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"content": "\u003cp>With the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073306/sfusd-teachers-strike-no-end-in-sight-health-care-battle\">San Francisco teachers strike\u003c/a> in its fourth day, a look across the bay to Contra Costa County could offer a glimpse at the future for the financially struggling district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Educators want the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-unified-school-district\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a> to step up its wage offer and fully fund family health care. And if the city’s last teachers strike in 1979 is any indication, the longer negotiations drag on, the more likely it is that the district will have to make significant concessions on the union’s demands to reach a deal and reopen schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But SFUSD said it’s facing dire fiscal constraints, and with budget planning for next year looming, Superintendent Maria Su has indicated that spending more on the teachers union contract could force the district to make deeper cuts than it already planned to this spring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every single time we increase on one side, we have to decrease on the other side,” she told reporters on Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s already playing out in Contra Costa County, where educators were granted similar contract demands — including 8% raises over two years and a plan to fully fund health care benefits by 2028 — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066588/west-contra-costa-teachers-agree-to-end-strike-and-return-to-class-after-a-week\">after a four-day strike\u003c/a> in December.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In community meetings last month, the West Contra Costa County Unified School District laid out bleak plans to slash 10% of its workforce and consider merging schools, blaming in part the cost of the new contract agreements: an estimated $106 million more than planned over the next three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12067253\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12067253\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Valerie Aquino and other students from Richmond’s John F. Kennedy High School stage a walkout and marched to the West Contra Costa Unified School District Offices to protest impending layoffs as part of cuts to the district’s budget in Richmond on March 12, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The community has lifted up and said, ‘We support our teachers. We want them to have everything that they want,’” Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said at a district committee meeting last month, the \u003ca href=\"https://richmondside.org/2026/01/16/wccusd-considers-layoffs-and-60-million-budget-cut-to-cover-raises/\">\u003cem>Richmondside \u003c/em>reported\u003c/a>. “This is what this looks like.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Associate Superintendent of Business Services Jeff Carter said the district planned to empty a “rainy day fund” — which includes reserve money beyond the state’s mandated amount — of about $28 million and borrow an additional $13 million a year from a pool of money it invests to pay for retiree health care benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After that, Carter said the district would still need to come up with about $60 million in reductions over three years through staffing and program reductions, including “rethinking” its kindergarten through eighth-grade school model, considering merging middle schools with fewer than 400 students, and realigning staffing to minimum required levels by closing vacant positions, not re-filling positions left empty through retirement, and potentially laying off workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>California is an expensive place to live. Are you feeling the pinch? \u003ca href=\"#Shareyourstory\">Share your story\u003c/a> with KQED by leaving us a voicemail at \u003ca href=\"tel:4155532115\">415-553-2115\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5v6Atf-zIWjJr8ZXgyOmDSRVu2kSdv4_RdPTIWLdBmnVoXg/viewform?usp=header\">clicking here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Carter said West Contra Costa Unified is also considering cutting 10% of educators, school support roles, administrators and district central office staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are choices that we have to make in order to meet the obligations that we are stepping into and agreeing to,” Cotton said. “My job is to come up with solutions to this deficit. The board is what makes the decisions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Unified has previously warned that it needs to cut more than $100 million from its ongoing expenditures for the second year in a row this spring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073226\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-SFUSDSTRIKEOCEANBEACH-04-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073226\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-SFUSDSTRIKEOCEANBEACH-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-SFUSDSTRIKEOCEANBEACH-04-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-SFUSDSTRIKEOCEANBEACH-04-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-SFUSDSTRIKEOCEANBEACH-04-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Striking San Francisco Unified School District employees form the words “For Our Students Strike” at Ocean Beach in San Francisco on Feb. 11, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last year’s reductions included hundreds of early retirement buyouts, a strict staffing model and administrative cuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In November, the district took steps to reopen a conversation around possible \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064746/sf-school-board-could-put-school-closures-back-on-the-table\">school closures\u003c/a>, more than a year after it shelved its botched plan to shutter or merge more than a dozen campuses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of those reductions were based on the district’s budget predictions without accounting for additional raises and benefit costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1NNSxZPaiw4Qq7REJ0BNlldBl0qDEOHDV\">report from a neutral panel\u003c/a> earlier this month found that the union’s proposal to fully fund health care for families with two dependents would cost the district $14 million a year. Transitioning from a caseload to a workload model for special education staff would cost $11 million annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report also suggested that fully funded health care could be covered for the next three years through existing parcel tax funding, though that tax expires after three years.[aside postID=news_12072028 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/20260209_SFUSDSTRIKE_GC-9-KQED.jpg']When asked on Wednesday if San Francisco could end up in a position similar to West Contra Costa with added contract costs, Su said, “That’s the reality of where we are at.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, United Educators of San Francisco said the district can afford to cover the union’s demands without making additional cuts. It pointed to a large “fund balance,” which is made up of money that the district has left over at the end of a budget year — usually because it brought in more revenue than expected. At the end of the 2024-2025 school year, that \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfusd.edu/information-employees/labor-relations/negotiations-updates/status-sfusd-negotiations-uesf\">balance \u003c/a>was almost $430 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December, the district set aside a financial reserve of about $110 million as a rainy-day fund, money that could — and, it argues, should — be spent now. California requires districts to maintain a reserve equivalent to 2% of their general fund, which for SFUSD would equal about $28 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district said both the reserve and any existing fund balance should not be used for ongoing expenses like salaries and health care costs, since they represent one-time funding, but the union has argued that funding available today should be used for today’s students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a tale as old as time,” Curiel said, when asked about the possibility of cuts after a new contract deal is reached.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said that districts often project a budget deficit and end up with a surplus by the end of the budget year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And then suddenly they’ve got $400 million in reserve,” Curiel said. “Today’s dollars are in that account, and they need to be spent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"Shareyourstory\">\u003c/a>California is expensive. Share your story of how you get by\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5v6Atf-zIWjJr8ZXgyOmDSRVu2kSdv4_RdPTIWLdBmnVoXg/viewform?usp=header\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every single time we increase on one side, we have to decrease on the other side,” she told reporters on Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s already playing out in Contra Costa County, where educators were granted similar contract demands — including 8% raises over two years and a plan to fully fund health care benefits by 2028 — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066588/west-contra-costa-teachers-agree-to-end-strike-and-return-to-class-after-a-week\">after a four-day strike\u003c/a> in December.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In community meetings last month, the West Contra Costa County Unified School District laid out bleak plans to slash 10% of its workforce and consider merging schools, blaming in part the cost of the new contract agreements: an estimated $106 million more than planned over the next three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12067253\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12067253\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Valerie Aquino and other students from Richmond’s John F. Kennedy High School stage a walkout and marched to the West Contra Costa Unified School District Offices to protest impending layoffs as part of cuts to the district’s budget in Richmond on March 12, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The community has lifted up and said, ‘We support our teachers. We want them to have everything that they want,’” Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said at a district committee meeting last month, the \u003ca href=\"https://richmondside.org/2026/01/16/wccusd-considers-layoffs-and-60-million-budget-cut-to-cover-raises/\">\u003cem>Richmondside \u003c/em>reported\u003c/a>. “This is what this looks like.