February 1, 2024 – EdSource’s Monica Velez covers Public Advocate’s filing of three Williams complaints against the West Contra Costa Unified School District, highlighting that the district has a uniquely high teacher vacancy rate compared to surrounding school districts, and the detrimental effects that teacher vacancies—left unfilled by the district, which is opting to use substitute teachers illegally instead—have on its students, including low-income, Black, and English learner students.
“Beyond the emergency fixes, the district and the state need to boldly invest in sustainable solutions to attract and retain teachers from within the community who reflect the diverse backgrounds of their students,” [Karissa Provenza, a law fellow at Public Advocates] added.
