We think thats important to check in with the families. There are also massive inequalities in income levels among families in the district and the different communities it encompasses. He also implemented Othellos K-12 pathway, the Districts Social-Emotional Learning Standards. 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. Next, he worked as a principal under former San Diego Unified Superintendent Alan Bersin. Chris Hurst's Phone Number and Email. Superintendent Symposium - Nellis Air Force Base In his new role, Dr. Hurst will bear the distinction of the being the WCCUSD's first permanent African American superintendent. 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. Chris Hurst - Asso.. - Oceanside Unified School District - ZoomInfo So thats the conversation that were going to actually have. The long term goal is to really transform our system of education so that more and more of our students are achieving, high achieving and achieving their goals to either go to college, or going to a particular career. 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. Board of Trustees Hires Districts First Permanent African American Superintendent. The. He needs to acknowledge or review the abuse of the lowest performing students not given lunches, substitutes and other such things I witnessed myself. 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. Admin Staff | Quitman ISD So how do we really present curriculum in a way that really entices the student and engages the student. That can involve, for example, a few teachers participating in a training session on restorative practices; they then teach their colleagues what they learned. Should Richmond shelter unhoused people in hotels during severe weather. 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. There are some other pieces that are priorities for me but I would say those are the top two priorities. Your wife, Crystal Hurst, is also in education? Subscribe to Richmond Confidential to get the latest news sent straight to your inbox. So there is a gap that happens between parents who are reading to their kids when theyre young, and parents who are not reading to their kids. We love to walk. Jeff Taylor, Categorical Instructional Support Services (CISS), Early Learning Pre-K to Adult Educational Operations, Office of African American Student Achievement (OAASA), Teacher Support and Assistance Program (TSAP), Community Budget Advisory Committee (CBAC), Research, Assessment, Accountability & Data (RAAD), West Contra Costa Unified School District, I am excited to join the WCCUSD Community, Blackboard Web Community Manager Privacy Policy (Updated). I think that even our system of education is not as high-performing as some other countries as well. Something went wrong. (Courtesy of West Contra Costa Unified). Ive been to Japan, Ive been to Okinawa, Ive been to South Korea, a lot of different places. I think Ive already talked to you about the soft start and checking with our students about their social social emotional learning needs. Welcome Message from WCCUSD's new Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst More than half of the districts students are Latino, 14% are Black, 10% are white, and 8% are Asian. So I have a number of priorities but I would certainly say my top priority is improving student learning and student achievement. Not having position control forms on these people, and many other intentional policy and procedural actions in HR that ultimately masks the budget. 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 your browser is out of date, try updating it. 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. Duffy saw the district through a difficult financial stretch. Thats really what our parents and community is worried about, they want to know that the kids are coming back to a safe environment. 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. She wasnt always blind. Is it really a tribute to Supt. One unfortunate issue he has to face is for funding was the unions driven zealous raising of salaries that hurt the district. The patient is in the hospital with a mortal stab wound. He brings 23 years of education experience to the table, and is committed to closing achievement gaps within the district. Im a big proponent on ethnic studies, so youre going to see that happening in our district. So whenever you have all this diversity coming in, and you have a teaching force that really is not equipped and prepared to engage with the language barriers and the cultural diversity, thats when you see as some of these issues that are happening. Well involve students also into this conversation because we want to hear from them about what they want to have when they graduate. Duffy had served as superintendent since 2016, and his total compensation and benefits last year was about $365,000, according to Transparent California. Although only 6% of the states student enrollment is Black, an even smaller percentage have been selected to run districts. 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. They focus a lot on design thinking, a process which is out of Stanford as well, which is a problem-solving approach. All comments are moderated for civility, relevance and other considerations. The district has hired a new superintendent, Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, who will begin May 17. 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. Its not just about getting a job and making money. Email. Ive learned to work within the constraints of a budget; its not an excuse to exclude students from these types of experiences, Hurst said. My dad was in the Army. Sylvester Greenwood andDr. Cynthia LeBlanc each served one-year terms as interim superintendents. John Moore, 757th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron superintendent, Chief Master Sgt. And ultimately, our parents and our communities, they want to see their children succeed. 