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Associate Superintendent of Business Services Jeff Carter said the district planned to empty a “rainy day fund” — which includes reserve money beyond the state’s mandated amount — of about $28 million and borrow an additional $13 million a year from a pool of money it invests to pay for retiree health care benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After that, Carter said the district would still need to come up with about $60 million in reductions over three years through staffing and program reductions, including “rethinking” its kindergarten through eighth-grade school model, considering merging middle schools with fewer than 400 students, and realigning staffing to minimum required levels by closing vacant positions, not re-filling positions left empty through retirement, and potentially laying off workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>California is an expensive place to live. Are you feeling the pinch? \u003ca href=\"#Shareyourstory\">Share your story\u003c/a> with KQED by leaving us a voicemail at \u003ca href=\"tel:4155532115\">415-553-2115\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5v6Atf-zIWjJr8ZXgyOmDSRVu2kSdv4_RdPTIWLdBmnVoXg/viewform?usp=header\">clicking here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Carter said West Contra Costa Unified is also considering cutting 10% of educators, school support roles, administrators and district central office staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are choices that we have to make in order to meet the obligations that we are stepping into and agreeing to,” Cotton said. “My job is to come up with solutions to this deficit. The board is what makes the decisions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Unified has previously warned that it needs to cut more than $100 million from its ongoing expenditures for the second year in a row this spring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073226\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-SFUSDSTRIKEOCEANBEACH-04-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073226\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-SFUSDSTRIKEOCEANBEACH-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-SFUSDSTRIKEOCEANBEACH-04-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-SFUSDSTRIKEOCEANBEACH-04-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-SFUSDSTRIKEOCEANBEACH-04-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Striking San Francisco Unified School District employees form the words “For Our Students Strike” at Ocean Beach in San Francisco on Feb. 11, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last year’s reductions included hundreds of early retirement buyouts, a strict staffing model and administrative cuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In November, the district took steps to reopen a conversation around possible \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064746/sf-school-board-could-put-school-closures-back-on-the-table\">school closures\u003c/a>, more than a year after it shelved its botched plan to shutter or merge more than a dozen campuses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of those reductions were based on the district’s budget predictions without accounting for additional raises and benefit costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1NNSxZPaiw4Qq7REJ0BNlldBl0qDEOHDV\">report from a neutral panel\u003c/a> earlier this month found that the union’s proposal to fully fund health care for families with two dependents would cost the district $14 million a year. Transitioning from a caseload to a workload model for special education staff would cost $11 million annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report also suggested that fully funded health care could be covered for the next three years through existing parcel tax funding, though that tax expires after three years.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>When asked on Wednesday if San Francisco could end up in a position similar to West Contra Costa with added contract costs, Su said, “That’s the reality of where we are at.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, United Educators of San Francisco said the district can afford to cover the union’s demands without making additional cuts. It pointed to a large “fund balance,” which is made up of money that the district has left over at the end of a budget year — usually because it brought in more revenue than expected. At the end of the 2024-2025 school year, that \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfusd.edu/information-employees/labor-relations/negotiations-updates/status-sfusd-negotiations-uesf\">balance \u003c/a>was almost $430 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December, the district set aside a financial reserve of about $110 million as a rainy-day fund, money that could — and, it argues, should — be spent now. California requires districts to maintain a reserve equivalent to 2% of their general fund, which for SFUSD would equal about $28 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district said both the reserve and any existing fund balance should not be used for ongoing expenses like salaries and health care costs, since they represent one-time funding, but the union has argued that funding available today should be used for today’s students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a tale as old as time,” Curiel said, when asked about the possibility of cuts after a new contract deal is reached.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said that districts often project a budget deficit and end up with a surplus by the end of the budget year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And then suddenly they’ve got $400 million in reserve,” Curiel said. “Today’s dollars are in that account, and they need to be spent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"Shareyourstory\">\u003c/a>California is expensive. Share your story of how you get by\u003c/h2>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cdiv class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__shortcodes__shortcodeWrapper'>\n \u003ciframe\n src='https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5v6Atf-zIWjJr8ZXgyOmDSRVu2kSdv4_RdPTIWLdBmnVoXg/viewform?usp=header?embedded=true'\n title='https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5v6Atf-zIWjJr8ZXgyOmDSRVu2kSdv4_RdPTIWLdBmnVoXg/viewform?usp=header'\n width='760' height='500'\n frameborder='0'\n marginheight='0' marginwidth='0'>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/div>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/west-contra-costa-unified-school-district\">West Contra Costa County teachers\u003c/a> agreed to end their \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066054/after-west-contra-costa-teachers-launch-strike-both-sides-will-return-to-the-table\">first-ever strike\u003c/a> early Wednesday, after reaching a tentative contract agreement with the school district overnight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Educators will return to regular classroom instruction on Thursday, a week after they first walked off the job, according to the United Teachers of Richmond and the school district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our fight for stability and respect was not easy and is not over. But make no mistake, our historic strike has broken a vicious cycle of neglect and disinvestment,” union president Francisco Ortiz said in a statement. “We are committed now, more than ever, to improving learning conditions for our students, because when they thrive, our communities thrive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two-year agreement includes 8% raises over that period for all members, and additional wage increases for special education teachers. The West Contra Costa Unified School District will offer a 100% employer-paid family health care benefit by June 2027 and commit to other provisions that improve classroom conditions and protect international teachers from the threat of changing immigration regulations, such as new high price tags for H-1B visas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tentative agreement, which the district said is framed around a proposal from the school board, still needs to be ratified by the union and formally ratified by the board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066306\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066306\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00410_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00410_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00410_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00410_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">West Contra Costa Unified School District teachers and families play with a parachute as children run under during a strike rally at Marina Bay Park in Richmond on December 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This contract is a strong foundation for us to continue to build the learning environments our students deserve,” said Gabrielle Micheletti, union vice president and co-bargaining chair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ortiz told KQED that the union was “encouraged and excited” that the board was aligning with their vision for district schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UTR and the school district \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065732/west-contra-costa-teachers-are-set-to-strike-across-the-bay-area-more-could-follow\">began negotiating for a contract\u003c/a> to span the current and next school year eight months ago. Over more than a dozen bargaining sessions, the parties failed to reach a consensus on wages and health care coverage, among other issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union’s initial ask was a 10% raise over two years and full benefit coverage, while the district’s final offer came out to just a 3% salary increase during that time and some additional benefit coverage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WCCUSD said it made that offer despite a budget shortfall. The union said it could, and must, offer more, prompting the work stoppage that began last week.[aside postID=news_12066401 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00616_TV-KQED.jpg']The strike disrupted instruction across WCCUSD’s 56 schools as many families kept their students home. On the first day of the strike, more than 1,300 of the district’s 28,000 students registered for an independent study curriculum they could complete for attendance credit as an alternative to coming in person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the first two days of the strike, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066401/west-contra-costa-teachers-strike-continues-as-support-staff-return-to-work\">teachers were joined\u003c/a> by 1,400 district custodians, food service workers and bus drivers represented by Teamsters Local 856, who had also been in unfruitful contract negotiations with the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They reached a tentative agreement on a three-year contract over the weekend, allowing some school operations to resume on Monday, but classroom interruptions continued through the start of this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout the strike, Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said that schools would “provide safe and supportive classrooms and learning activities” and continue to provide meals for students. She noted, though, that it would not feel like normal days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Ortiz said on the picket lines, the union received strong support from families and elected leaders. State Superintendent Tony Thurmond urged the parties to return to the negotiating table Sunday, offering to convene bargaining teams the following day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They see our students go disinvested in for far too long, and they know that change is necessary,” Ortiz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066311\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066311\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01296_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01296_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01296_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01296_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Francisco Ortiz speaks at a rally during the West Contra Costa United School District rally at Marina Bay Park in Richmond on Dec. 