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. 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. Everything that Im sharing with you ties to like the graduation rate. Ervin has just been selected to be the next of superintendent of San Bernardino City Unified, and will take over there on July 1. The position title is Secondary Teacher. 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. Having engaging, culturally relevant curriculum is also important to keeping students on track, he said. 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. Duffy had served as superintendent since 2016, and his total compensation and benefits last year was about $365,000, according to Transparent California. Dr. Hurst may think that his SoCal experience will help him. 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. 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. 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. Shes an amazing person and shes the wisest person that I know. 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 board of trustees approved a three-year contract that begins May 17 for. I grew up all over the place. 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 The result was double-digit growth in academic test scores. Thats really what our parents and community is worried about, they want to know that the kids are coming back to a safe environment. Although only 6% of the states student enrollment is Black, an even smaller percentage have been selected to run districts. Chris Hurst -- Los Angeles, California, United States 1 connection. You cant just change the organizational structure and expect change to happen. 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. 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. 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 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. 2023 Richmond Confidential. I think those are the big pieces that Im really focusing on coming back for fall. He refused to let it end in Game 7, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. 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. So its my job to really unlock that potential in students Thats what I want to be for students, that person. 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. 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. Thinking outside the box will simply never outweigh the fact that WCCUSD has 9% less purchasing power than its demographic peers elsewhere in California. I think Ive already talked to you about the soft start and checking with our students about their social social emotional learning needs. Were coming back to in person, so I want to make sure that our students are safe, and so were doing everything in our power to make sure we have mitigation strategies in place. One of the things we do know is, were able to reduce class sizes so our teachers can really have smaller class sizes and be able to check in with students more frequently. How do you like to spend your leisure time? The patient is in the hospital with a mortal stab wound. So I would say COVID safety and overall safety is a big component. Sylvester Greenwood andDr. Cynthia LeBlanc each served one-year terms as interim superintendents. 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.. All Rights Reserved. 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. West Contra Costa Unified hires new superintendent 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. Othello School Board Vice President Jenn Stevenson said Hurst was known for thinking outside of the box and welcoming new ideas; he also brought new views and a focus on equity to the district, as well as focusing on equity and justice. Please check your entries and try again. Superintendent Hurst is WCCUSD's 10th permanent superintendent and first permanent African American superintendent. Hurst became superintendent of the 4,500-student Othello School District in central Washington in 2016. This is in addition to sending a letter of demands to the superintendent and being present for public comment at the school board meeting. Please make sure JavaScript is enabled and then try loading this page again. as well as their lower graduation rates and higher rates of expulsions and suspensions. all Oceanside students would graduate college or be career ready. 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. 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. Find him taking walks around town; he is always looking for story tips. Dr. Hurst also served as an administrator in the San Diego Unified and Poway Unified school districts. New superintendent for West Contra Costa Unified has concrete ideas for 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. Dr. 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. So a big reduction so our counselors could check in more. Our goal is to produce professional and engaging journalism that is useful for the citizens of the city. What happens is when kids arent being read to, theyre not reading, they come into kindergarten already behind. So right now were looking at support even at the central office level to make sure that we have the right support in place so we can better support principals and school sites, so that principals can better support the teachers and the teachers can better support the students. But also, theres an issue with the learning loss that has happened as well with the COVID back in March of 2020, and making sure we have the right data in front of our teachers so that we can really assess our students and where they are to meet their needs. Its general assembly is made up of elected business leaders and acts to represent and defend the interests of businesses with public authorities, as well as taking positions . So its going to be really important that our teachers check in individually with our students and really find out whats happening. Bill aims to boost salaries 50% by 2030, Future of state housing is at stake in UC ruling, governor says. 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. They are as follows: . 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. In his new role, Dr. Hurst will bear the distinction of the being the WCCUSD's first permanent African American superintendent. The patient needs a very limited and focused diet for improvement. Of course the masking. 