Of course the masking. She also has this Braille laptop as well. So I have a number of priorities but I would certainly say my top priority is improving student learning and student achievement. Find Us . 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. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! They showed me how to be a leader in school, a great teacher is well. So we really want to do both. Currently, only four of the states 30 largest school districts have Black superintendents. Bay Area students chosen as semifinalists in the prestigious U.S. Presidential Scholars Program who made the cut? Copyright 2002-2023 Blackboard, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. EditorsNote: As a special project, EdSource is tracking developments in theOaklandUnified and West Contra Costa Unified School Districts as a way to illustrate some of the challenges facing other urban districts in California. The. My dad was in the Army for 30 years and I was in the Marine Corps for 11 years and I loved it. Really, we love to read. So I would say COVID safety and overall safety is a big component. 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. 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. West Contra Costa Unified - School Directory Details (CA Dept of Education) I know that Ive never had that growing up as a Black male. Based on his 23 years of professional experience in education, he has some concrete ideas for how to do that in this San Francisco Bay Area district, which includes Richmond and several surrounding communities. Doctorate in Education in K-12 Leadership, at the University of Southern California in 2011. I look forward to working with him, and I have confidence in the experience and ability that he is bringing to this table.. 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. Anyone reading articles, research and more, both academic and not, knows this. He holds a masters degree in educational administration and a bachelors in mathematics from California State University San Marcos. 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. Dr. Hurst becomes WCCUSDs 10th permanent superintendent and its first permanent African American superintendent. 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. We love to go to movies. I had a principal that was a mentor for me as well. So those are the things that Im going to be bringing from Othello to here. Thats probably the biggest piece for me as far as priorities, is really working with our students. She is visually impaired, she is blind. Thats really what our parents and community is worried about, they want to know that the kids are coming back to a safe environment. Teachers, principals, and district administrators need to learn the notes of high quality instruction before they can play jazz. 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. 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.. Before taking the job in May, Hurst was superintendent of the Othello School District in Othello, Washington, for five years, where he is credited with increasing graduation rates and decreasing overall student absences. The district has hired a new superintendent, Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, who will begin May 17. 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. Like many large urban California districts, West Contra Costa Unified has experienced considerable budget woes in recent years. I think its inspirational, motivational, and I know people will look up to me as a positive African American role model.. 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. I think warning signs are important so our teachers receiving training on how to identify those warning signs of any type of abuse thats happening, and then the referral process as well. Prior to his long career in education, he served 12 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. 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. She wasnt always blind. So its my job to really unlock that potential in students Thats what I want to be for students, that person. 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. At Oceanside High School, Dr. Hurst led double-digit growth in the schools academic growth performance. Its an unhealthy system. Copyright 2002-2023 Blackboard, Inc. All rights reserved. The districts board of trustees voted 5-0 Wednesday to hire Hurst. One of the things that I like about him is hes not coming here to learn how to be a superintendent, Phillips said. Dr. Are there strategies you used in the Othello, Washington, district that you hope to implement here? He also facilitated instructional rounds for the Oceanside high school network and the LCAP development. And then also building in that classroom time and space, like I shared, to really check in with students. Dr. Hurst joins WCCUSD after spending the past five years as the Superintendent of the Othello District in Othello, Washington. I think ethnic studies is certainly a great way to start. That is not to say unions are bad, quite the contrary they just need to focus more on helping protect employees, especially the most vulnerable not raising salaries. 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. 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 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. 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. Well involve students also into this conversation because we want to hear from them about what they want to have when they graduate. Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Sr. is WCCUSD's 10th permanent superintendent. What kind of role model do you want to be to your students? Two-thirds of the students qualify for free and reduced price meals. 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. He became assistant principal in Poway Unified just north of San Diego, where he helped open Westview High School in 2002. 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 One of the things Ill share with you is based on our research. Here are our challenges, they are real, and we need to have a strategy, have a plan as to how to address those challenges.. To read more, click the Meet Dr. Hurst headline. What are your plans for a successful reopening in the fall? 