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He said the union will continue to push for smaller class sizes and improvements to special education programs in the future. According to Ortiz, the district’s special education director and superintendent were not present in bargaining sessions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know that that’s a bigger fight ahead for special education, when we have leadership that is actually engaged in these processes,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since bargaining continued past 2 a.m., Wednesday, the day will be an optional classroom preparation day for teachers before classes resume on Thursday. Schools will remain open, as they have throughout the strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are relieved that the strike is over and our students and teachers will be reunited,” the district said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/aaliahmad\">\u003cem>Ayah Ali-Ahmad\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two-year agreement includes 8% raises over that period for all members, and additional wage increases for special education teachers. The West Contra Costa Unified School District will offer a 100% employer-paid family health care benefit by June 2027 and commit to other provisions that improve classroom conditions and protect international teachers from the threat of changing immigration regulations, such as new high price tags for H-1B visas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tentative agreement, which the district said is framed around a proposal from the school board, still needs to be ratified by the union and formally ratified by the board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066306\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066306\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00410_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00410_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00410_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00410_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">West Contra Costa Unified School District teachers and families play with a parachute as children run under during a strike rally at Marina Bay Park in Richmond on December 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This contract is a strong foundation for us to continue to build the learning environments our students deserve,” said Gabrielle Micheletti, union vice president and co-bargaining chair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ortiz told KQED that the union was “encouraged and excited” that the board was aligning with their vision for district schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UTR and the school district \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065732/west-contra-costa-teachers-are-set-to-strike-across-the-bay-area-more-could-follow\">began negotiating for a contract\u003c/a> to span the current and next school year eight months ago. Over more than a dozen bargaining sessions, the parties failed to reach a consensus on wages and health care coverage, among other issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union’s initial ask was a 10% raise over two years and full benefit coverage, while the district’s final offer came out to just a 3% salary increase during that time and some additional benefit coverage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WCCUSD said it made that offer despite a budget shortfall. The union said it could, and must, offer more, prompting the work stoppage that began last week.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The strike disrupted instruction across WCCUSD’s 56 schools as many families kept their students home. On the first day of the strike, more than 1,300 of the district’s 28,000 students registered for an independent study curriculum they could complete for attendance credit as an alternative to coming in person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the first two days of the strike, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066401/west-contra-costa-teachers-strike-continues-as-support-staff-return-to-work\">teachers were joined\u003c/a> by 1,400 district custodians, food service workers and bus drivers represented by Teamsters Local 856, who had also been in unfruitful contract negotiations with the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They reached a tentative agreement on a three-year contract over the weekend, allowing some school operations to resume on Monday, but classroom interruptions continued through the start of this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout the strike, Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said that schools would “provide safe and supportive classrooms and learning activities” and continue to provide meals for students. She noted, though, that it would not feel like normal days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Ortiz said on the picket lines, the union received strong support from families and elected leaders. State Superintendent Tony Thurmond urged the parties to return to the negotiating table Sunday, offering to convene bargaining teams the following day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They see our students go disinvested in for far too long, and they know that change is necessary,” Ortiz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066311\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066311\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01296_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01296_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01296_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01296_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Francisco Ortiz speaks at a rally during the West Contra Costa United School District rally at Marina Bay Park in Richmond on Dec. 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He said the union will continue to push for smaller class sizes and improvements to special education programs in the future. According to Ortiz, the district’s special education director and superintendent were not present in bargaining sessions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know that that’s a bigger fight ahead for special education, when we have leadership that is actually engaged in these processes,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since bargaining continued past 2 a.m., Wednesday, the day will be an optional classroom preparation day for teachers before classes resume on Thursday. Schools will remain open, as they have throughout the strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are relieved that the strike is over and our students and teachers will be reunited,” the district said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/aaliahmad\">\u003cem>Ayah Ali-Ahmad\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Teachers in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/west-contra-costa-unified-school-district\">West Contra Costa Unified School District\u003c/a> entered their third day of a strike on Monday, with some maintenance and service workers returning to work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While teachers rallied at the Richmond Civic Center, calling for higher wages, smaller class sizes and better benefit coverage, the union representing custodians, food service workers and bus drivers reached a tentative agreement with the district over the weekend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The split marked a significant development in the 10-month-long labor dispute simmering in the district’s 56 school sites. Teamsters Local 856 \u003ca href=\"https://teamsters856.org/wccusd/\">announced\u003c/a> Sunday evening that they had secured a three-year contract that includes a 3% retroactive raise for 2025, a 4% raise for 2026, and fully paid medical benefits starting in January 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With support staff back on the job, some school operations resumed Monday, even as instruction remained disrupted by the absence of the United Teachers of Richmond, which represents roughly 1,500 educators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the community rally, Christina Baronian, a teacher at Lake Elementary and a member of the bargaining team, told the crowd that UTR worked late into Saturday night to provide a comprehensive counterproposal, only to be met with silence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We should be back in our classrooms right now,” Baronian said. “But because the district decided that they didn’t need to show up yesterday and continue negotiating with us, here we are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066308\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066308\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00960_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00960_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00960_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00960_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">West Contra Costa Unified School District teachers and families continue their strike at Marina Bay Park in Richmond on Dec. 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In particular, staff expressed frustrations over the timeline of negotiations, with both sides offering conflicting narratives about the schedule. In a statement issued Monday morning, UTR leadership claimed they were notified that the district was “refusing to return to the bargaining table until sometime next week.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The District’s lack of urgency and refusal to bargain in good faith is the wrong message to send to our community,” the union said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, WCCUSD officials said the district had explicitly invited the union to continue negotiations on Dec. 9.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The District’s fiscal team, with the assistance of statewide fiscal experts, are thoroughly yet promptly evaluating the counterproposal,” the district said in a statement. “We are making some progress toward resolution and hope to return to regular school operations this week.”[aside postID=news_12066054 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01085_TV-KQED.jpg']The district has argued it is facing tight budget constraints and must ensure it can meet long-term financial obligations while maintaining core services. But the union said the district can afford its ask.