So a big reduction so our counselors could check in more. Superintendent West Contra Costa Unified School District View Chris' full profile . 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. 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. How will you address the systemic inequality that BIPOC students have had to deal with? In his new role, Dr. Hurst will bear the distinction of the being the WCCUSD's first permanent African American superintendent. They showed me how to be a leader in school, a great teacher is well. The Board voted 5-0 at Wednesday night's board meeting on a three-year contract for Dr. Hurst that begins May 17. I think that even our system of education is not as high-performing as some other countries as well. Duffy had served as superintendent since 2016, and his total compensation and benefits last year was about $365,000, according to Transparent California. Having engaging, culturally relevant curriculum is also important to keeping students on track, he said. More than half of the districts students are Latino, 14% are Black, 10% are white, and 8% are Asian. 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. Chris Hurst (D) officially conceded to Jason Ballard (R) Wednesday morning in the race for the House of Delegates' 12th District. Hurst, 59, will begin May 17 and work alongside Duffy to transition into the role until Duffy leaves in July. 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. Thats had a positive impact on students everywhere he has worked, he said. He also facilitated instructional rounds for the Oceanside high school network and the LCAP development. 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? If it needed to be longer, it would have been. And its not been happening, especially with our Black and our Latinx students, so thats a big concern as well. But Hurst doesnt just want to throw things at people, he said in an interview with EdSource. 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. 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. We request that commenters consistently use the same login name. 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.. Dr. Hurst has served as the Superintendent of the Othello District in Othello, Washington, since 2016. I was born in Germany. 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. Education | General | Kennedy High School | community. Improvement in a very few aligned professional practices will go a long way in improving student academic achievement. The result was double-digit growth in academic test scores. Vancouver Public Schools has. So we have a lot of work to do. Coming from Washington State as a superintendent, there, our students were back in January. Dr. Hurst has 23 years of experience teaching and leading equity in urban, suburban, and rural K-12 districts. And how do we get them to understand that students are bringing in differences? 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. So my real goal is, and how we define success is going to be dependent upon those teachers working with the students coming up with an individualized learning plan, and then building this plan, all the way from pre-K to 12th grade so they are able to achieve that. 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. Agreed. Contact. Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Sr. is WCCUSD's 10th permanent superintendent. 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. 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. 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 knows how to be a superintendent because hes been doing the work. So I sort of felt disenfranchised as a youth. 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. There are some other pieces that are priorities for me but I would say those are the top two priorities. Read More . (Courtesy of West Contra Costa Unified). 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. Subscribe to Richmond Confidential to get the latest news sent straight to your inbox. Graduation rate is a systemic issue and it really goes to building this whole healthy system. 2023 Richmond Confidential. The districts board of trustees voted 5-0 Wednesday to hire Hurst. For interview and speaking requests for Dr. Hurst, please contact Communications at communications@wccusd.net. 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. 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. Join to connect . So its going to look different for every single student. 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. He started his educational career in Poway Unified as a math and computer programming and computer science teacher. At Oceanside High School, Dr. Hurst led double-digit growth in the schools academic growth performance. 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. He and his wife, Crystal, have two grown children. 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. His approach to collaborative leadership and knowledge of teaching strategies, as well as community involvement, are just what we need here in West Contra Costa.. UPDATE 10:06 a.m.: Incumbent Del. I knew there were resources out there but I didnt have anyone to point me into the right direction. 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. Is it really a tribute to Supt. Im a big proponent on ethnic studies, so youre going to see that happening in our district. Ive learned to work within the constraints of a budget; its not an excuse to exclude students from these types of experiences, Hurst said. Although only 6% of the states student enrollment is Black, an even smaller percentage have been selected to run districts. 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. 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. 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. What happens is when kids arent being read to, theyre not reading, they come into kindergarten already behind. 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. He needs to acknowledge or review the abuse of the lowest performing students not given lunches, substitutes and other such things I witnessed myself. 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. Dr. Hurst has served as the Superintendent of the Othello District in Othello, Washington, since 2016. I'm excited about this partnership.. There just isnt anymore.. Ervin. Are there strategies you used in the Othello, Washington, district that you hope to implement here? Please make sure JavaScript is enabled and then try loading this page again. Its going to be a community conversation. Planning and implementing project-based learning would Read More. Why are students starting their own businesses right out of high school? Really, we love to read. So thats the conversation that were going to actually have. It really means that we have to have our teachers trained in culturally responsive teaching, but also we have to look at the curriculum that were putting in front of our kids. Find him taking walks around town; he is always looking for story tips. They are Adam Clark of Mt. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. One unfortunate issue he has to face is for funding was the union's driven zealous raising of salaries that hurt the district. 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. 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. I think its inspirational, motivational, and I know people will look up to me as a positive African American role model..