October 1, 2024—Richmondside reporter Natalie Hanson spoke with Public Advocates’ Staff Attorney Karissa Provenza regarding the recent resignation of West Contra Costa Unified School District’s superintendent. Kim Moses, West Contra Costa Unified School District’s associate superintendent of business services, will take over (as the district’s interim superintendent) in December from Superintendent Chris Hurst, who announced his resignation Monday.
Amidst that, the district was hit by a civil rights lawsuit filed in July on behalf of parents and students at several school sites, including Stege Elementary and Kennedy High School in Richmond and Helms Middle School in San Pablo.
The lead attorney representing parents in the lawsuit, Karissa Provenza, said of Hurst’s resignation: “The district has consistently failed to meet its obligations to provide permanent and qualified teachers, maintain safe and healthy school facilities, and engage parents authentically in the LCAP process. The sudden departure of the superintendent halfway through the school year is highly concerning. There are currently too many ineffective or neglected practices and too little accountability surrounding significant issues within this district.”