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Richmond’s Civic Center, educators and students spoke passionately about the daily realities of the classroom, describing a “staffing crisis” caused by low retention. They argued this has resulted in overcrowded classes, a reliance on long-term substitutes and poor facilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Students described having to sometimes sit on classroom floors due to a lack of desks or endure classrooms that are freezing cold or overheating due to crumbling infrastructure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re here one more day because the district has failed to provide our teachers with an offer that respects their work,” said Sasha Hahn, a student at El Cerrito High School and the student member of the Board of Education. “Every day that the district doesn’t negotiate with our teachers is another day that us as students are being neglected.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rally drew support from local politicians and labor leaders from across the state. Cecily Myart-Cruz, president of United Teachers Los Angeles, told the crowd that districts rely on “fear, uncertainty and doubt” to break strikes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066164\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066164\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_09-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teacher Jackie Reyes and her daughter Adelina join other West Contra Costa Unified School District teachers on strike at El Cerrito High School in Richmond on Dec. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Xavier Zamora for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Local officials, including Richmond City Councilmember Soheila Bana and Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia, also urged the district and WCCUSD Superintendent Cheryl Cotton to act faster to work out a solution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had a chance this morning to reach out and communicate with the superintendent to encourage her to encourage the district bargaining team to get back to the table today,” Gioia said. “There is nothing more important than getting schools back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eryka Cheval, a parent of two daughters at Montalvin Manor Elementary, questioned the district’s budgeting priorities and echoed the union’s sentiment that money is being mismanaged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our teachers want to be back with our students. And the district is the only thing getting in the way,” Cheval said to the crowd. “Enough is enough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said he is monitoring the situation. According to the district, Thurmond has “urged the Parties to continue working toward a resolution that will end the strike.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With support staff back on the job, some school operations resumed Monday, even as instruction remained disrupted by the absence of the United Teachers of Richmond, which represents roughly 1,500 educators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the community rally, Christina Baronian, a teacher at Lake Elementary and a member of the bargaining team, told the crowd that UTR worked late into Saturday night to provide a comprehensive counterproposal, only to be met with silence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We should be back in our classrooms right now,” Baronian said. “But because the district decided that they didn’t need to show up yesterday and continue negotiating with us, here we are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066308\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066308\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00960_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00960_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00960_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00960_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">West Contra Costa Unified School District teachers and families continue their strike at Marina Bay Park in Richmond on Dec. 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In particular, staff expressed frustrations over the timeline of negotiations, with both sides offering conflicting narratives about the schedule. In a statement issued Monday morning, UTR leadership claimed they were notified that the district was “refusing to return to the bargaining table until sometime next week.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The District’s lack of urgency and refusal to bargain in good faith is the wrong message to send to our community,” the union said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, WCCUSD officials said the district had explicitly invited the union to continue negotiations on Dec. 9.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The District’s fiscal team, with the assistance of statewide fiscal experts, are thoroughly yet promptly evaluating the counterproposal,” the district said in a statement. “We are making some progress toward resolution and hope to return to regular school operations this week.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The district has argued it is facing tight budget constraints and must ensure it can meet long-term financial obligations while maintaining core services. But the union said the district can afford its ask.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Richmond’s Civic Center, educators and students spoke passionately about the daily realities of the classroom, describing a “staffing crisis” caused by low retention. They argued this has resulted in overcrowded classes, a reliance on long-term substitutes and poor facilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Students described having to sometimes sit on classroom floors due to a lack of desks or endure classrooms that are freezing cold or overheating due to crumbling infrastructure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re here one more day because the district has failed to provide our teachers with an offer that respects their work,” said Sasha Hahn, a student at El Cerrito High School and the student member of the Board of Education. “Every day that the district doesn’t negotiate with our teachers is another day that us as students are being neglected.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rally drew support from local politicians and labor leaders from across the state. Cecily Myart-Cruz, president of United Teachers Los Angeles, told the crowd that districts rely on “fear, uncertainty and doubt” to break strikes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066164\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066164\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_09-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teacher Jackie Reyes and her daughter Adelina join other West Contra Costa Unified School District teachers on strike at El Cerrito High School in Richmond on Dec. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Xavier Zamora for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Local officials, including Richmond City Councilmember Soheila Bana and Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia, also urged the district and WCCUSD Superintendent Cheryl Cotton to act faster to work out a solution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had a chance this morning to reach out and communicate with the superintendent to encourage her to encourage the district bargaining team to get back to the table today,” Gioia said. “There is nothing more important than getting schools back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eryka Cheval, a parent of two daughters at Montalvin Manor Elementary, questioned the district’s budgeting priorities and echoed the union’s sentiment that money is being mismanaged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our teachers want to be back with our students. And the district is the only thing getting in the way,” Cheval said to the crowd. “Enough is enough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said he is monitoring the situation. According to the district, Thurmond has “urged the Parties to continue working toward a resolution that will end the strike.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, Dec. 5:\u003c/strong> Striking teachers and West Contra Costa Unified School District officials reunited for bargaining Thursday afternoon after the first day of the walkout, but the two sides came away with strikingly contradictory descriptions of the meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am pleased to share that the district and UTR negotiations teams met this afternoon, and we are making progress on our negotiations,” Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said in a video message Thursday night. “It was a productive discussion, and we are making our way forward.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, during a Friday morning rally, union president Francisco Ortiz said the meeting was brief, district officials were 30 minutes late and they had no written proposals to offer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We let them know that we’re prepared to negotiate with them when they have something written down that we can consider,” Ortiz said. “Right now, there doesn’t seem to be any urgency regarding the settling of the contract.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district did not respond to questions about the conflicting messaging or attendance figures for the first day of the strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both sides have said they’re open to continued negotiations in the hopes of reaching a deal and ending the strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066311\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066311\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01296_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01296_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01296_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01296_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Francisco Ortiz speaks at a rally during the West Contra Costa United School District rally at Marina Bay Park in Richmond on Dec. 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Original story, Dec. 4 \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bundled against the morning cold, teachers marched outside the Nystrom Elementary School entrance in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/richmond\">Richmond\u003c/a> early Thursday, cheering as passing cars honked, and carrying yellow and red picket signs reading “We Can’t Wait.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Educators at all 56 West Contra Costa Unified School District sites picketed before and during school drop-off on the first day of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065732/west-contra-costa-teachers-are-set-to-strike-across-the-bay-area-more-could-follow\">an open-ended strike\u003c/a>, marching for higher pay, smaller class sizes and a reduction of the use of long-term substitute teachers and outside contractors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Months of negotiations and a mediation process have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065486/west-contra-costa-teachers-are-near-a-pivotal-moment-in-their-potential-strike\">failed to yield an agreement\u003c/a> on a new three-year teaching contract. But Thursday afternoon, Superintendent Cheryl Cotton announced that the district and union had agreed to renegotiate and would meet at 4 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066164\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066164\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_09-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teacher Jackie Reyes and her daughter Adelina join other West Contra Costa Unified School District teachers on strike at El Cerrito High School in Richmond on Dec. