But Hurst doesnt just want to throw things at people, he said in an interview with EdSource. 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. They are Adam Clark of Mt. Please check your entries and try again. 12/31/2022 7:59 PM. So there has to be a big investment in preschool to make sure that we close that early literacy gap. The district plans to reopen campuses for hybrid instruction on Mondayafter more than a year of distance learning. West Contra Costa Unified includes Richmond, El Cerrito and several other East Bay communities. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); We welcome your comments. 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. WCCUSD's Board of Education hired Dr. Hurst on April 14, 2021,making him the first permanent African American superintendent. He knows how to be a superintendent because hes been doing the work. Not having position control forms on these people, and many other intentional policy and procedural actions in HR that ultimately masks the budget. It takes things like early literacy as well. 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. And how do we get them to understand that students are bringing in differences? 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. I look forward to working with him, and I have confidence in the experience and ability that he is bringing to this table.. 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. They are Adam Clark of Mt. Following that, he received his doctorate in education at the University of Southern California in 2011. No FCMAT investigation was called in, a grand jury and the board could have each requested it along with the county COE (whom I emailed and sent material to with no response) or the superintendents could have. 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. 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. Why are students starting their own businesses right out of high school? 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. I think another piece that Im working on that will tie into the graduation rate is student engagement. Prior to his long career in education, he served 12 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. 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. The Board voted 5-0 at Wednesday nights board meeting on a three-year contract for Dr. Hurst that begins May 17. 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. 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. Cmon, folks lets stop expecting out of the box miracles in the face of head in the sand funding. I know that Ive never had that growing up as a Black male. So it really boils down to our teaching force and really preparing them to be culturally responsive to our students. Chief Business Official: Robert McEntire Interim Associate Superintendent / Chief Business Officer (510) 231-1170 robert.mcentire@wccusd.net. So its almost like if we do this, we can do this and we can better support our students. We think thats important to check in with the families. 2023 Richmond Confidential. Dear Abby: Am I overreacting to my European daughter-in-law's behavior? 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. When you engage students, whether its K through 12 or college students, in processes like design thinking, or problem-based learning, or project-based learning, or learning by doing, then that changes everything. Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Sr. is WCCUSD's 10th permanent superintendent. Questions, comments, or suggestions? 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. 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. Comments post automatically without review from our staff, but we reserve the right to delete material that is libelous, a personal attack, or spam. Here are our challenges, they are real, and we need to have a strategy, have a plan as to how to address those challenges.. He needs to acknowledge or review the abuse of the lowest performing students not given lunches, substitutes and other such things I witnessed myself. Richmond Confidential is an online news service produced by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism for, and about, the people of Richmond, California. Here is a Q&A Richmond Confidential did with Hurst last week. Bill aims to boost salaries 50% by 2030, Future of state housing is at stake in UC ruling, governor says. as well as their lower graduation rates and higher rates of expulsions and suspensions. So thats the conversation that were going to actually have. Dr. Hurst has 23 years of experience teaching and leading equity in urban, suburban, and rural K-12 districts. We kind of moved every two years. The West Contra Costa Unified School Districts Board of Trustees named Othello School District Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Chris Hurst, Sr. as the Districts next superintendent. At Oceanside High School, Dr. Hurst led double-digit growth in the schools academic growth performance. 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. We went back to Germany. After a nearly six-month search, the West Contra Costa Unified School District has hired a new superintendent. What are your plans for a successful reopening in the fall? 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. He brings 23 years of education experience to the table, and is committed to closing achievement gaps within the district. Chief Master Sgt. I think that really important that our kids see role models. So professional learning is going to be a very big key here in Richmond and across the United States. 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. They focus a lot on design thinking, a process which is out of Stanford as well, which is a problem-solving approach. Coming from Washington State as a superintendent, there, our students were back in January. The district has schools in Richmond, El Cerrito, San Pablo, Hercules, Pinole and other cities and communities in west Contra Costa County. Dr. Hurst has 23 years of experience teaching and leading equity in urban, suburban, and rural K-12 districts. 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. Dr. Hurst has a focused intention to plant seeds of greatness in WCCUSD students, provide resources, and create opportunities.. 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 state has such a large influx of revenue this year due overwhelmingly to very high taxes paid in Contra Costa and the Bay Area that it may have to give some back. When the federal firehose of Covid spending suddenly stops next year, do Legislators Hicks and Skinner really want Dr. Hurst to be the latest superintendent of color to fall, in the face of economic realities? Christopher Hurst, 99th Security Forces Squadron superintendent, Chief Master Sgt. Tell me about yourself and how did you came to be involved in education? I believe that the new Superintendent will bring a nurturing environment to WCCUSD students with a focus on leadership, empowerment, and direction to the WCCUSD, Board Trustee Otheree Christian said. So how do we really present curriculum in a way that really entices the student and engages the student. The Board voted 5-0 at Wednesday night's board meeting on a three-year contract for Dr. Hurst that begins May 17. If you are using a VPN, try disabling it. And its not been happening, especially with our Black and our Latinx students, so thats a big concern as well. He started his educational career in Poway Unified as a math and computer programming and computer science teacher. Next, he worked as a principal under former San Diego Unified Superintendent Alan Bersin. 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. Dr. Hursts first call should be to Sen. Nancy Skinner to ask her to get over to Sen. Josh Beckers office to talk about a regional cost supplement to LCFF. Because Im so busy, anytime that I can spend with my wife I do that. So its going to look different for every single student. Before his career in education, Dr. Hurst served 12 years in the Marines. 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 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. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Richmond Confidential assumes no liability for comments posted to the site and no endorsement is implied; commenters are solely responsible for their own content. Smith-Folds added that her biggest reason for choosing Hurst was hearing him speak about his wife, Crystal, a special education teacher who Hurst turns to as a sounding board for major decisions. 