I really believe that especially urban systems are fundamentally broken and are failing Black and brown students across the United States. Because Im so busy, anytime that I can spend with my wife I do that. 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. 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. 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. 2/22/2023 4:33 PM. How will you address the systemic inequality that BIPOC students have had to deal with? There are also massive inequalities in income levels among families in the district and the different communities it encompasses. So I would say COVID safety and overall safety is a big component. Ive learned to work within the constraints of a budget; its not an excuse to exclude students from these types of experiences, Hurst said. WCCUSD1108 Bissell AvenueRichmond, CA 94801, Room 100Phone: (510) 231-1101Fax: (510) 236-6784, Dr. Kenneth Chris Hurst,SuperintendentEmail:chris.hurst@wccusd.net, Rosa Cornejo, Executive SecretaryEmail:RCornejo@wccusd.net, Genesis Munoz, Senior Confidential SecretaryEmail: genesis.munoz@wccusd.net. File photo Finalists for superintendent are: Dr. Kenneth (Chris) Hurst, superintendent, Othello School District, Othello, WA Linsi Crain Public Affairs Manager, Chevron Richmond Refinery. 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. Vancouver Public Schools has. 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. He earned a master of arts in educational administration in 2008 and a. Employee Information Salary History Employer Information Employer Thames Valley District School Board Employees with the same employer Position Information For interview and speaking requests for Dr. Hurst, please contact Communications at communications@wccusd.net. 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. We hired 20 counselors, additional counselors, so the case loads were at 750 per counselor but now weve reduced that down to 350. We hired a leader who will lead WCCUSD teachers, administrators, and staff with a united vision, transparency, and accountability. Here are our challenges, they are real, and we need to have a strategy, have a plan as to how to address those challenges.. The finalists are Camas School District Superintendent Jeff Snell, right, and Kenneth (Chris) Hurst, superintendent of the Othello School District in Adams County. His acumen in social justice, equity, and focus on accelerating student achievement here is impressive. 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. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! He knows how to be a superintendent because hes been doing the work. They showed me how to be a leader in school, a great teacher is well. Next, he worked as a principal under former San Diego Unified Superintendent Alan Bersin. The district has schools in Richmond, El Cerrito, San Pablo, Hercules, Pinole and other cities and communities in west Contra Costa County. The. 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. So anything that involves her is what I like to be involved in. But Im also a big proponent in culturally relevant teaching as well. Teachers, principals, and district administrators need to learn the notes of high quality instruction before they can play jazz. Something went wrong. So a big reduction so our counselors could check in more. 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. We request that commenters consistently use the same login name. 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). Dr. Hurst also served as an administrator in the San Diego Unified and Poway Unified school districts. He and his wife, Crystal, have two grown children. Dr. So I have a number of priorities but I would certainly say my top priority is improving student learning and student achievement. 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. Privacy Policy 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. 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. Sylvester Greenwood andDr. Cynthia LeBlanc each served one-year terms as interim superintendents. The board of trustees approved a three-year contract that begins May 17 for. This is an extremely important hire, and it was very important we took the time to do the process right. 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. 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. Copyright 2002-2023 Blackboard, Inc. All rights reserved. One unfortunate issue he has to face is for funding was the unions driven zealous raising of salaries that hurt the district. Thats had a positive impact on students everywhere he has worked, he said. And I loved it so much that I became a math teacher. Marvin Parker, 99th Logistics Readiness Squadron superintendent, Chief Master Sgt. (The school) became a college-going community, and the beginning of a journey for me: where I could see how you can implement effective strategies in a struggling community and really change the outcomes for students and their lives, Hurst said. Everything that Im sharing with you ties to like the graduation rate. Kenneth Chris Hurst Sr., Ed.D | Superintendent | West Contra Costa Unified School District | (510) 231-1101 CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This electronic mail transmission may contain privileged. All rights reserved. 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. 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. College and Covid: Freshman Year Disrupted, Education During Covid: Families Struggle to Learn. He brings 23 years of education experience to the table, and is committed to closing achievement gaps within the district. 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. Dr. Chris Hurst, Superintendent of WCCUSD and the Office of African American Student Achievement (OAASA) led the effort to raise the Pan-African flag at all schools and at the district office for. 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. Find him taking walks around town; he is always looking for story tips. So I think, just to go back to your question, I think success is going to be individually defined by our students. 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. He refused to let it end in Game 7, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Hurst got his start in the education field in San Diego County, after serving 12 years in the Marines; he served combat duty in Desert Storm and was a drill instructor, communications specialist and maintenance supervisor at Camp Pendleton. The Vancouver Public Schools board of directors narrowed the selection for superintendent to two candidates after meeting in executive session on Tue., Feb. 23. He needs to acknowledge or review the abuse of the lowest performing students not given lunches, substitutes and other such things I witnessed myself. Othellos student population this year is 91% Latino; 32% are English learners, and 75% qualify for free and reduced-price lunch. Thousand of students compete in Tech Challenge in San Jose, Will higher pay lure more teachers? 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. Its about giving back, and giving ourselves to the community of West Contra Costa, Hurst said of he and his wife. We think thats important to check in with the families. I firmly believe that every single person was designed to do something big and to contribute back to society in a big way. 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. Not having position control forms on these people, and many other intentional policy and procedural actions in HR that ultimately masks the budget.