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Xavier Zamora for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“My hope is that we can reach agreement on salary and benefits and then turn our attention to collaboratively outline an action plan to address the deep-rooted, systemic issues that exist in our organization,” Cotton said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district is facing a projected deficit and has maintained that its budget cannot support additional raises for teachers without risking a state takeover. Union members have argued that the district overspends on outside contractors rather than investing in district educators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Outside Nystrom Elementary on Thursday morning, striking teachers chanted slogans such as “Education is a right, that is why we have to fight.”[aside postID=news_12065732 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250723-WEST-CO-CO-ICE-MD-04-KQED.jpg']“I’ve been here for 13 years and seen a lot of teachers come and go and the impact that has on our kids,” said Jocelyn Rohan, a sixth-grade teacher at Nystrom Elementary. “It’s hard to want to stay somewhere when you’re not being paid.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many families chose to keep their children home as the strike began. Of about 440 students enrolled at Nystrom Elementary, just 87 attended class on Thursday, according to the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Missing school to support the strike is not considered an excused absence by the district. For families that did not want to come to school, the district offered an alternative independent study curriculum that students could do at home and still receive school attendance credit. About 1,300 students registered for the curriculum out of the 28,000 in the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When people work, they ask for raises so they can support their families,” Nystrom Elementary parent Nidia Lopez said in Spanish, through a teacher interpreter. “If they don’t get a raise, they’ll find work somewhere else.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lopez brought her children to school, but she decided to take them home once she realized there was a strike, saying that there wasn’t a point to having her children in school if the teachers weren’t there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066163\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066163\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_05-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nedea Lopez walks her children to school as West Contra Costa Unified School District teachers strike outside Nystrom Elementary School in Richmond on Dec. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Xavier Zamora for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Other parents brought their children to school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harrishiana Lee, parent of three children in the district, told KQED over a phone call as her children were being dropped off by their father that she supported the union but was frustrated with the strike. All of her children have special needs, she said, and she didn’t have an alternative for the services they needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With the strike, my baby can’t go to school,” Lee said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For weeks, the district has been planning to keep schools open in the case of a strike. In October, the school board voted to pay up to $550 per day for substitute teachers during the strike period, up from the regular day rate of up to $280.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066306\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066306\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00410_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00410_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00410_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00410_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">West Contra Costa Unified School District teachers and families play with a parachute as children run under during a strike rally at Marina Bay Park in Richmond on December 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In an email to parents and the school community on Wednesday, Superintendent Cotton said that schools would “provide safe and supportive classrooms and learning activities” and that meals would continue to be served to students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cotton has expressed empathy for the union’s demands, but she has maintained that the district’s budget cannot afford them and that the strike is harmful to students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The strike will not fix these problems,” Cotton said in an email statement on Wednesday. “A strike takes teachers out of classrooms, harms relationships, and makes it harder to recruit and retain strong educators. … We are heartbroken for our students. They deserve stability, care, and a learning environment where adults work together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Meghan Crebbin-Coates is a student at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and a contributor to KQED.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, Dec. 5:\u003c/strong> Striking teachers and West Contra Costa Unified School District officials reunited for bargaining Thursday afternoon after the first day of the walkout, but the two sides came away with strikingly contradictory descriptions of the meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am pleased to share that the district and UTR negotiations teams met this afternoon, and we are making progress on our negotiations,” Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said in a video message Thursday night. “It was a productive discussion, and we are making our way forward.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, during a Friday morning rally, union president Francisco Ortiz said the meeting was brief, district officials were 30 minutes late and they had no written proposals to offer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We let them know that we’re prepared to negotiate with them when they have something written down that we can consider,” Ortiz said. “Right now, there doesn’t seem to be any urgency regarding the settling of the contract.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district did not respond to questions about the conflicting messaging or attendance figures for the first day of the strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both sides have said they’re open to continued negotiations in the hopes of reaching a deal and ending the strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066311\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066311\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01296_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01296_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01296_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01296_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Francisco Ortiz speaks at a rally during the West Contra Costa United School District rally at Marina Bay Park in Richmond on Dec. 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Original story, Dec. 4 \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bundled against the morning cold, teachers marched outside the Nystrom Elementary School entrance in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/richmond\">Richmond\u003c/a> early Thursday, cheering as passing cars honked, and carrying yellow and red picket signs reading “We Can’t Wait.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Educators at all 56 West Contra Costa Unified School District sites picketed before and during school drop-off on the first day of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065732/west-contra-costa-teachers-are-set-to-strike-across-the-bay-area-more-could-follow\">an open-ended strike\u003c/a>, marching for higher pay, smaller class sizes and a reduction of the use of long-term substitute teachers and outside contractors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Months of negotiations and a mediation process have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065486/west-contra-costa-teachers-are-near-a-pivotal-moment-in-their-potential-strike\">failed to yield an agreement\u003c/a> on a new three-year teaching contract. But Thursday afternoon, Superintendent Cheryl Cotton announced that the district and union had agreed to renegotiate and would meet at 4 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066164\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066164\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_09-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teacher Jackie Reyes and her daughter Adelina join other West Contra Costa Unified School District teachers on strike at El Cerrito High School in Richmond on Dec. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Xavier Zamora for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“My hope is that we can reach agreement on salary and benefits and then turn our attention to collaboratively outline an action plan to address the deep-rooted, systemic issues that exist in our organization,” Cotton said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district is facing a projected deficit and has maintained that its budget cannot support additional raises for teachers without risking a state takeover. Union members have argued that the district overspends on outside contractors rather than investing in district educators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Outside Nystrom Elementary on Thursday morning, striking teachers chanted slogans such as “Education is a right, that is why we have to fight.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“I’ve been here for 13 years and seen a lot of teachers come and go and the impact that has on our kids,” said Jocelyn Rohan, a sixth-grade teacher at Nystrom Elementary. “It’s hard to want to stay somewhere when you’re not being paid.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many families chose to keep their children home as the strike began. Of about 440 students enrolled at Nystrom Elementary, just 87 attended class on Thursday, according to the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Missing school to support the strike is not considered an excused absence by the district. For families that did not want to come to school, the district offered an alternative independent study curriculum that students could do at home and still receive school attendance credit. About 1,300 students registered for the curriculum out of the 28,000 in the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When people work, they ask for raises so they can support their families,” Nystrom Elementary parent Nidia Lopez said in Spanish, through a teacher interpreter. “If they don’t get a raise, they’ll find work somewhere else.