding to an often typical pattern of welcoming incoming superintendents as a savior for all the districts problems, before disillusionment sets in, and they are forced out. He earned a master of arts in educational administration in 2008 and a Doctorate in Education in K-12 Leadership, at the University of Southern California in 2011. Dr. WCCUSD received nearly 30 applications for the position from throughout the country. 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. Dear Abby: I have a great life, so why have I fallen into this shameful behavior? 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. Its an unhealthy system. What the research says is that most of the growth that were going to see over the next several years is going to be from students coming from Spanish-speaking populations, and from Mandarin-speaking populations. Cmon, folks lets stop expecting out of the box miracles in the face of head in the sand funding. 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 School board trustee Jamela Smith-Folds also expressed enthusiasm Wednesday about hiring Hurst and assured him that the responsibility of turning the district around wont fall solely on him. I think that even our system of education is not as high-performing as some other countries as well. Dr. Hurst has served as the Superintendent of the Othello District in Othello, Washington, since 2016. 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.
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