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. Read More . Thats had a positive impact on students everywhere he has worked, he said. He needs to acknowledge or review the abuse of the lowest performing students not given lunches, substitutes and other such things I witnessed myself. Teachers, principals, and district administrators need to learn the notes of high quality instruction before they can play jazz. 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). I'm excited about this partnership.. 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. Given the number of students of color, I am certain that his presence will be appreciated by students and parents of color, as well as the faculty and staff of the district, Camp said. Previously, Chris was an Assistant Principal at Camino High School. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Copyright 2002-2023 Blackboard, Inc. All rights reserved. Like many large urban California districts, West Contra Costa Unified has experienced considerable budget woes in recent years. So we have a lot of work to do. 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. West Contra Costa Unified - School Directory Details (CA Dept of Education) 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. This is not a warm-body job.. Oceanside Unified Associate Superintendent Kenneth Hurst accepts job as Want to improve the achievement gap? Thurmonds leadership? He also facilitated instructional rounds for the Oceanside high school network and the LCAP development. So sometimes when you walk into classrooms and even college classrooms, students are disengaged. He also implemented Othellos K-12 pathway, the Districts Social-Emotional Learning Standards. 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. 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. 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. She has a lot of Braille technology in our home, so she has devices that read books to her, that can download a book from this software. Its really a framework Im using and its called Central Office Transformation Toolkit and its out of the University of Washington. 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. What is your biggest concern heading into the school year? Copyright 2002-2023 Blackboard, Inc. All rights reserved. Two-thirds of the students qualify for free and reduced price meals. Email. They want to come to school because attendance matters as well, and that plays into graduation rate. 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. If it needed to be longer, it would have been. I just loved it, from low-entry mathematics to high-level calculus. I think its inspirational, motivational, and I know people will look up to me as a positive African American role model.. Find Us . 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. Do you have any plan to address any trauma that may have occurred in the household during the pandemic? The Vancouver Public Schools board of directors narrowed the selection for superintendent to two candidates after meeting in executive session on Tue., Feb. 23. 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. Improvement in a very few aligned professional practices will go a long way in improving student academic achievement. 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. 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. 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. And if we can build capacity with the leaders so that they are expert observers of instruction, especially culturally responsive teaching, then they can better support the teachers and build their capacity. Shomik Mukherjee covers Oakland, with a focus on local politics, developments and activism. Chief Business Official: Robert McEntire Interim Associate Superintendent / Chief Business Officer (510) 231-1170 robert.mcentire@wccusd.net. Contact. We hired 20 counselors, additional counselors, so the case loads were at 750 per counselor but now weve reduced that down to 350. Welcome Message from WCCUSD's new Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst The Board voted 5-0 at Wednesday night's board meeting on a three-year contract for Dr. Hurst that begins May 17. I believe that every person, including you, has a big vision in store for them, and what I believe is that its my responsibility to give people the tools to unlock, like what is that vision, what is my purpose in life, what was I designed to do. 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. 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. 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. Chris Hurst - Superintendent - West Contra Costa Unified School 12/31/2022 7:59 PM. She is visually impaired, she is blind. 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. College and Covid: Freshman Year Disrupted, Education During Covid: Families Struggle to Learn. 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. One unfortunate issue he has to face is for funding was the union's driven zealous raising of salaries that hurt the district. El Cerrito students play at West Contra Costa Unified's Korematsu Middle School during recess before the Covid-19 pandemic. Ive been to Japan, Ive been to Okinawa, Ive been to South Korea, a lot of different places. 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. He Read More. Because of the professors or because of the teachers. Your access to this page has been blocked. We love to go to movies. Dr. Hurst has a focused intention to plant seeds of greatness in WCCUSD students, provide resources, and create opportunities.. And ultimately, our parents and our communities, they want to see their children succeed. Email [emailprotected]Copyright (C) 2015, by Don Gosney and Felix Hunziker. 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. Hurst said he was drawn to West Contra Costa for a similar reason he was drawn to Othello: wanting to improve educational systems to ensure student success. Next, he worked as a principal under former San Diego Unified Superintendent Alan, Bersin. 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. The District also gathered more than 6,000 responses from the community on the next Superintendents qualities and qualifications. 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.

Seraphina Watts Wedding, Jack Cawood And Suzy Hunt, Which Of The Following Parties Do Veterinary Technicians Serve, Seattle Pickleball Lessons, Articles C