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. Dr. Hurst may think that his SoCal experience will help him. She also has this Braille laptop as well. A soft start just means that instead of just jumping right into the academics, were really going to have our teachers be really intentional about checking in with families calling, texting, and even doing home visits, of course, taking the necessary safety precautions. Superintendent West Contra Costa Unified School District View Chris' full profile . 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. Click here for EdSource's Comments Policy. Hurst has also used a train the trainer approach to professional development. 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. Then you have whats called the summer slide, so they get even further behind because of the three months that theyre off during the summer. How will you address the systemic inequality that BIPOC students have had to deal with? Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Sr. is the 10th permanent superintendent in West Contra Costa Unified School District History. Its really a framework Im using and its called Central Office Transformation Toolkit and its out of the University of Washington. 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. He also holds an Associate of Arts degree from National University, San Diego. Jeff Taylor, 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. 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. Chris Hurst is a Superintendent of Education - Ajax at Durham Catholic District School Board based in Oshawa, Ontario. Students will return to campuses for instructional hubs for several hours a day. My dad was in the Army for 30 years and I was in the Marine Corps for 11 years and I loved it. 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. The staff at Richmond High School are backing student demands and uplifting them to engage the whole community. All rights reserved. He previously reported in Contra Costa County and before joining the Bay Area News Group he worked in Eureka and Santa Barbara. The District also gathered more than 6,000 responses from the community on the next Superintendents qualities and qualifications. Shes an amazing person and shes the wisest person that I know. Its going to take a community effort, to take all of us working together as one for a shared vision.. One unfortunate issue he has to face is for funding was the union's driven zealous raising of salaries that hurt the district. 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. He also boosted the districts linked learning programs, which integrate academics with real-world work experiences. 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 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. Chris is always trying to improve himself and looking for the good in others. We had the opportunity to serve the WCCUSD community in the highest way by hiring a new superintendent, Board Clerk Jamela Smith-Folds said. From San Diego, he became a principal in Oceanside in North San Diego County, turning around Jefferson Middle School and Oceanside High, he said. One unfortunate issue he has to face is for funding was the unions driven zealous raising of salaries that hurt the district. Dear Abby: I have a great life, so why have I fallen into this shameful behavior? 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. Im equally excited about deepening our understanding of equity and systemic inequities and also moving toward what it should look like, feel like, and sound like to have an equitable and culturally responsive education for all students.. Richmond Confidential welcomes comments from our readers, but we ask users to keep all discussion civil and on-topic. In Othello, Dr. Hurst led a District with a student population that is 91 percent Latinx, 32 percent English Language Learners, and 75 percent free and reduced-price lunch through the transition to Distance Learning at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and from Distance Learning to a hybrid model this year. Othello School Board Vice President Jenn Stevenson said Hurst was known for thinking outside of the box and welcoming new ideas; he also brought new views and a focus on equity to the district, as well as focusing on equity and justice. He refused to let it end in Game 7, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. 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. Hurst said he was concerned about the lagging average test scores of Black and Latino students, as well as their lower graduation rates and higher rates of expulsions and suspensions. Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Sr. is WCCUSD's 10th permanent superintendent. 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. Thinking "outside the box" will simply never outweigh the fact that WCCUSD has 9% less purchasing power than its demographic peers elsewhere in California. 1003 On June 30, 2021, the OSD Board of Directors approved a three year contract naming Pete Perez the district's superintendent. So some students may define success as being able to get into Stanford or USC or Berkeley or UCSD or something like that, and that they have that list of goals. He will succeed Matthew Duffy, who announced in November that he would be leaving the district at the end of the school year after five years in his post. I'm excited about this partnership.. There are also massive inequalities in income levels among families in the district and the different communities it encompasses. Hurst works non-stop and is very dedicated to his job. He started his educational career in Poway Unified as a math and computer programming and computer science teacher. 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. 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 was drawn to West Contra Costa for a similar reason he was drawn to Othello: wanting to improve educational systems to ensure student success. Superintendent Hurst is WCCUSD's 10th permanent superintendent and first permanent African American superintendent. 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 The. In Oceanside, he implemented some of the same strategies he adopted at the small schools in San Diego, he said. 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. We request that commenters consistently use the same login name. 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. 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. And if we can build capacity with the leaders so that they are expert observers of instruction, especially culturally responsive teaching, then they can better support the teachers and build their capacity. Something went wrong. 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. Ervin. Education | General | Kennedy High School | community. The theory of action is: build capacity across a system so we could better support the students, because thats what it comes down to, how are we better helping and supporting students. 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. 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. Your wife, Crystal Hurst, is also in education? Jerry Dunn, 99th Medical Group superintendent, and Chief Master Sgt. I think those are the big pieces that Im really focusing on coming back for fall. And I loved it so much that I became a math teacher. c***@dcdsb.ca. WCCUSD's new Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst's first official day was May 17. 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. I think Ive already talked to you about the soft start and checking with our students about their social social emotional learning needs. 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). 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. And I did not want people to have that experience and kids to have that experience, so thats why I went into education. I was a drill instructor and I was a communications instructor as well. Duffy saw the district through a difficult financial stretch. At Oceanside High School, Dr. Hurst led double-digit growth in the schools academic growth performance. Improvement in a very few aligned professional practices will go a long way in improving student academic achievement. 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. Watching superintendents fail in LCFF-funded districts in high-cost counties has become routine. Prior to his long career in education, he served 12 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. 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.
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