The WCCUSD school board held a special meeting Tuesday to appoint Associate Superintendent of Business Services Kim Moses as interim superintendent. Superintendent Chris Hurst announced his resignation in a video post on Monday.
After holding a closed session, the school board voted 4-0, with trustee Mister Phillips absent, in favor of appointing Moses to take over from Hurst starting Dec. 18. Moses also is the West Contra Costa Unified School District’s chief business officer. The district will begin searching for a permanent superintendent later this year.
“I am honored and humbled to serve in this interim role,” Moses said in a press release. “I want to thank the Board of Education for this opportunity to serve the students, families, and staff of WCCUSD in this leadership capacity. I have great respect for Superintendent Hurst and appreciate his confidence in me to continue the work we’ve started together. As a former PK-12 student in Richmond schools and an administrator in this district for 18 years, I have a deep understanding of both the challenges and the successes within our system. I look forward to working with our staff, labor partners, and the community to support our schools and our students during this transition.”
Hurst said he is leaving the school district in December for personal family reasons. The district, established in 1965, serves the cities of El Cerrito, Richmond, San Pablo, Pinole, and Hercules and the unincorporated areas of Bayview-Montalvin Manor, East Richmond Heights, El Sobrante, Kensington, North Richmond, and Tara Hills.
Hurst, who has been with the district since May of 2021, said in the video that his mother-in-law is facing “serious health challenges,” and that he and his wife will be relocating to live closer to her. The statement was posted just hours after Hurst attended the “State of Our District” breakfast event Monday morning.
“Family is my top priority at this time. I must focus on being there for my loved ones,” Hurst said.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Moses was a teacher in Oakland for 12 years before becoming an administrator at several Richmond schools. She has been with WCCUSD for more than 17 years and has been associate superintendent since July of 2023.
In it press release, the district said: “Moses has a distinguished educational background, holding a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis on education and a master’s degree in urban educational leadership, both from UC Berkeley. She earned her doctoral degree in educational leadership from East Carolina University. Over the course of her career, she has served as a teacher in Oakland Unified School District for 12 years before moving into administrative roles in WCCUSD, including serving as vice principal at Nystrom Elementary School and principal at Wilson Elementary School (now Michelle Obama Elementary School)…
“Under her leadership, the district was able to reach a healthy fiscal status, moving from a high-risk district to a low-risk district this year.”
Parents, teachers critique Hurst and district over school closure, staffing
His departure comes after several challenging months for the district, which failed to pass its 2024-25 budget on time due to strife surrounding its local accountability plan, an in-depth blueprint for how the district serves its most at-risk students.
Amidst that, the district was hit by a civil rights lawsuit filed in July on behalf of parents and students at several school sites, including Stege Elementary and Kennedy High School in Richmond and Helms Middle School in San Pablo.
The lead attorney representing parents in the lawsuit, Karissa Provenza, said of Hurst’s resignation: “The district has consistently failed to meet its obligations to provide permanent and qualified teachers, maintain safe and healthy school facilities, and engage parents authentically in the LCAP process. The sudden departure of the superintendent halfway through the school year is highly concerning. There are currently too many ineffective or neglected practices and too little accountability surrounding significant issues within this district.”
Stephanie Sequeira, mother of a child in elementary school, vice-chair of the district’s LCAP parent committee and co-chair of the Multilingual District Advisory Committee, said she hopes the district takes advantage of this opportunity to put someone in the position who can accomplish what Hurst did not.
“While I recognize the potential for new leadership, I also have some concerns,” Sequeira said. “The previous leader faced significant challenges in fostering trust within the broader community, and we did not see meaningful improvements for our most underserved students. I sincerely hope that the Board will initiate a comprehensive search for our next leader, one that extends beyond our current internal candidates, as I believe we need someone capable of guiding our district towards transformational change.”
Soon after the civil rights lawsuit was filed, the district shocked parents by announcing that Stege would be indefinitely closed and its students relocated to DeJean Middle School.
Hurst was at the center of parents’ frustration over the school’s closure, which happened after workers found asbestos and lead while repairing windows there. Parents, who said they had tried for years to get the district to fix problems at the school, demanded answers from Hurst about whether their children could have been exposed to dangerous environmental hazards — questions they say still haven’t been fully answered.
At last week’s board meeting, the school community continued voicing concerns, with parents and teachers decrying what they see as a “staffing crisis” at multiple local schools.
About five teachers came forward during public comment to express their frustration. Educators described how heavy reliance on long-term substitutes hurts students and creates an unstable environment, placing the students at a disadvantage. A couple of counselors spoke, saying that some schools, such as Pinole Middle School, have too many students and too few teachers and cannot offer core classes such as English literature.
Hurst said in the video that he is proud of what WCCUSD accomplished during his tenure and said that he will help with the transition to a new district leader.
“The district is in a strong place with a clear vision for the future,” Hurst said. “I’m confident that our leadership, teachers and staff, will continue to carry forth the important work we’ve started in ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed.”
Hurst was commended for his leadership and dedication by school board President Jamela Smith-Folds, who was quoted in a press release sent out by the district Monday.
“His commitment to anti-racism has left a lasting legacy. While we are saddened to see him retire, we fully support his decision to prioritize his family at this time,” Smith-Folds said.
Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy, trustee for Area 4, said Tuesday that the board learned about Hurst’s decision to retire last week.
“I am saddened by his departure as I have found the superintendent to be an ethical and responsible individual,” Gonzalez-Hoy said. “I understand why he has made this decision as it is difficult to push a system that has been historically oppressed and pushed back leaders who want to create an anti-racist culture.”
The district said in a press release that Hurst led significant initiatives, including the district’s equity audit and the creation of 24 Career Technical Education pathways.
