They are as follows: . During his five years at Othello, graduation rates increased from 71% to 87%, and absences declined by 33%, he said. More than half of the districts students are Latino, 14% are Black, 10% are white, and 8% are Asian. Richmond Confidential is an online news service produced by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism for, and about, the people of Richmond, California. He became assistant principal in Poway Unified just north of San Diego, where he helped open Westview High School in 2002. The position title is Secondary Teacher. 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. Hurst said theres a correlation between students not being in class due to suspensions and expulsion and their academic performance. But she actually is very efficient in technology. The. I grew up all over the place. 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. Othellos student population this year is 91% Latino; 32% are English learners, and 75% qualify for free and reduced-price lunch. The board of trustees approved a three-year contract that begins May 17 for. 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. After a nearly six-month search, the West Contra Costa Unified School District has hired a new superintendent. Read More. 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. Actually, I have an overall safety concern from COVID, and then the Delta variant as well. Best to relabel it the Professional Practices Gap. Diablo Unified, Kyla Johnson-Trammell of Oakland Unified, Vincent Matthews of San Francisco Unified and Harry Doc Ervin of Bakersfield City School District. Kenneth Chris Hurst was chosen as the next superintendent of West Contra Costa Unified. 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. Agreed. 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. There just isnt anymore.. John Moore, 757th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron superintendent, Chief Master Sgt. The district has schools in Richmond, El Cerrito, San Pablo, Hercules, Pinole and other cities and communities in west Contra Costa County. He refused to let it end in Game 7, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Watching superintendents fail in LCFF-funded districts in high-cost counties has become routine. 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. Yeah, I did address this a little bit. The patient needs a very limited and focused diet for improvement. 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. Sylvester Greenwood and Dr. Cynthia LeBlanc each served one-year terms as interim superintendents. to be the next of superintendent of San Bernardino City Unified, and will take over there on July 1. Thats the kind of role model I want to be. 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. 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. 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. We went back to Germany. 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. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Find him taking walks around town; he is always looking for story tips. Dr. He spent 6 years as a principal and assistant principal in Oceanside, including the turnaround principal for Jefferson Middle and Oceanside High schools. 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. 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. 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. Next, he worked as a principal under former San Diego Unified Superintendent Alan Bersin. Tell me about yourself and how did you came to be involved in education? new leader of the West Contra Costa Unified School District, not serving our Latinx kids and our Black kids well, Richmond expands job opportunities year-round for city youth, Smoky Chevron flare alarms residents, spews sulfur dioxide into air, Richmonds Black population declining: You cant really locate a solid African American community. 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. Ive been in the San Diego area the longest, I was there for 35 years, so we kind of call Southern California our home. If it needed to be longer, it would have been. 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. All Rights Reserved. I have seen him on the phone, while emailing someone and texting yet another about a different issue, Stevenson said via email. But I will share with you, also, that that is a systemic issue and that it cant just be that. This is in addition to sending a letter of demands to the superintendent and being present for public comment at the school board meeting. 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. 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. If your browser is out of date, try updating it. 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. 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. Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Sr. is WCCUSD's 10th permanent superintendent. I think another piece that Im working on that will tie into the graduation rate is student engagement. And I always had a talent in mathematics. Privacy Policy Our kids need to see positive influences that resemble their cultures, their ethnic background and ethnic makeup.. 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. "This morning, I tried to reach Delegate-elect Jason Ballard to congratulate him on last night's results and I hope we have the chance to talk soon. 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. But also, theres an issue with the learning loss that has happened as well with the COVID back in March of 2020, and making sure we have the right data in front of our teachers so that we can really assess our students and where they are to meet their needs. 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. Dr. Hurst has 23 years of experience teaching and leading equity in urban, suburban, and rural K-12 districts. 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. Only the JLAC, County COE, or school district can ask for a FCMAT investigation not individuals nor CDE. Your wife, Crystal Hurst, is also in education? So I sort of felt disenfranchised as a youth. 