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. As Superintendent of the 4,500 student District located about 3 hours southeast of Seattle, Dr. Hurst increased Othello's graduation rates by 16 percent from 71 percent to 87 percent and reduced absences by 33 percent. I think its encouraging when we see people like President Obama and Kamala Harris. Previously, Chris was an Assistant Principal at Camino High School. West Contra Costa Unified School District on LinkedIn: Dr. Chris Hurst So there has to be a big investment in preschool to make sure that we close that early literacy gap. Thinking "outside the box" will simply never outweigh the fact that WCCUSD has 9% less purchasing power than its demographic peers elsewhere in California. He also holds an Associate of Arts degree from National University, San Diego. Were able to hire more counselors as well. 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. 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. WCCUSD At a Glance / WCCUSD At a Glance 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. So I sort of felt disenfranchised as a youth. I am honored and excited to be the new Superintendent of West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD), and to partner with students, educators, families, community, and business partners to ensure we are meeting the districts mission to prepare students for post-secondary education and to be responsible, thinking, contributing members of our global society. 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 I loved it so much that I became a math teacher. 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. 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. Yeah, I did address this a little bit. 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. My dad was in the Army for 30 years and I was in the Marine Corps for 11 years and I loved it. 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. He also implemented Othellos K-12 pathway, the Districts Social-Emotional Learning Standards. Find Us . 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. all Oceanside students would graduate college or be career ready. 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. Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Sr. is the 10th permanent superintendent in West Contra Costa Unified School District History. Chris Hurst is a Superintendent of Education - Ajax at Durham Catholic District School Board based in Oshawa, Ontario. 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. 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. WCCUSD received nearly 30 applications for the position from throughout the country. The Vancouver Public Schools board of directors narrowed the selection for superintendent to two candidates after meeting in executive session on Tue., Feb. 23. We also are partnering with a number of organizations that have reached out to me. I think its important for African-American, Latinx and students of color to see other people of color in leadership positions, Hurst said. 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). Vancouver Public Schools narrows search for superintendent Dr. Hurst may think that his SoCal experience will help him. Superintendent / Superintendent 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. WCCUSD's Board of Education hired Dr. Hurst on April 14, 2021, making him the first permanent African American superintendent. 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. He spent 6 years as a principal and assistant principal in Oceanside, including the turnaround principal for Jefferson Middle and Oceanside High schools. 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. 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. 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. 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. So professional learning is going to be a very big key here in Richmond and across the United States. This is an extremely important hire, and it was very important we took the time to do the process right. 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. Hurst became superintendent of the 4,500-student Othello School District in central Washington in 2016. They are Adam Clark of Mt. Dear Abby: Am I overreacting to my European daughter-in-law's behavior? Othellos student population this year is 91% Latino; 32% are English learners, and 75% qualify for free and reduced-price lunch. 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. Superintendent / Superintendent of Schools Shomik Mukherjee covers Oakland, with a focus on local politics, developments and activism. I just loved it, from low-entry mathematics to high-level calculus. He also facilitated instructional rounds for the Oceanside high school network and the LCAP development. Do you have any plan to address any trauma that may have occurred in the household during the pandemic? Actually, I have an overall safety concern from COVID, and then the Delta variant as well. So anything that involves her is what I like to be involved in. Are there strategies you used in the Othello, Washington, district that you hope to implement here? The position title is Secondary Teacher. He wants to hear from everyone at the district to see what strategies they can come up with together. Hurst works non-stop and is very dedicated to his job. 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.. 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. 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. WCCUSD's new Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst's first official day was May 17. 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. Students will return to campuses for instructional hubs for several hours a day. File photo Finalists for superintendent are: Dr. Kenneth (Chris) Hurst, superintendent, Othello School District, Othello, WA So shes going to be working for California School for the Blind in Fremont, and shes going to be working in the tech department, and helping students with technology. Categorical Instructional Support Services (CISS), Early Learning Pre-K to Adult Educational Operations, Office of African American Student Achievement (OAASA), Teacher Support and Assistance Program (TSAP), Community Budget Advisory Committee (CBAC), Research, Assessment, Accountability & Data (RAAD), West Contra Costa Unified School District, Blackboard Web Community Manager Privacy Policy (Updated). With my wife. Dr. Hurst has served as the Superintendent of the Othello District in Othello, Washington, since 2016. 