February 9, 2024—The Mercury News and East Bay Times’ Katie Lauer attends the February West Contra Costa Unified School District meeting and speaks with Public Advocates’ Law Fellow Karissa Provenza, complainant and educator Sam Cleare, and educator Raka Ray on the three Williams complaints Public Advocates filed against the WCCUSD earlier this month. The complaints highlight the disproportionate number of teacher vacancies the school district has, and how the school district is currently filling these vacancies illegally—with rolling substitutes, or having current permanent educators fill classes during their free prep time. These vacancies affect both students, many of whom are low-income, non-white and multilingual learners, as well as educators, who face a “statewide epidemic of burnout”.
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Mercury News: Lack of teachers at three Contra Costa County schools is violating students’ civil rights, attorneys say
