Update: This story was updated to clarify that the district filled most of its classroom teacher vacancies with substitutes versus hiring permanent employees.
The sound of zipping backpacks, the scent of playground balls on the blacktop, and the buzz of excited chatter filled Richmond classrooms this week as students returned to school.
As classes began on Tuesday, the West Contra Costa Unified School District says it is starting the academic year having made progress on some of its challenges: Its newly hired superintendent has a 100-day plan to improve communication; it has implemented new education programs; some long-awaited campus construction projects are breaking ground; and it filled many of its open positions.
“We’ve been doing a lot of preparation up until this point with no kids. Now the kids are here, the teachers are back. It’s real,” Superintendent Cheryl Cotton told Richmondside. “And I’m really excited.”
One of Cotton’s first stops on the first day of school was Richmond High School where she observed a new career technical class called Education Pathways. The class, the only of its kind in the district, helps prepare students for a teaching career— the kind of career nurturing program that WCCUSD needs given its challenges recruiting and retaining credentialed teachers.
“My goal is moving the needle,” Cotton told Richmondside. “We’re in a place where we’re building community, where things are settled. And so the next step is, how do we translate that into making a difference for our kids in terms of not just their performance in school, but also their comfort in school, for their joy of learning — all of those things to get them ready for college, career and life.”
Richmond High School principal Rocio Reyes said the first-day energy was thrilling. For the last time, students started their year entering through the main office on 23rd Street — an entrance that will change once the school’s $280 million remodeling project kicks off later this school year.
The front office was filled with students picking up their schedules. Freshmen timidly wandered the halls. And in classrooms, teachers had a number of activities set up for students to get to know each other.
“We worked really hard with our teachers so that they were creating community, creating a tone of like, here are expectations, but also here’s how we’re going to support you and it’s going to be a great year,” Reyes told Richmondside. “There’s a lot of positive energy inside, a lot of confident teachers, a lot of excitement.”
Reyes said there are a number of new faces on staff, including seven new teachers. The high school has just one vacancy, currently covered by a substitute pursuing a fulltime certification.
While the district touts the fact that it has filled most of the 123 teacher vacancies that it had at the end of last school year, the teachers’ union points out that it’s relying on long-term substitutes, a bone of contention among parents and community members who say those substitutes often lack the proper credentials. (The district last year defeated a lawsuit filed by community members seeking to stop this practice, with the judge saying she couldn’t force teachers to work here.)
Technically there are still 72 vacancies at the school district that are not filled by a permanent or credentialed educator. However, with the use of long term substitutes, there are two vacancies at the elementary level, five at the middle/high school level, and six vacancies in special education, according to the school district.
Anecdotally, it also appears that enrollment may be up at WCCUSD too, officials told Richmondside.
Raechelle Forrest, WCCUSD communications director, said the teachers and principals at a number of schools, including Richmond High, De Anza High School and Pinole Middle School, said the halls seem fuller.
It would be a welcome increase, as WCCUSD has struggled financially in part because enrollment numbers have continued to decrease. If enrollment was to increase by 3%, the district would have enough money to avoid making additional budget cuts.
Enrollment and attendance numbers are still under review and should be available in early September, Forrest said.
Stege pupils enjoy new playground, coloring and ‘having a boy teacher’
The same electric energy filled the halls of elementary schools across the district. At Stege’s temporary campus, located for the second year at Lovonya DeJean Middle School, children’s laughter could be heard from outside the fence.
During recess, younger students were seen climbing the new playground, sitting on the tables recently added for them or playing with rubber balls across the blacktop.
“I got to stand here as you see the kids just run to play and there is no greater compliment or joy than seeing those things and just knowing that this is their home and their space,” WCCUSD Director of Contracts Administration Melissa Payne told Richmondside, pointing to the improvements made for the young pupils.
Third-grader Ramani said his favorite part of the day was playing on the playground.
“I was climbing but the best part was the bars because you can do flips,” Ramani said, jumping around with excitement. “(The first day) was good. I was nervous because I had a boy teacher and I never had a boy teacher in my life…but I like it.”
Second-grader Cynialah Guyton said her favorite part of the day was coloring.
“We colored in class our partner’s favorite things so we get to know them,” Guyton said. “His favorite color was dark green, his favorite food was spaghetti and his favorite show was Sonic.”
Guyton’s mother, Tyffanie Guyton, said she is eager and hopeful for the future of Stege students because changes are finally underway at their home campus.
“I think with the school being demolished, it gives a lot more hope. People are expecting something from this experience and we know we won’t be here forever and stuff like that,” Tyffanie Guyton said. “It feels a lot better knowing that we have a new school coming, and we got more new kids and new teachers.”
Brian Vifian, Cynialah’s teacher, said he was happy to see what appear to be more students in the halls and that the school received additional funding from the school district.
The additional dollars were used to hire more teaching assistants for grades four through six. The school also hired a fulltime art teacher who will spend a month or so with each classroom.
Vifian also highlighted a new structured physical education program as well as a nutrition program.
“About once a week, (the nutrition teacher) does a presentation, brings some food for the students to eat,” Vifian said. “The kids get a chance to learn about where their food comes from, about what aspects of the food are nutritious and how to fix their body.”
Vifian, who started teaching last year, said the district is spending its funds wisely at Stege and the improvements are tangible.
Room for improvement
Despite some of the progress the district notes it’s making, there is room for improvement, parents and students told Richmondside.
Parent Astha Nepal, who dropped off her transitional kindergarten-age daughter for her first day of school, said she didn’t feel safe at the Lovonya DeJean campus.
“There was no sign-in sheet, they didn’t ask for a signature, I didn’t meet the teacher,” Nepal told Richmondside. “You just leave your kid, and they are little kids. Any adult could take them.”
She said she doesn’t think she will bring her daughter back for those reasons, but also because the campus is too far from her house. (It’s about 1.5 miles from the Stege campus.)
At Richmond High, students said they are hopeful to see physical changes being made to their campus. Senior Ashley Balanzar said most of her peers feel like their school is always the one left behind.
“I want to see how it looks after (construction) is done because our building is really old, we have no windows,” Balanzar told Richmondside after her first day. “It won’t really impact me, but I am happy it’s happening.”