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. Kenneth Hurst Sr. chosen as superintendent of West Contra Costa schools Weve been married for almost 40 years, 39 years in December. He will succeed Matthew Duffy, who announced in November that he would be. Thats probably the biggest piece for me as far as priorities, is really working with our students. Thats the kind of role model I want to be. Superintendent Hurst is WCCUSD's 10th permanent superintendent and first permanent African American superintendent. 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. I was a drill instructor and I was a communications instructor as well. Questions, comments, or suggestions? "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. Dr. Kenneth Hurst Email: chris.hurst@wccusd.net Phone: (510) 231-1103 . Chris Hurst's Phone Number and Email Last Update. I know that Ive never had that growing up as a Black male. He started his educational career in Poway Unified as a math and computer programming and computer science teacher. Before his career in education, Dr. Hurst served 12 years in the Marines. Since I was in desperate need of a car due to the nature of my new job, I resorted to making online research on how I could restore my credit to a minimum of 650 to enable me to qualify, after a few months of searching, I bumped into a blog and found positive reviews about, 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. Daryl Camp, superintendent of San Lorenzo Unified near Oakland and president of the California Association for African American Superintendents and Administrators, or CAAASA, agreed. 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.. West Contra Costa Unified includes Richmond, El Cerrito and several other East Bay communities. Diablo Unified, Kyla Johnson-Trammell of Oakland Unified, Vincent Matthews of San Francisco Unified and Harry Doc Ervin of Bakersfield City School District. So its going to look different for every single student. What are your plans for a successful reopening in the fall? At Oceanside High School, Dr. Hurst led double-digit growth in the schools academic growth performance. Contact. Really, we love to read. I'm excited about this partnership.. 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. Vancouver Public Schools has. The patient needs a very limited and focused diet for improvement. Shes an amazing person and shes the wisest person that I know. Board of Directors - The Richmond Promise Superintendent Superintendent Dr. Pete Perez, Superintendent email Pete Perez Executive Assistant to the Superintendent Marissa Garza Click here to email Marissa ext. Vancouver Public Schools superintendent candidates, from left, Dr. Karen Cheser, Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Dr. Hector Rico and Dr. Jeff Snell (Provided photos) Educators, students and. 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. Kenneth Chris Hurst, 60, who served as a superintendent at a school district in Washington state, will be West Contra Costa Unifieds first permanent Black superintendent. 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. Watching superintendents fail in LCFF-funded districts in high-cost counties has become routine. So I just love spending time with her. Buffy Wicks, and his third to ex-WCCUSD trustee, now State Supt. 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. Dr. Hurst also served as an administrator in the San Diego Unified and Poway Unified school districts. 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. It takes things like early literacy as well. I really believe that especially urban systems are fundamentally broken and are failing Black and brown students across the United States. Jerry Dunn, 99th Medical Group superintendent, and Chief Master Sgt. Best to relabel it the Professional Practices Gap. Comments post automatically without review from our staff, but we reserve the right to delete material that is libelous, a personal attack, or spam. Its about giving back, and giving ourselves to the community of West Contra Costa, Hurst said of he and his wife. I wanted to go to a military school. Meet Dr. Hurst Hurst is only one of a tiny number of Black superintendents among the states 1,000-plus school districts. All Rights Reserved. I think that really important that our kids see role models. There just isnt anymore.. 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. Here is a Q&A Richmond Confidential did with Hurst last week. During his five years at Othello, graduation rates increased from 71% to 87%, and absences declined by 33%, he said. Hurst also led the districts transition to distance learning at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and to a hybrid model this school year in which students get part of their instruction via distance learning, and some in-person. This is not a warm-body job.. Thinking outside the box will simply never outweigh the fact that WCCUSD has 9% less purchasing power than its demographic peers elsewhere in California. The question is going to be: How do we train our teachers and provide professional learning so that one, were addressing any biases that they may have in the classroom about a Black student or Latinx student or any student. Ervin has just been selected to be the next of superintendent of San Bernardino City Unified, and will take over there on July 1. Email. 2023 Richmond Confidential. Its about accumulating these skills so I can use these skills to make the United States or the globe a better place, and to really tackle pressing economic issues and global issues like COVID. Michael Littleton Richmond Promise Board Chair, Former Senior Vice President of Finance, Gu Energy Labs. 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. Quitman ISD 600 N Winnsboro Street Quitman, TX 75783 Phone: 903-763-5000 FAX: 903-763-2710 Email: masonc@quitmanisd.net Dr. Hurst has served as the Superintendent of the Othello District in Othello, Washington, since 2016. Coming from Washington State as a superintendent, there, our students were back in January. I think another piece that Im working on that will tie into the graduation rate is student engagement. Richmond Confidential assumes no liability for comments posted to the site and no endorsement is implied; commenters are solely responsible for their own content. Anyone reading articles, research and more, both academic and not, knows this. They didnt in 2019 or after or didnt say they did? I grew up all over the place.

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chris hurst, superintendent