Questions, comments, or suggestions? 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. Were able to hire more counselors as well. Vancouver Public Schools has. Improvement in a very few aligned professional practices will go a long way in improving student academic achievement. 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. And I loved it so much that I became a math teacher. Hurst is only one of a tiny number of Black superintendents among the states 1,000-plus school districts. 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. (Courtesy of West Contra Costa Unified). Please check your e-mail for a link to activate your account. Find Us . 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. 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. This is an extremely important hire, and it was very important we took the time to do the process right. Prior to his long career in education, he served 12 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. 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. Hurst is the districts 10th leader and its first non-interim African American superintendent. 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. 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. But Im also a big proponent in culturally relevant teaching as well. 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. So professional learning is going to be a very big key here in Richmond and across the United States. What she really loves doing is to teach those technology skills to students who are visually impaired. West Contra Costa Unified has had two African American interim superintendents in the past. 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.. Hurst said theres a correlation between students not being in class due to suspensions and expulsion and their academic performance. c***@oside.us. 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. So its almost like if we do this, we can do this and we can better support our students. So my whole concept is making sure that we get curriculum in front of our kids, that [we get] role models for our kids that look like them. Richmond Confidential is an online news service produced by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism for, and about, the people of Richmond, California. 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. 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. The district plans to reopen campuses for hybrid instruction on Mondayafter more than a year of distance learning. 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. Ervin. We went back to Germany. Following that, he received his doctorate in education at the University of Southern California in 2011. I just loved it, from low-entry mathematics to high-level calculus. 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. 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 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. That doesnt happen. Yeah, I did address this a little bit. They want to come to school because attendance matters as well, and that plays into graduation rate. Bill aims to boost salaries 50% by 2030, Future of state housing is at stake in UC ruling, governor says. I think another piece that Im working on that will tie into the graduation rate is student engagement. 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. Anyone reading articles, research and more, both academic and not, knows this. 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. He also implemented Othellos K-12 pathway, the Districts Social-Emotional Learning Standards. Chris is always trying to improve himself and looking for the good in others. Best to relabel it the Professional Practices Gap. But I also knew that in my growing up in high school expressly, there was not a lot of encouragement for me, being a Black male, an African American male, from my teachers and my counselors. He Read More. Its not just about getting a job and making money. The patient needs a very limited and focused diet for improvement. 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.. 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. He started his educational career in Poway Unified as a math and computer programming and computer science teacher. 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. Ervin has just been selected to be the next of superintendent of San Bernardino City Unified, and will take over there on July 1. His acumen in social justice, equity, and focus on accelerating student achievement here is impressive. 2/22/2023 4:33 PM. Reading articles, research and more, both academic and not.. 1003 On June 30, 2021, the OSD Board of Directors approved a three year contract naming Pete Perez the district's superintendent. Email [emailprotected]Copyright (C) 2015, by Don Gosney and Felix Hunziker. We really want to make sure that we have structures in place for every school, every classroom, so that were meeting the social, emotional, learning needs of our students. 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. At Oceanside High School, Dr. Hurst led double-digit growth in the schools academic growth performance. 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. So, another piece that Ive talked to people about is instituting threat-assessment teams at every level of the organization, at the district level but also at the school level. Like many large urban California districts, West Contra Costa Unified has experienced considerable budget woes in recent years. of Schools, Tony Thurmond, to do likewise. Silent. Robert Hurst is an employee working in Thames Valley District School Board, according to Province of Ontario, Treasury Board Secretariat. Superintendent Hurst is WCCUSD's 10th permanent superintendent and first permanent African American superintendent. I think its really dependent upon our students I think its individual success and individually defined. 