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lopez brought her children to school, but she decided to take them home once she realized there was a strike, saying that there wasn’t a point to having her children in school if the teachers weren’t there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066163\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066163\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/20251204_RT_STRIKE_XZ_05-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nedea Lopez walks her children to school as West Contra Costa Unified School District teachers strike outside Nystrom Elementary School in Richmond on Dec. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Xavier Zamora for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Other parents brought their children to school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harrishiana Lee, parent of three children in the district, told KQED over a phone call as her children were being dropped off by their father that she supported the union but was frustrated with the strike. All of her children have special needs, she said, and she didn’t have an alternative for the services they needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With the strike, my baby can’t go to school,” Lee said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For weeks, the district has been planning to keep schools open in the case of a strike. In October, the school board voted to pay up to $550 per day for substitute teachers during the strike period, up from the regular day rate of up to $280.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066306\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066306\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00410_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00410_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00410_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY00410_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">West Contra Costa Unified School District teachers and families play with a parachute as children run under during a strike rally at Marina Bay Park in Richmond on December 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In an email to parents and the school community on Wednesday, Superintendent Cotton said that schools would “provide safe and supportive classrooms and learning activities” and that meals would continue to be served to students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cotton has expressed empathy for the union’s demands, but she has maintained that the district’s budget cannot afford them and that the strike is harmful to students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The strike will not fix these problems,” Cotton said in an email statement on Wednesday. “A strike takes teachers out of classrooms, harms relationships, and makes it harder to recruit and retain strong educators. … We are heartbroken for our students. They deserve stability, care, and a learning environment where adults work together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Meghan Crebbin-Coates is a student at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and a contributor to KQED.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Nearly 3,000 teachers and staff from the West Contra Costa Unified School district went on strike Thursday morning after negotiations with the district broke down. It’s the latest in a series of labor disputes between educators and districts \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2025/west-contra-costa-teachers-strike/745896?amp=1\">across California\u003c/a>. Today, Jana Kadah, education reporter with Richmondside, talks to us from the field about why West Contra Costa educators walked off the job for the first time in the district’s history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Links:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://richmondside.org/2025/12/02/wccusd-strike-guide-faq-for-parents/\">Richmondside: Is your family prepared for WCCUSD teachers strike? Here’s what to know\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC8523906778\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003cem>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/em>\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:00:00] I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the Bay, local news to keep you rooted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Chanting \u003c/strong>[00:00:09] When I say union, you say power, union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:00:14] Three thousand teachers and school staff began a strike at the West Contra Costa Unified School District yesterday morning. And it’s the first time that teachers at this district have gone on strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Teacher \u003c/strong>[00:00:30] We are united, we are strong when we’re together, and we’re gonna get this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:00:36] West Contra Costa has struggled for years with its budget, and teachers say they’ve been sounding the alarm about a staffing crisis made worse by low wages. Today, why West Contra Costa teachers are on strike and what it means for the district’s roughly 25,000 students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:01:08] Jana, can you tell us where you are right now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:01:11] Yeah, I’m standing right outside of El Cerrito High School, where there are more than 150 people picketing from staff, educators to a lot of students and parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:01:25] Jana Kadah, she’s an education reporter for Richmondside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:01:30] It is very lively. It is loud. People are chanting. It has a really kind of community neighborhood feel. There are kids in the neighborhood coming, passing out snacks to those who are picketing. Overall, I think like a excited, passionate energy from the people there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:01:49] Jana, you cover this district. Can you tell me a little bit more about it? I mean, it it covers quite a a range of cities. Tell me a little bit more about this district that you cover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:02:00] Yeah, West Contra Costa is a pretty big district, 56 different campuses, around 25,000 students all across West Contra Costa. So Richmond, El Sobrante, all the way to Hercules, Pinol, and El Cerrito. So it’s a pretty diverse community from ethnicity to languages and income levels. But what seems to be consistent are the frustrations from the community around the quality of education that they are receiving. The teachers and the Teamsters are striking right now because of pay concerns, but it’s not just about whether or not they can afford to live here. It’s about if they can re recruit and retain teachers. They say the pay is just too low for people to stay in the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:03:00] And give me a brief timeline, Jana. They’ve been in negotiations for several months now. When did things really break down?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:03:07] From my understanding, actually, this has been a years long issue. I mean, in 2022, the teachers union did authorize a strike and the district came back with an offer, so it they averted a strike. But the bigger issues that they’ve been trying to resolve have not been sorted out in in their perspective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:03:30] And what have the biggest sticking points been leading up to this strike? I understand that these two sides are pretty far apart on wages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:03:40] The teachers were originally asking for 10% over two years. The district in October offered them two percent. They declined it. The state recommended that the district offer them six percent over two years. After that, the district came back and offered them three percent. 99% of the teachers’ union voted, more than 98% basically said yes, we’re ready to strike. Aside from salary increases, some of the biggest concerns are reducing class sizes, addressing the issues in special education staffing. There’s also facility upgrades and security for their international educators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:04:32] I mean, what does the school district say about all of this and w and where things stand right now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:04:37] They have gone on a tour throughout the community to basically break down their finances and show that they cannot afford to meet the union’s demands. The superintendent has repeatedly said that she understands the concerns of the teachers and the community members, but that the financial situation that the district is in makes it impossible. This year alone they have to make seven point seven million dollars of cuts and there are more cuts coming in the years ahead to try to balance their budget. And so she has kind of centered this message of like we are one, let’s stick together, let’s unify, let’s let’s solve these problems together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:05:23] I I mean, it’s interesting, you say that the the superintendent is on a a sort of tour to to really show the financial situation that the district is in. Why is the district in such financial trouble right now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:05:37] That’s a great question. And a lot of people would tell you a lot of different things. One is that the state funding is not enough. West Contra Costa is a district that does serve a lot more students with special education needs. And they also have a huge immigrant community. At Richmond High School, for example, 50% of the students are English language learners. And so you can imagine that this requires more resources. On the other hand, you know, some would point to mismanagement of funds. The district has contracted out a lot of its services. It has contracted out a lot of special education positions, primarily. And it comes at a higher cost to the district. So it’s issues like that where the money in the in the teachers union’s perspective, it’s not used properly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:06:36] And as I understand it as well, this is a district that is also, like many others across the state, dealing with under enrollment, which also has an impact on on its budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:06:48] Yeah, thanks for bringing that up. I think in the last three years the enrollment has gone down from 28,000 to 25,000. And a lot of families are choosing to go to charter schools and there are a lot nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:07:06] Well I do want to ask you, Jenna, what this means for families and students. Are people still sending their kids to school? I mean, what are you hearing from the school communities out there right now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:07:18] Yeah. So I went to two high schools so far. And the students are telling me that the only kids who are in school are there because their families are forcing them to be there, right? They’re worried about what this means for their education. But at El Cerrito, for example, a student told me that there were only 20 seniors who showed up, 20 juniors who showed up, and then couldn’t give a number for freshmen and sophomores. But the last update I got, the district was able to hire 200 substitute teachers, but there are 1500 teachers going on strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:07:53] Right. And what about school services? Are are those still running?