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. His second should be to Assm. Hurst became superintendent of the 4,500-student Othello School District in central Washington in 2016. Shomik Mukherjee covers Oakland, with a focus on local politics, developments and activism. He knows how to be a superintendent because hes been doing the work. Kenneth Hurst - Superintendent - West Contra Costa Unified School File photo Finalists for superintendent are: Dr. Kenneth (Chris) Hurst, superintendent, Othello School District, Othello, WA What are your top priorities for the school district in the coming year? I think ethnic studies is certainly a great way to start. 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. And then also building in that classroom time and space, like I shared, to really check in with students. There are some other pieces that are priorities for me but I would say those are the top two priorities. 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. 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 it really boils down to our teaching force and really preparing them to be culturally responsive to our students. Hurst is only one of a tiny number of Black superintendents among the states 1,000-plus school districts. 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. Thats a serious issue. 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. As Superintendent of the 4,500 student District located about 3 hours southeast of Seattle, Dr. Hurst increased graduation rates by 16 percent from 71 percent to 87 percent and reduced absences by 33 percent. She also has this Braille laptop as well. Chief Business Official: Robert McEntire Interim Associate Superintendent / Chief Business Officer (510) 231-1170 robert.mcentire@wccusd.net. 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). We think thats important to check in with the families. Although only 6% of the states student enrollment is Black, an even smaller percentage have been selected to run districts. So its almost like if we do this, we can do this and we can better support our students. I want to be the type of role model where Im pushing everyone, Im pushing adults and pushing professionals and pushing students to be their best. There needs to be people like myself that are willing to invest in challenging the system. Dr. Hurst has served as the Superintendent of the Othello District in Othello, Washington, since 2016. I really believe that especially urban systems are fundamentally broken and are failing Black and brown students across the United States. Of course the masking. 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. Should Richmond shelter unhoused people in hotels during severe weather. Graduation rate is a systemic issue and it really goes to building this whole healthy system. But in addition inequitable funding of districts, the bigger issue is that a _family's_ income is the biggest factor in a child's educational success. Were able to hire more counselors as well. 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. First day of school. Dr. Hurst also served as an administrator in the San Diego Unified and Poway Unified school districts. That is a huge concern, and we have been stagnant for years for a number of years. 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. Keep it simple and focused on a few aligned professional practices. There are also massive inequalities in income levels among families in the district and the different communities it encompasses. So how do we really present curriculum in a way that really entices the student and engages the student. But this is its first permanent African American appointee. Welcome Message from WCCUSD's new Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst Best to relabel it the Professional Practices Gap. Join to connect . 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 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. This is an extremely important hire, and it was very important we took the time to do the process right. c***@dcdsb.ca. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); We welcome your comments. 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. They are Adam Clark of Mt. Chris Hurst - .. - Durham Catholic District School Board - ZoomInfo Its going to take a community effort, to take all of us working together as one for a shared vision.. Thats probably the biggest piece for me as far as priorities, is really working with our students. And I think another priority is meeting their social and emotional learning needs, because our students have been disconnected for so long, from an in-person learning environment. From San Diego, he became a principal in Oceanside in North San Diego County, turning around Jefferson Middle School and Oceanside High, he said. 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. Doctorate in Education in K-12 Leadership, at the University of Southern California in 2011. WCCUSD's new Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst's first official day was May 17. Following that, he received his doctorate in education at the University of Southern California in 2011. Ive been to Japan, Ive been to Okinawa, Ive been to South Korea, a lot of different places. And the research says once kids are behind, they typically stay behind. I just loved it, from low-entry mathematics to high-level calculus. Chris Hurst -- Los Angeles, California, United States 1 connection. 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. 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. 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. I was a drill instructor and I was a communications instructor as well. 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 had the opportunity to serve the WCCUSD community in the highest way by hiring a new superintendent, Board Clerk Jamela Smith-Folds said.
chris hurst, superintendent