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. The district plans to reopen campuses for hybrid instruction on Mondayafter more than a year of distance learning. 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. 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. His military service includes Maintenance Supervisor at Camp Pendleton (19911993), Combat Duty (Desert Storm), Saudi Arabia (19901991), Communications Instructor/Supervisor at Camp Pendleton (19881990), Drill Instructor, San Diego (19861988), and Communications Specialist at Camp Pendleton (19821986). Your access to this page has been blocked. , and the number of children enrolled in preschool tripled, the news release said. That can involve, for example, a few teachers participating in a training session on restorative practices; they then teach their colleagues what they learned. I really believe in developing skills on a continuum, because I know that skills are transferable. Admin Staff | Quitman ISD They are Adam Clark of Mt. Hurst succeeds outgoing Superintendent Matthew Duffy, who announced last year he would not seek re-appointment when his contract ended after the current school year. He will succeed Matthew Duffy, who announced in November that he would be. He started his educational career in Poway Unified as a math and computer programming and computer science teacher. I think its encouraging when we see people like President Obama and Kamala Harris. Everything that Ive shared with you is what I plan to implement: preschool to close the early literacy gap; project-based learning to really address student engagement; as well as focus on building leadership capacity; and focus on building teacher capacity, culturally relevant teaching as well; but also addressing systemic inequities by having implicit bias training for our teachers. All comments are moderated for civility, relevance and other considerations. 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. The district was able to close a very large deficit this year, but at the cost of eliminating positions, reining in expenses and borrowing from reserves. I grew up all over the place. Want to improve the achievement gap? I had a couple of few role models in my life. 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. 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. So thats the conversation that were going to actually have. 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. So how do we really present curriculum in a way that really entices the student and engages the student. Employee Information Salary History Employer Information Employer Thames Valley District School Board Employees with the same employer Position Information So I think, just to go back to your question, I think success is going to be individually defined by our students. The Vancouver Public Schools board of directors narrowed the selection for superintendent to two candidates after meeting in executive session on Tue., Feb. 23. Email. Read More . Richmond Confidential is an online news service produced by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism for, and about, the people of Richmond, California. 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.. Keep it simple and focused on a few aligned professional practices. I really believe that especially urban systems are fundamentally broken and are failing Black and brown students across the United States. Actually, I have an overall safety concern from COVID, and then the Delta variant as well. Contact. They are Adam Clark of Mt. 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. Robert Hurst Thames Valley District School Board Secondary Teacher My long-term goal is to really transform our system so that we are ensuring that a high number of our students are prepared for college and career. Subscribe to Richmond Confidential to get the latest news sent straight to your inbox. All Rights Reserved. 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. Dr. to be the next of superintendent of San Bernardino City Unified, and will take over there on July 1. He also boosted the districts linked learning programs, which integrate academics with real-world work experiences. Hursts belief in the application of research-based practices and his experience in systems thinking will add structure to our organization, yet enable our entrepreneurial spirit, Board Trustee Leslie Reckler said. Click here for EdSource's Comments Policy. He also facilitated instructional rounds for the Oceanside high school network and the LCAP development. 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. 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. We went back to Germany. The Board voted 5-0 at Wednesday nights board meeting on a three-year contract for Dr. Hurst that begins May 17. Read More. Please make sure JavaScript is enabled and then try loading this page again. Chris Hurst's Phone Number and Email. 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. Because Im so busy, anytime that I can spend with my wife I do that. Chris Hurst is an Associate Superintendent at Oceanside Unified School District based in Oceanside, California. 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. Hurst is only one of a tiny number of Black superintendents among the states 1,000-plus school districts. 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. 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.. 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. 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. But WCCUSD spent just $450 (3%) more per student than Oceanside did last year yet (a) Oceanside has only 61% disadvantaged vs 71% in WCCUSD, and (b) San Diego County is just a hair over the statewide average cost of living. 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. Our goal is to produce professional and engaging journalism that is useful for the citizens of the city. He refused to let it end in Game 7, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. 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. 