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:07:59] The district did hire a company to provide meals. Students have access to free breakfast and lunch. And so the district is trying to maintain that. Special education transportation is still going. The district has also hired companies for security.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:08:16] I mean, is this ending any time soon, you think, or or what do you think it’s gonna take for this strike to end?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:08:22] It’s hard to say how long it’s going to last. The the sense from the teachers is they are willing to go as long as they need to. One teacher is hopeful that, you know, the district and the union will meet over the weekend and the strike can be called off by next week. But really, it needs to be an offer that addresses their compensation concerns and moves the needle to address the issues that they’re they’re bringing up. And the primarily it is recruiting and retaining educators. I think it’s been really interesting to be to be where the picket lines are happening and seeing the community support. People are driving by, everyone is honking, they’re cheering. The students at Kennedy High School walked out on Tuesday in support of their teachers in solidarity to the district office, a two mile walk that they did. Every single person along the way cheered them on, right? Whether it’s people standing at a gas station or a fire truck passing them by.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:09:29] I mean, West Contra Costa is not the only school district that has been struggling in the Bay Area in the last year. I mean, you know, there’s news of San Francisco unified teachers possibly walking out soon. Berkeley Unified District as well just announced an impasse. I mean, how do you think what’s happening in West Contra Costa, how does that fit into to what’s happening just across the region when it comes to schools and and even the state?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:09:57] Yeah, I mean it’s expensive to live here and the cost of living has increased far more than salaries have increased. This represents a larger issue. We were seeing this across the state, but it seems like the Bay Area is feeling it more. And it’s I think it’s just because it’s so expensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:10:18] Well, Jana, thank you so so much for stepping aside for a little bit. I know you’ve had a really, really busy morning, so thank you so much for your time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:10:27] Yeah, thank you so much for having me.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Nearly 3,000 teachers and staff from the West Contra Costa Unified School district went on strike Thursday morning after negotiations with the district broke down. It’s the latest in a series of labor disputes between educators and districts \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2025/west-contra-costa-teachers-strike/745896?amp=1\">across California\u003c/a>. Today, Jana Kadah, education reporter with Richmondside, talks to us from the field about why West Contra Costa educators walked off the job for the first time in the district’s history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Links:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://richmondside.org/2025/12/02/wccusd-strike-guide-faq-for-parents/\">Richmondside: Is your family prepared for WCCUSD teachers strike? Here’s what to know\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC8523906778\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003cem>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/em>\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:00:00] I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the Bay, local news to keep you rooted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Chanting \u003c/strong>[00:00:09] When I say union, you say power, union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:00:14] Three thousand teachers and school staff began a strike at the West Contra Costa Unified School District yesterday morning. And it’s the first time that teachers at this district have gone on strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Teacher \u003c/strong>[00:00:30] We are united, we are strong when we’re together, and we’re gonna get this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:00:36] West Contra Costa has struggled for years with its budget, and teachers say they’ve been sounding the alarm about a staffing crisis made worse by low wages. Today, why West Contra Costa teachers are on strike and what it means for the district’s roughly 25,000 students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:01:08] Jana, can you tell us where you are right now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:01:11] Yeah, I’m standing right outside of El Cerrito High School, where there are more than 150 people picketing from staff, educators to a lot of students and parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:01:25] Jana Kadah, she’s an education reporter for Richmondside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:01:30] It is very lively. It is loud. People are chanting. It has a really kind of community neighborhood feel. There are kids in the neighborhood coming, passing out snacks to those who are picketing. Overall, I think like a excited, passionate energy from the people there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:01:49] Jana, you cover this district. Can you tell me a little bit more about it? I mean, it it covers quite a a range of cities. Tell me a little bit more about this district that you cover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:02:00] Yeah, West Contra Costa is a pretty big district, 56 different campuses, around 25,000 students all across West Contra Costa. So Richmond, El Sobrante, all the way to Hercules, Pinol, and El Cerrito. So it’s a pretty diverse community from ethnicity to languages and income levels. But what seems to be consistent are the frustrations from the community around the quality of education that they are receiving. The teachers and the Teamsters are striking right now because of pay concerns, but it’s not just about whether or not they can afford to live here. It’s about if they can re recruit and retain teachers. They say the pay is just too low for people to stay in the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:03:00] And give me a brief timeline, Jana. They’ve been in negotiations for several months now. When did things really break down?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:03:07] From my understanding, actually, this has been a years long issue. I mean, in 2022, the teachers union did authorize a strike and the district came back with an offer, so it they averted a strike. But the bigger issues that they’ve been trying to resolve have not been sorted out in in their perspective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:03:30] And what have the biggest sticking points been leading up to this strike? I understand that these two sides are pretty far apart on wages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:03:40] The teachers were originally asking for 10% over two years. The district in October offered them two percent. They declined it. The state recommended that the district offer them six percent over two years. After that, the district came back and offered them three percent. 99% of the teachers’ union voted, more than 98% basically said yes, we’re ready to strike. Aside from salary increases, some of the biggest concerns are reducing class sizes, addressing the issues in special education staffing. There’s also facility upgrades and security for their international educators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:04:32] I mean, what does the school district say about all of this and w and where things stand right now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:04:37] They have gone on a tour throughout the community to basically break down their finances and show that they cannot afford to meet the union’s demands. The superintendent has repeatedly said that she understands the concerns of the teachers and the community members, but that the financial situation that the district is in makes it impossible. This year alone they have to make seven point seven million dollars of cuts and there are more cuts coming in the years ahead to try to balance their budget. And so she has kind of centered this message of like we are one, let’s stick together, let’s unify, let’s let’s solve these problems together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:05:23] I I mean, it’s interesting, you say that the the superintendent is on a a sort of tour to to really show the financial situation that the district is in. Why is the district in such financial trouble right now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:05:37] That’s a great question. And a lot of people would tell you a lot of different things. One is that the state funding is not enough. West Contra Costa is a district that does serve a lot more students with special education needs. And they also have a huge immigrant community. At Richmond High School, for example, 50% of the students are English language learners. And so you can imagine that this requires more resources. On the other hand, you know, some would point to mismanagement of funds. The district has contracted out a lot of its services. It has contracted out a lot of special education positions, primarily. And it comes at a higher cost to the district. So it’s issues like that where the money in the in the teachers union’s perspective, it’s not used properly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:06:36] And as I understand it as well, this is a district that is also, like many others across the state, dealing with under enrollment, which also has an impact on on its budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:06:48] Yeah, thanks for bringing that up. I think in the last three years the enrollment has gone down from 28,000 to 25,000. And a lot of families are choosing to go to charter schools and there are a lot nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:07:06] Well I do want to ask you, Jenna, what this means for families and students. Are people still sending their kids to school? I mean, what are you hearing from the school communities out there right now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:07:18] Yeah. So I went to two high schools so far. And the students are telling me that the only kids who are in school are there because their families are forcing them to be there, right? They’re worried about what this means for their education. But at El Cerrito, for example, a student told me that there were only 20 seniors who showed up, 20 juniors who showed up, and then couldn’t give a number for freshmen and sophomores. But the last update I got, the district was able to hire 200 substitute teachers, but there are 1500 teachers going on strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:07:53] Right. And what about school services? Are are those still running?