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. In 2004, Bersin divided the three schools into 14 smaller 500-student academies, funded in part by millions of dollars in grants, mostly from the Gates foundation. I have seen him on the phone, while emailing someone and texting yet another about a different issue, Stevenson said via email. He also boosted the districts linked learning programs, which integrate academics with real-world work experiences. Coming from Washington State as a superintendent, there, our students were back in January. In Oceanside, he implemented some of the same strategies he adopted at the small schools in San Diego, he said. Dr. Hurst has 23 years of experience teaching and leading equity in urban, suburban, and rural K-12 districts. Ive been to France and Italy and Austria. Please look for Dr. Hurst's e. Chris Hurst is a Superintendent of Education - Ajax at Durham Catholic District School Board based in Oshawa, Ontario. 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. Comments post automatically without review from our staff, but we reserve the right to delete material that is libelous, a personal attack, or spam. 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. There are also massive inequalities in income levels among families in the district and the different communities it encompasses. 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. Othellos student population this year is 91% Latino; 32% are English learners, and 75% qualify for free and reduced-price lunch. We are thrilled with Dr. Hursts background, experience, and readiness to hit the ground running here in our District and help us to the next level, WCCUSD Board President Mister Phillips said. 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. Thousand of students compete in Tech Challenge in San Jose, Will higher pay lure more teachers? Dr. Hurst may think that his SoCal experience will help him. 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. One unfortunate issue he has to face is for funding was the unions driven zealous raising of salaries that hurt the district. The finalists are Camas School District Superintendent Jeff Snell, right, and Kenneth (Chris) Hurst, superintendent of the Othello School District in Adams County. Marvin Parker, 99th Logistics Readiness Squadron superintendent, Chief Master Sgt. 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. Dr. Hurst becomes WCCUSDs 10th permanent superintendent and its first permanent African American superintendent. I firmly believe that every single person was designed to do something big and to contribute back to society in a big way. Dr. Hurst also served as an administrator in the San Diego Unified and Poway Unified school districts. Its going to take a community effort, to take all of us working together as one for a shared vision.. It was a close decision, he added. 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. Of course the masking. I grew up all over the place. And its not been happening, especially with our Black and our Latinx students, so thats a big concern as well. They are as follows: . He is committed to promoting restorative practices and social-emotional learning that will change students behavior without taking them out of class. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); We welcome your comments. Planning and implementing project-based learning would Read More. 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. He spent 6 years as a principal and assistant principal in Oceanside, including the turnaround principal for Jefferson Middle and Oceanside High schools. Chief Business Official: Robert McEntire Interim Associate Superintendent / Chief Business Officer (510) 231-1170 robert.mcentire@wccusd.net. So sometimes when you walk into classrooms and even college classrooms, students are disengaged. I had a principal that was a mentor for me as well. 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. 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. I know that Ive never had that growing up as a Black male. Chris Hurst -- Los Angeles, California, United States 1 connection. Dr. Hurst has served as the Superintendent of the Othello District in Othello, Washington, since 2016. Your access to this page has been blocked. 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. The board of trustees approved a three-year contract that begins May 17 for. We love to go to movies. Michael Littleton Richmond Promise Board Chair, Former Senior Vice President of Finance, Gu Energy Labs. Bay Area students chosen as semifinalists in the prestigious U.S. Presidential Scholars Program who made the cut? I think for me, overarching, were going to be working on what we call a graduate profile, which is what we want our students to know and be able to do when they graduate. Ive learned to work within the constraints of a budget; its not an excuse to exclude students from these types of experiences, Hurst said. 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. We think thats important to check in with the families. One of the things that I like about him is hes not coming here to learn how to be a superintendent, Phillips said. North San Diego County, turning around Jefferson Middle School and Oceanside High, he said. Actually, I have an overall safety concern from COVID, and then the Delta variant as well. 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. It takes things like early literacy as well. Hurst said he assisted in Bersins, From San Diego, he became a principal in Oceanside in. But Hurst doesnt just want to throw things at people, he said in an interview with EdSource. Hurst has also used a train the trainer approach to professional development. They showed me how to be a leader in school, a great teacher is well. 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. 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. Diablo Unified, Kyla Johnson-Trammell of Oakland Unified, Vincent Matthews of San Francisco Unified and Harry Doc Ervin of Bakersfield City School District. Im a big proponent on ethnic studies, so youre going to see that happening in our district. 