RICHMOND — Grappling with monetary, educational, infrastructure and personnel challenges, West Contra Costa Unified College District trustees appointed Cheryl Cotton because the district’s new superintendent on Wednesday.
A former West Contra Costa Unified College District graduate, principal and district workplace worker, trustees unanimously selected Cotton to exchange Dr. Kenneth Hurst and Dr. Kim Moses.
Hurst introduced his retirement in October 2024 and Moses, the district’s assistant superintendent of enterprise providers, had briefly held the highest place.
“I am happy to welcome Ms. Cotton back to the WCCUSD. Her familiarity with our community and wide-ranging professional experiences will be instrumental in driving student achievement,” Board President Leslie Reckler mentioned in a press release Wednesday.
Cotton has many years of expertise within the schooling subject on the native, county and state stage. For the final 4 years, she served as deputy superintendent of public instruction for the California Division of Training, overseeing the Instruction, Measurement and Administration Department.
She’s additionally labored as deputy superintendent of Human Assets and Labor Relations for the California Division of Training, assistant superintendent of Human Assets for the Contra Costa County Workplace of Training, human sources director for the Albany and West Contra Costa unified college districts, and college principal within the West Contra Costa and San Francisco unified college districts.
Cotton earned a bachelor’s diploma in Social Welfare from the College of California, Berkeley, and a grasp’s in Training from Mills School.
She is now below a three-year contract with West Contra Costa Unified College District. Her beginning wage, not together with different advantages, is $325,000. Her time period begins June 20.
Cotton is the district’s eleventh superintendent and the primary Black lady to completely maintain the place, the district famous.
“I am honored to return to the community that shaped my educational journey and professional path,” Cotton mentioned in a press release. “Together, we will center equity, support student success, and uplift the voices of our families and educators to ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive.”
Cotton’s appointment was celebrated by members of the neighborhood and trustees throughout Wednesday’s assembly.
Karina Soriano-Ponce, a lead college counselor, credited Cotton for giving Soriano-Ponce her first job as an educator within the district and mentioned she seems ahead to Cotton seeing how a lot she’s grown. On behalf of all college counselors, Soriano-Ponce mentioned they sit up for Cotton’s return and the possibility to collaborate on enhancing pupil outcomes.
El Cerrito Mayor Carolyn Wysinger, a long-time supporter of Cotton courting again to Wysinger’s time working within the district, mentioned she was happy to see somebody homegrown chosen as superintendent.
“I could not be more proud,” Wysinger mentioned.
Deciding on somebody who intimately knew the district and its colleges was additionally a high precedence for Board Vice President Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy, he mentioned Wednesday. He lauded Cotton as knowledgeable with a monitor file of deep caring for the neighborhood and familiarity with the district’s strengths and development areas.
“She is someone I know who has high integrity with a proven record of caring about our students, our staff and families. I saw her work incredibly hard to be equity focused and student centered always,” Gonzalez-Hoy mentioned.
Francisco Ortiz, president of United Academics of Richmond which represents educators and different district workers, additionally spoke extremely of Cotton’s character {and professional} method in an interview Thursday.
Having labored with Cotton when she oversaw human sources for the district, Ortiz mentioned Cotton would provoke conferences with workers to listen to out their issues and try to seek out widespread floor. He shared hope Cotton’s expertise within the classroom and as a neighborhood, county and state schooling chief will assist steer the district in the fitting path.
“UTR Welcomes Cheryl as the new superintendent at West Contra Costa. We’re ready to work with her to fully staff our schools, stabilize school campuses and really focus on ongoing successful strategies to recruit and retain our region’s best educators. Our students deserve nothing less,” Ortiz mentioned.
As superintendent, Cotton might be inheriting quite a few points years within the making — fiscal instability, the results of huge finances cuts, trainer and workers shortages, trailing educational performances, shrinking pupil enrollment and capital enchancment wants.
Trustee Jamela Smith-Folds mentioned in a social media publish that Cotton was the overqualified and greatest candidate for the position but in addition cautioned the general public to not place too excessive of expectations on Cotton to avoid wasting the district, a sentiment she additionally expressed throughout the assembly.
“If you try to put a cape on her, I will rip it off and cover her with it like a blanket. If you try to push her over the glass cliff, please know that she is equipped with a parachute,” Smith-Folds mentioned, referring to what she defined is a phenomenon of hiring ladies, typically Black ladies, to management positions throughout a disaster, ostensibly setting them as much as fail.
Earlier than formally voting on Cotton’s appointment, trustees additionally thanked Moses for her work main and guiding the neighborhood by means of difficult choices.
Moses mentioned it was an honor to function interim superintendent and thanked district management for his or her steering and assist. She is going to return to her position overseeing the district’s funds, a place she mentioned she’s wanting to resume.
“I am both proud and grateful to have been selected to lead our district in this interim role,” Moses mentioned. “Our collective work is extremely important to the success of our students and our schools, and I look forward to supporting our new leader in moving our district forward.”
