This story was updated June 12, 2025 to include additional information, including the hiring of a new WCCUSD superintendent.
By learning how your local school district operates you can stay better informed about, or even influence, decisions that impact your community. School board meetings are public by law, meaning you have the opportunity to join the conversation.
Richmond public schools, the county Office of Education and Contra Costa College all are overseen by elected boards known as trustees or school board members.
The WCCUSD’s school board members, who represent various geographical areas, approve the district’s budget, evaluates district schools, and make key personnel hiring or firing decisions, while the superintendent leads the district’s day-to-day operations.
A common refrain among public school parents and students is that they’re too often the last to learn about a school decision that affects them — for example, the cancellation of a beloved program or service due to budget cuts.
How to get the most out of a WCCUSD school board meeting
WHEN: The school board meets twice a month on different days of the week at 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: The multipurpose room at Lovonya DeJean Middle School (3400 Macdonald Ave., Richmond) or on Zoom. Video recordings of meetings are posted on the WCCUSD YouTube channel. You can also find meeting minutes on the district’s site. The public cannot attend closed sessions.
AGENDAS: An agenda is posted on the WCCUSD website three days before the meeting, but if you want to address board members about something that’s not on the agenda, there is time set aside for audience members to make general comments.
The WCCUSD includes El Cerrito, Hercules, Pinole, Richmond, San Pablo, and six unincorporated areas: Bayview-Montalvin Manor, East Richmond Heights, El Sobrante, Kensington, North Richmond and Tara Hills.
Five WCCUSD board members, plus the WCCUSD superintendent, make up the district’s governing team. Board members can serve up to two four-year terms. The district hired its latest superintendent, Cheryl Cotton, on June 4, 2025.
WCCUSD reorganized its elections in 2020, replacing at-large elections with trustee-area voting. Candidates are required to live in the area they represent and are selected by voters within that boundary. The new system resulted from a lawsuit that alleged district-wide elections violated the California Voting Rights Act and were racially polarized.
Meet your WCCUSD school board
You can find a detailed map of the neighborhoods WCCUSD board members represent on the district’s site. The maps are not defined by cities, but by “district areas,” which were most recently updated in 2022.
Jamela Smith-Folds, Area 1
Jamela Smith-Folds ran unopposed and was reelected to her second consecutive term in November 2024. Her area includes Hercules and Pinole and Montalvin. She has worked at Gompers Continuation High School in Richmond and at Hercules High School, according to her campaign website.
Guadalupe Enllana, Area 2
Guadalupe Enllana was elected to her first term in 2024, unseating incumbent Otheree Christian. Area 2 includes the Richmond shoreline north of the bridge and Richmond neighborhoods such as Atchison Village, Coronado and North & East.
Cinthia Hernandez, Area 3
Cinthia Hernandez ran unopposed to be elected to her first term in 2024. She is a workforce specialist with Richmond at the Employment & Training YouthWORKS program.
She was named board clerk in December 2024. The area includes parts of San Pablo and Central and North Richmond neighborhoods.
Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy, Area 4
Demetrio Gonzalez Hoy’s second consecutive term ends in 2026. His area is geographically large (though the populations of each WCCUSD area are similar). It includes Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, El Sobrante and Hilltop Village and May Valley in Richmond.
Gonzalez-Hoy is the union representative for the California Teachers Association (CTA) and has taught in the district.
Leslie Reckler, Area 5
Leslie Reckler’s second consecutive term ends in 2026. Her area includes El Cerrito and Kensington as well as a few Richmond neighborhoods such as East Richmond Heights, Richmond Annex and Point Richmond.
She was named board president in December 2024.
Student representation on the board
In California, many school boards also have student representatives. It’s legally required for districts to create these roles if students petition for them. WCCUSD’s student trustees are elected from the All Student Congress. Luke Wilson and Jorge Espinoza joined the school board in January 2025.
Contra Costa county board of education, Contra Costa College school board
The Contra Costa County Office of Education board holds its regular meetings on the second Wednesday of the month but schedules special meetings on other Wednesday nights. The board meets at 5 p.m. (unless otherwise noted) for regularly scheduled meetings in the board room of The Ronald L. Stewart Center, Contra Costa County Office of Education, 77 Santa Barbara Road, in Pleasant Hill. Visit their calendar for the most current meeting information and agendas — usually posted a few days in advance. The office works with district superintendents to provide support and services, serves vulnerable students directly and makes decisions regarding the county’s charter schools.
The Contra Costa Community College governing board typically meets the second Wednesday of the month at 500 Court St., in Martinez. Most meetings start with a closed session at 5 p.m., followed by a public session at 6 p.m. Visit the Contra Costa College board calendar for the most current meeting information and for the agenda, which is posted a couple of days before the meeting. The board also posts all of its past meeting agendas and recordings of meetings here. The governing board discusses actions related to Contra Costa College, Diablo Valley College and Los Medanos College.
Richmondside Education Reporter Jana Kadah contributed to this report.
We have 3 school board re-elections in November (District #1, District #2 and District #3 Anyone interested in running for school board leadership (now is the time). WE NEED NEW LEADERSHIP to help us put the students and parents needs first.
So the good news is:
Anyone can apply through the elections office from July 15th- August 9th to run for school board trustee.
COMPLETE GUIDE ON LINE.
Thanks for printing this information. I never thought much about the school board and other down ballot elected offices until l became acquainted with Emerge, a nonprofit organization that trains Democratic women to run for office. Our local elections are very important please continue to highlight articles like these. Thank you Richmondside.
Hey Lea, Thank you so much for commenting! I’m currently working on a story covering the filing period for new candidates for both the school board and water district. I would love to get in touch and hear your thoughts. My email is david@richmondside.org.
The current school board has done a poor job of balancing the budget and innovating education. They have focused more on playing politics, attacking other board members, and targeting a well-respected principal at Pinole High. I sincerely hope that someone with basic dignity will run against the current board members, especially Jamela Smith-Folds. I’m looking forward to seeing new candidates in this race.