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. He also boosted the districts linked learning programs, which integrate academics with real-world work experiences. Ive traveled across the United States and lived from New York, New Jersey. Last Update. Prior to his long career in education, he served 12 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. He needs to acknowledge or review the abuse of the lowest performing students not given lunches, substitutes and other such things I witnessed myself. He wants to hear from everyone at the district to see what strategies they can come up with together. Diablo Unified, Kyla Johnson-Trammell of Oakland Unified, Vincent Matthews of San Francisco Unified and Harry Doc Ervin of Bakersfield City School District. Are there strategies you used in the Othello, Washington, district that you hope to implement here? They focus a lot on design thinking, a process which is out of Stanford as well, which is a problem-solving approach. He knows how to be a superintendent because hes been doing the work. So its my job to really unlock that potential in students Thats what I want to be for students, that person. There are some other pieces that are priorities for me but I would say those are the top two priorities. 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. Next, he worked as a principal under former San Diego Unified Superintendent Alan Bersin. He needs to acknowledge or review the abuse of the lowest performing students not given lunches, substitutes and other such things I witnessed myself. 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 look forward to working with him, and I have confidence in the experience and ability that he is bringing to this table.. Read More . The. Status: Active: District Type: 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. Superintendent: Dr. Kenneth C. Hurst Superintendent (510) 231-1101 chris.hurst@wccusd.net. What is your biggest concern heading into the school year? 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. Click here for EdSource's Comments Policy. Why is the suspension rate for Black and Latinx students so high in Richmond? And I did not want people to have that experience and kids to have that experience, so thats why I went into education. That is a huge concern, and we have been stagnant for years for a number of years. And ultimately, our parents and our communities, they want to see their children succeed. We hired 20 counselors, additional counselors, so the case loads were at 750 per counselor but now weve reduced that down to 350. I was a drill instructor and I was a communications instructor as well. 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. To read more, click the Meet Dr. Hurst headline. Then you dont see students walk into the classroom, where they disengaged. We hired a leader who will lead WCCUSD teachers, administrators, and staff with a united vision, transparency, and accountability. They are Adam Clark of Mt. Graduation rate is a systemic issue and it really goes to building this whole healthy system. 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. That can involve, for example, a few teachers participating in a training session on restorative practices; they then teach their colleagues what they learned. Copyright 2002-2023 Blackboard, Inc. All rights reserved. Next, he worked as a principal under former San Diego Unified Superintendent Alan, Bersin. Its about giving back, and giving ourselves to the community of West Contra Costa, Hurst said of he and his wife. Thinking "outside the box" will simply never outweigh the fact that WCCUSD has 9% less purchasing power than its demographic peers elsewhere in California. His second should be to Assm. Employee Information Salary History Employer Information Employer Thames Valley District School Board Employees with the same employer Position Information Richmond Confidential assumes no liability for comments posted to the site and no endorsement is implied; commenters are solely responsible for their own content. 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. Chris Hurst's Phone Number and Email. So I sort of felt disenfranchised as a youth. 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. 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 this is its first permanent African American appointee. 2023 EdSource. Here are our challenges, they are real, and we need to have a strategy, have a plan as to how to address those challenges.. So how do we really present curriculum in a way that really entices the student and engages the student. 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Ask Amy: I put a security camera in my room, and what I saw was creepy, Ask Amy: My fiancee's family says I'm not invited, and she's going without me, The dad whose wife and child were among 5 killed by a neighbor in Texas describes how the massacre unfolded, 'Total dominance': Steph Curry breaks NBA Game 7 record, leads Warriors over Kings, Dear Abby: The reason her fiance hid his phone was something she never guessed, Mortgage fees to rise for buyers with high credit scores, fall for those with lower scores, Kurtenbach: Steph Curry built the Warriors dynasty. So I would say COVID safety and overall safety is a big component. 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. Should Richmond shelter unhoused people in hotels during severe weather. Duffy saw the district through a difficult financial stretch. So I think, just to go back to your question, I think success is going to be individually defined by our students. I think Ive spent more time in California than any place, because after I got out of the Marine Corps, we kind of settled in Southern California and San Diego. 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. I think its inspirational, motivational, and I know people will look up to me as a positive African American role model.. 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. Our kids need to see positive influences that resemble their cultures, their ethnic background and ethnic makeup.. So when our students came back in January, what I saw was a disconnect, like our students werent talking a lot, they werent engaging a lot.
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