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. Some students may define their success as going into a career field of their choice, or some may define success, another different way. Richmond Confidential welcomes comments from our readers, but we ask users to keep all discussion civil and on-topic. Board of Trustees Hires Districts First Permanent African American Superintendent. WCCUSD's new Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst's first official day was May 17. Ive learned to work within the constraints of a budget; its not an excuse to exclude students from these types of experiences, Hurst said. I have a number of concerns. After a nearly six-month search, the West Contra Costa Unified School District has hired a new superintendent. Last Update. 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. I was a drill instructor and I was a communications instructor as well. Coming from Washington State as a superintendent, there, our students were back in January. 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 said he was also drawn by the district and school boards passion for equity and mission statement to bring students a quality education so that they can better their community while being global citizens. Reading articles, research and more, both academic and not.. I wanted to go to a military school. There are some other pieces that are priorities for me but I would say those are the top two priorities. 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. From San Diego, he became a principal in Oceanside in North San Diego County, turning around Jefferson Middle School and Oceanside High, he said. We request that commenters consistently use the same login name. He brings 23 years of education experience to the table, and is committed to closing achievement gaps within the district. 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. The patient needs a very limited and focused diet for improvement. Hurst has also used a train the trainer approach to professional development. It takes things like early literacy as well. Were trying to build expert teachers and expert leaders as well. 2/22/2023 4:33 PM. 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. 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. We love to exercise. Email [emailprotected]Copyright (C) 2015, by Don Gosney and Felix Hunziker. He knows how to be a superintendent because hes been doing the work. Kenneth Hurst - Superintendent - West Contra Costa Unified School c***@dcdsb.ca. Chris Hurst (D) officially conceded to Jason Ballard (R) Wednesday morning in the race for the House of Delegates' 12th District. Planning and implementing project-based learning would Read More. What is your biggest concern heading into the school year? We hired 20 counselors, additional counselors, so the case loads were at 750 per counselor but now weve reduced that down to 350. Having engaging, culturally relevant curriculum is also important to keeping students on track, he said. 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. The district has schools in Richmond, El Cerrito, San Pablo, Hercules, Pinole and other cities and communities in west Contra Costa County. Dear Abby: Am I overreacting to my European daughter-in-law's behavior? He also implemented Othellos K-12 pathway, the Districts Social-Emotional Learning Standards. Dr. Hurst has 23 years of experience teaching and leading equity in urban, suburban, and rural K-12 districts. We also are partnering with a number of organizations that have reached out to me. This is an extremely important hire, and it was very important we took the time to do the process right. Ive traveled across the United States and lived from New York, New Jersey. West Contra Costa Unified superintendent hired, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), H-1B: Feds want criminal charges over application fraud for Silicon Valleys favorite visa. Hurst said he assisted in Bersins effort to transform three schools whose students were lagging significantly in test scores and other measures San Diego, Kearny and Crawford high schools. If we develop our teachers and our principals, then theyre going to provide quality instruction, because theres a lot of research between a good teacher, an average teacher and an expert teacher. Next, he worked as a principal under former San Diego Unified Superintendent Alan, Bersin. 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. Chris Hurst - .. - Durham Catholic District School Board - ZoomInfo 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. How do we create spaces that allow us to really develop those relationships with adults and students and students to students as well.? 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. Diablo Unified, Kyla Johnson-Trammell of Oakland Unified, Vincent Matthews of San Francisco Unified and Harry Doc Ervin of Bakersfield City School District. 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. Join to connect . Our kids need to see positive influences that resemble their cultures, their ethnic background and ethnic makeup.. 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. And its not been happening, especially with our Black and our Latinx students, so thats a big concern as well. Oceanside Unified Associate Superintendent Kenneth Hurst accepts job as Robert Hurst is an employee working in Thames Valley District School Board, according to Province of Ontario, Treasury Board Secretariat. Dr. Hurst may think that his SoCal experience will help him. Comments from the same user posted under multiple aliases may be deleted. But she actually is very efficient in technology. Ive been to France and Italy and Austria. Thats a serious issue. 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. Duffy had served as superintendent since 2016, and his total compensation and benefits last year was about $365,000, according to Transparent California. For interview and speaking requests for Dr. Hurst, please contact Communications at communications@wccusd.net. We had the opportunity to serve the WCCUSD community in the highest way by hiring a new superintendent, Board Clerk Jamela Smith-Folds said. Following that, he received his doctorate in education at the University of Southern California in 2011. 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. Although only 6% of the states student enrollment is Black, an even smaller percentage have been selected to run districts. There needs to be people like myself that are willing to invest in challenging the system. If it needed to be longer, it would have been. 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. 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