College and Covid: Freshman Year Disrupted, Education During Covid: Families Struggle to Learn. He became assistant principal in Poway Unified just north of San Diego, where he helped open Westview High School in 2002. Reading articles, research and more, both academic and not.. I have seen him on the phone, while emailing someone and texting yet another about a different issue, Stevenson said via email. If it needed to be longer, it would have been. The district has hired a new superintendent, Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, who will begin May 17. Thinking outside the box will simply never outweigh the fact that WCCUSD has 9% less purchasing power than its demographic peers elsewhere in California. 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.. Dear Abby: Am I overreacting to my European daughter-in-law's behavior? Chris Hurst Superintendent, West Contra Costa Unified School District. Dr. Hurst also served as an administrator in the San Diego Unified and Poway Unified school districts. Ive been in the San Diego area the longest, I was there for 35 years, so we kind of call Southern California our home. To get more reports like this one, click here to sign up for EdSources no-cost daily email on latest developments in education. 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. So its going to be really important that our teachers check in individually with our students and really find out whats happening. 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. One of the things Ill share with you is based on our research. Like many large urban California districts, West Contra Costa Unified has experienced considerable budget woes in recent years. Diablo Unified, Kyla Johnson-Trammell of Oakland Unified, Vincent Matthews of San Francisco Unified and Harry Doc Ervin of Bakersfield City School District. WCCUSD Board of Education Meetings | Richmond, CA - Official Website 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. Hurst also assumes the post in the middle of the pandemic, with the task of guiding the districts return to full-time, in-person instruction in the fall amid pressure from a group of parents. Improvement in a very few aligned professional practices will go a long way in improving student academic achievement. 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. WCCUSD1108 Bissell AvenueRichmond, CA 94801, Room 100Phone: (510) 231-1101Fax: (510) 236-6784, Dr. Kenneth Chris Hurst,SuperintendentEmail:chris.hurst@wccusd.net, Rosa Cornejo, Executive SecretaryEmail:RCornejo@wccusd.net, Genesis Munoz, Senior Confidential SecretaryEmail: genesis.munoz@wccusd.net. Richmond Confidential is an online news service produced by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism for, and about, the people of Richmond, California. Really, we love to read. 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. So really, my concept is that we get to the point where were planning individual learning plans for our students, starting from pre-K going through the 12th grade. 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. John Moore, 757th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron superintendent, Chief Master Sgt. And I loved it so much that I became a math teacher. They are Adam Clark of Mt. First day of school. 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. We love to walk. This is an extremely important hire, and it was very important we took the time to do the process right. Chris Hurst - Asso.. - Oceanside Unified School District - ZoomInfo Ive learned to work within the constraints of a budget; its not an excuse to exclude students from these types of experiences, Hurst said. Previously, Chris was an Assistant Principal at Camino High School. New superintendent for West Contra Costa Unified has concrete ideas for 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. 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. Vancouver Public Schools has. I'm excited about this partnership.. Wccusd School Board Selects Dr. Kenneth Chris Hurst As Next Superintendent 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. Shomik Mukherjee covers Oakland, with a focus on local politics, developments and activism. Ive traveled across the United States and lived from New York, New Jersey. 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. 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. Chris Hurst is an Associate Superintendent at Oceanside Unified School District based in Oceanside, California. Ive been to Japan, Ive been to Okinawa, Ive been to South Korea, a lot of different places. Are there strategies you used in the Othello, Washington, district that you hope to implement here? WCCUSD At a Glance / WCCUSD At a Glance Comments post automatically without review from our staff, but we reserve the right to delete material that is libelous, a personal attack, or spam. Two finalists named for Vancouver School District superintendent Dr. I think that really important that our kids see role models. Dr. Hurst succeeds Matthew Duffy, who announced in November that he would not seek an extension to his contract. Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Sr. is WCCUSD's 10th permanent superintendent. 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. Shes an amazing person and shes the wisest person that I know. Dr. Hurst may think that his SoCal experience will help him. 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. I talked about [social, emotional learning] as well, thats a big concern. Meet Dr. Hurst AnnMarie Baines Founder & Executive Director, The Practice Space. So I think, just to go back to your question, I think success is going to be individually defined by our students. We also are partnering with a number of organizations that have reached out to me. 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. 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. But I will share with you, also, that that is a systemic issue and that it cant just be that. 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. (The school) became a college-going community, and the beginning of a journey for me: where I could see how you can implement effective strategies in a struggling community and really change the outcomes for students and their lives, Hurst 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. 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. El Cerrito students play at West Contra Costa Unified's Korematsu Middle School during recess before the Covid-19 pandemic. But Hurst doesnt just want to throw things at people, he said in an interview with EdSource. 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. Join to connect . All Rights Reserved. So we really want to do both. Last Update. 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. In his new role, Dr. Hurst will bear the distinction of the being the WCCUSD's first permanent African American superintendent. Kenneth Chris Hurst was chosen as the next superintendent of West Contra Costa Unified. 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. 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. 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. 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. Bill aims to boost salaries 50% by 2030, Future of state housing is at stake in UC ruling, governor says. 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. Improvement in a very few aligned professional practices will go a long way in improving student academic achievement. 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. How do you like to spend your leisure time? Buffy Wicks, and his third to ex-WCCUSD trustee, now State Supt. He will have a three-year contract still pending final approval by the board with a starting salary of $270,000 per year (and 2% increases each year). He will succeed Matthew Duffy, who announced in November that he would be. Having engaging, culturally relevant curriculum is also important to keeping students on track, he said. Education | General | Kennedy High School | community. 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. 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.. He needs to acknowledge or review the abuse of the lowest performing students not given lunches, substitutes and other such things I witnessed myself. Hurst became superintendent of the 4,500-student Othello School District in central Washington in 2016. all Oceanside students would graduate college or be career ready. 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. 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. Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Superintendent Jamela Smith-Folds, Trustee Area 1 Demetrio Gonzalez Hoy, Trustee Area 4 Otheree Christian, Trustee Area 2 Leslie Reckler, Trustee Area 5 Mister Phillips, Trustee Area 3 Thomas Leung, Student Trustee Navi Emiliano, Student Trustee