While three seats are up for election on the West Contra Costa Unified School District school board, only Area 2 voters will have a decision to make because that is the only contested race.
Area 1 and Area 3 each have just one candidate, according to the Contra Costa County Registrar of Voters. They are incumbent Jamela Smith-Folds, Area 1, and newcomer Cinthia Hernandez, Area 3. Both will automatically be seated when the terms begin in January.
The Area 2 race pits incumbent Otheree Christian against newcomer Guadalupe Enllana.
Area 2 incumbent has lifelong roots in Richmond
Area 2 includes the Richmond shoreline north of the bridge and Richmond neighborhoods such as Atchison Village, Coronado and North and East. Trustee Christian, who was born in Richmond, interned with youths in Washington, D.C., before working in juvenile services and as a substitute teacher in Dallas County, Texas. He later worked as a campus safety officer at El Cerrito High for more than 10 years and is now a pastor at Southside Church of Christ.
“Working with kids is my passion and drive. I understand the concerns about education and how we want to make sure our kids get educated and make sure our district has the tools to go to the next level,” Christian said.
Christian said if reelected he wants “to finish the things I started,” listing goals such as improving teacher workforce housing, updating school facilities and improving academic outcomes.
“I was born and raised here in Richmond. My family came here in World War II,” Christian said. “My ancestors are buried in this community. I’m a product of this district.”
Knowing the ongoing districtwide issues with a lack of funding, he said he wants to “move that needle” to ensure that low-income students are prioritized. That’s why he rejected the first draft of the district’s LCAP several months ago, he said. He emphasizes that WCCUSD is not unique in its funding struggles.
The board recently approved its 2024-25 budget two months late because trustees, parents and district staff weren’t aligned about the LCAP, the district’s plan to serve its most at-risk students, such as foster children, low-income children and English learners. But after district staff made revisions over the summer, an updated version of the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP),which outlines how WCCUSD will allocate $64.8 million in funding for 2024-25 was approved in August, with Christian among the “yes” votes.
“The whole state’s school districts are struggling,” Christian said. “Nobody ever thought we were going to experience something like COVID. You can’t put the blame on one person. San Francisco has to cut back on a lot of stuff too and downsize schools. It’s not just west Contra Costa (County).”
As for the district’s budget deficit, he said “We’ve got to think outside the box, we’ve got to think what can we do to keep that engine well-groomed and running. But if we gotta make cuts, then cuts should come from the top first, not the bottom.”
Area 2 challenger has issues with district spending and transparency
Enllana, Christian’s challenger, ran unsuccessfully for the school board in 2020. She said she is deeply rooted in the neighborhood, having lived for 14 years in her childhood home. She also was involved with the Measure E and K campaigns, the 2018 Richmond Kids First Initiative, which set aside general funds for youth programs and services and established the Department of Children and Youth and the Richmond Fund for Children and Youth. She later became co-chair for the city’s Fund for Children and Youth Oversight Board.
Enllana’s main issues are with the district’s spending and transparency. She said she wants to see accountability from the board trustees and Richmond City Council, saying city leaders should address impacts suffered by children living near smoke shops, available drugs and violence.
“I wanted to follow the money and see where our city money is going into development for children and youths,” Enllana said.
Enllana is also an active DLCAP member, a committee for community members to oversee development of the LCAP. She said the recent LCAP process frustrated many parents and made her more determined to run for school board.
“I think that’s been our biggest battle.” she said. “If I was a school board member, I would make sure that parents are at the forefront. We’ve lost transparency in this district. We keep being told it’s going to be different this time. But we keep seeing the same results. We need to make sure parents’ voices are centered and students’ voices are centered in decision-making.”
Enllana said at a crucial time for the district, as the board faces a deficit, she wants to represent parents’ concerns at lower-performing schools in Area 2. To her, Christian has not been a strong advocate for those schools, such as Kennedy High School, where only 60% of high school seniors graduate. She’s also frustrated that so far there have not been opportunities to debate him in an open forum.
However, she said, “We all have to work together, whatever the outcome is.”
When response to Enllana’s criticism of how he represented Area 2 in the LCAP process, Christian said that he was heavily involved as a trustee for months and abstained from voting on the first version of the LCAP to demand a better version. He said that he also met with Area 2 parents extensively over the summer to ensure that their input was added to the final version that trustees approved Aug. 28.
“I’ve worked for the district for 15 years. She’s never worked for the district,” he said. “And I’m a substitute teacher. She’s never been a teacher. I’ve been on the inside, and I know all that’s going on.”
Christian said the candidates will have a chance to discuss the issues in public at an upcoming election forum at Making Waves Academy, 4123 Lakeside Drive, on Oct. 3. (The time is still to be determined.)
“I’ll debate her anytime, anywhere,” he said.
Meet incoming Area 3 board member Cinthia Hernandez
Hernandez, a mother who works for the city of Richmond, was the only candidate to file so she will automatically be seated to represent Area 3, which Mister Phillips represented until the district was redrawn, and his seat became part of Area 2. Area 3 includes parts of San Pablo and the Central and North Richmond neighborhoods.
Hernandez is a workforce specialist at the city’s Employment & Training YouthWORKS program. She’s also the mother of a child who she said needed accommodations which WCCUSD couldn’t provide so she withdrew him from the district. An alum herself, she said the decision to remove her child was difficult and motivated her to want to make changes as a trustee.
“If we want things to change in our district, we have to be the change,” Hernandez said. “I’ve seen how our kids are being pushed out of schools for not having the requirements, not having the credits to graduate. I want to make sure our schools are held accountable.”
Hernandez said she will address struggles such as teacher retention and focus more on better salaries and affordable housing for educators.
She also cited the controversy over the LCAP process, saying that’s why a parent should represent Area 3. For example, she wants a family engagement policy that’s clear about how families are told about decisions being made about the district’s funding priorities, and that gives them opportunities to comment at every step. Since her area includes the city of San Pablo, she said that she wants to help build relationships between administrators and families in that community.
“We need to build back trust within the district but also within our families,” Hernandez said.
“Our families are what’s important. We have to educate our parents and teach them to be self advocates. I’ve had to learn to be a self advocate for my son. I’m not a politician, I’m a parent. I’ve gone through the struggles of arguing with admin and having to write official emails. We have to create a community of advocacy.”
The WCCUSD board and district Superintendent Chris Hurst make up the district’s governing team. The WCCUSD includes the cities of El Cerrito, Hercules, Pinole, Richmond and San Pablo, and six unincorporated areas: Bayview-Montalvin Manor, East Richmond Heights, El Sobrante, Kensington, North Richmond and Tara Hills. (Learn more in our guide to how the school board works.)
For more information, follow Richmondside’s schools coverage or visit the WCCUSD school board website.
