The West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) is inviting families, staff, and community members to participate in an online survey and attend a series of town hall meetings next week to discuss what they’re looking for in a superintendent.
The search for a successor to Kenneth “Chris” Hurst, who announced his retirement in December after more than three years in the job, comes at a critical time, with the district facing teacher and staff layoffs, budget cuts, a shortage of credentialed teachers, declining enrollment and a demand to fix aging facilities.
The district said in a press release that the one-hour town halls are, “part of its commitment to ensuring that every voice is heard in the selection of the next superintendent. These town halls are designed to provide multiple opportunities for stakeholders to share their insights on the qualities and priorities they hope to see in the district’s next leader.”
Along with the town halls, the district is conducting an online survey in several languages: English, Spanish and Arabic. The survey will be open through March 3 and can be found on the Superintendent Search website.
The Richmond area in-person meetings will be held Monday at 7:30 p.m. at DeJean Middle School, 3400 Macdonald Ave., Richmond; Helms Middle School, 2500 Road 20, San Pablo; and DeAnza High School, 5000 Valley View Road, Richmond.
On Tuesday, there will be two sessions at DeJean: at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Those can be joined remotely.
On Wednesday there will be two sessions at the Richmond High School library, 1250 23rd St., at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Those can be attended remotely as well.
Answers to your questions about the WCCUSD superintendent search
The district’s superintendent search web page includes an FAQ about the hiring process and timeline. Here are the questions and answers, with minor edits for clarity:
- How does the search process work? The school board is working with Leadership Associates (a California educational consultancy) to conduct a rigorous, nationwide search. The board will seek, receive, consider and review all input from the community, review all candidate applications, interview those candidates determined by the board and select the new superintendent.
- When will the new superintendent be hired? According to the district’s timeline posted, the board is expecting its new superintendent to start work by July 1.
- How and when do parents and other education partners weigh-in? The board will gather input on the characteristics, experience, and skills desired in the next superintendent via an online survey and the town halls.
- When will the district share the collected input with the public? All information gathered will be presented to the board and then compiled, summarized, and incorporated into a position profile description that will be published on the search site.
- Who will make the final selection? By law, the school board is solely responsible for hiring the new superintendent. The board will seek, receive, and consider all input from the community, review all applications, interview those candidates determined by the board, and select the new superintendent.
- How can the public follow this process? Updates regarding the superintendent search process will be posted on the district’s search page. The board will also provide updates at its regularly scheduled board meetings and send out press releases.
- Can we find out who is applying? All application materials, including the names of applicants and any other personally identifiable information, are confidential under law.