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:07:59] The district did hire a company to provide meals. Students have access to free breakfast and lunch. And so the district is trying to maintain that. Special education transportation is still going. The district has also hired companies for security.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:08:16] I mean, is this ending any time soon, you think, or or what do you think it’s gonna take for this strike to end?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:08:22] It’s hard to say how long it’s going to last. The the sense from the teachers is they are willing to go as long as they need to. One teacher is hopeful that, you know, the district and the union will meet over the weekend and the strike can be called off by next week. But really, it needs to be an offer that addresses their compensation concerns and moves the needle to address the issues that they’re they’re bringing up. And the primarily it is recruiting and retaining educators. I think it’s been really interesting to be to be where the picket lines are happening and seeing the community support. People are driving by, everyone is honking, they’re cheering. The students at Kennedy High School walked out on Tuesday in support of their teachers in solidarity to the district office, a two mile walk that they did. Every single person along the way cheered them on, right? Whether it’s people standing at a gas station or a fire truck passing them by.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:09:29] I mean, West Contra Costa is not the only school district that has been struggling in the Bay Area in the last year. I mean, you know, there’s news of San Francisco unified teachers possibly walking out soon. Berkeley Unified District as well just announced an impasse. I mean, how do you think what’s happening in West Contra Costa, how does that fit into to what’s happening just across the region when it comes to schools and and even the state?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:09:57] Yeah, I mean it’s expensive to live here and the cost of living has increased far more than salaries have increased. This represents a larger issue. We were seeing this across the state, but it seems like the Bay Area is feeling it more. And it’s I think it’s just because it’s so expensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:10:18] Well, Jana, thank you so so much for stepping aside for a little bit. I know you’ve had a really, really busy morning, so thank you so much for your time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jana Kadah \u003c/strong>[00:10:27] Yeah, thank you so much for having me.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "West Contra Costa Teachers Are Set to Strike. Across the Bay Area, More Could Follow",
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"content": "\u003cp>Teachers in the West Contra Costa Unified School District \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065486/west-contra-costa-teachers-are-near-a-pivotal-moment-in-their-potential-strike\">plan to strike beginning Thursday\u003c/a> as long-simmering labor disputes come to a head in major districts across the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Union leaders say their educators need higher wages and better benefit coverage — and they aren’t alone. In San Francisco, the union representing public school teachers is holding a strike authorization vote on Wednesday, and in Berkeley, the union is entering mediation with the district after declaring an impasse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across California, meanwhile, school districts have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027158/how-oakland-and-sf-ended-up-among-7-ca-school-districts-who-cant-pay-their-bills\">struggled to balance their budgets\u003c/a> as they face declining enrollment and shrinking state funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is an education justice issue,” said Francisco Ortiz, the president of United Teachers of Richmond, which represents 1,400 West Contra Costa teachers. “The district’s piecemeal solutions are not serving our students. We need to see action that stabilizes our district now, which means providing competitive wages and health care, smaller class sizes, and a commitment to our educators that supports their ability to stay.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Educators at the district’s 50 campuses began negotiating a new two-year contract with school officials eight months ago. After the union declared an impasse in August, two negotiations mediated by a third party failed to yield an agreement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of that process, a neutral fact-finding committee made its recommendations for a compromise between West Contra Costa Unified and the teachers’ union last week. The district’s offer, however, proposed a lower wage hike than the report recommended, prompting United Teachers of Richmond to call the indefinite strike, Ortiz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031022\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031022\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Valerie Aquino (center) and other students from Richmond’s John F. Kennedy High School stage a walkout and march to the West Contra Costa Unified School District Offices to protest impending layoffs as part of cuts to the district’s budget in Richmond on March 12, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He said the offer was “not what’s going to help keep our educators here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our educators have been sounding the alarm for years about the staffing crisis and instability that our students face,” he told KQED. “Our students deserve educators who can feel safe and secure working here and can stay here. They deserve teachers whose work and commitment with our students is respected and reciprocated by the district. That’s the crux here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teachers in districts throughout the Bay Area have echoed his sentiment as they escalate their own threats to strike in the coming months without better contracts. United Educators of San Francisco members will take the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065524/san-francisco-teachers-take-key-step-toward-strike\">first of two votes necessary to authorize a strike on Wednesday\u003c/a> afternoon after their first third-party mediation process failed. The Berkeley Federation of Teachers and Berkeley Unified School District declared an impasse on Nov. 20, moving them into mediation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This has been a long time coming,” said Danielle Mahones, the director of leadership development programs at the UC Berkeley Labor Center. “Educators and parents and students have been feeling that schools … across California have been underfunded, that classrooms are too crowded, that the teacher pay is not keeping up with the cost of living in many cities. For some time, educators have diligently tried to get these issues resolved at the district level, but they’re seeing that there’s common themes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘They can’t do it anymore’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Across the districts, wages and health benefits have been the biggest sticking points for unions negotiating contracts for 2025 to 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Compared with similarly educated workers in the state, teachers’ compensation has always been low, Mahones said, but it’s become less tenable in recent years — both because the cost of living has risen and because workers are growing more fatigued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of them are sort of surviving paycheck to paycheck and yet still buying food for their own students who are in need, buying school supplies for their classrooms,” she told KQED. “I think it’s just reached a point where folks feel like they can’t do it anymore. And they’re really concerned seeing a lot of their colleagues leave the profession.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031025\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031025\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-08-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-08-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-08-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-08-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-08-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-08-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-08-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Julissa Blandon and other students from Richmond’s John F. Kennedy High School stage a walkout and rally in front of to the West Contra Costa Unified School District Offices to protest impending layoffs as part of cuts to the district’s budget in Richmond on March 12, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>United Teachers of Richmond asked the district for a 5% raise in each of the next two years when it began negotiations in February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Currently, we’re at the bottom of both pay and health care contributions in the entire county of Contra Costa,” Ortiz said, adding that union members did not receive any pay increase last year. “That’s why we’ve lost over 1,500 educators in the last five years. We’ve lost more teachers than we represent in the last five years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fact-finding team’s recommendation on Friday was equivalent to a 6% raise over the next two-year contract period: a 2.5% hike retroactive to July, when their former contract expired, plus additional raises of 0.5% in 2026 and 3% in 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district’s offer, which led to the strike declaration, was half of that, according to Ortiz: a 2% increase retroactive to July and 1% more in January, with no raise in 2027. It did increase the district’s contribution to health care benefits over the next two years, according to Superintendent Cheryl Cotton.[aside postID=news_12065524 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250204-WeCantWait-13-BL-1020x680.jpg']“We made this offer even though our district is already spending millions more each year than we receive in revenue,” Cotton wrote in an email to families on Monday. The district has had to slash \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065486/west-contra-costa-teachers-are-near-a-pivotal-moment-in-their-potential-strike\">tens of millions of dollars from its budget\u003c/a> over the last two years, and more cuts will be needed to stave off an ongoing deficit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Ortiz argued that the district can afford the union’s ask.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have identified ways in which the district can afford our proposals and stabilize our school district. And their current offer will not do that,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Unified School District has offered teachers a 2% wage hike in exchange for cutting other contractual obligations, including a sabbatical program for veteran educators and additional prep periods for advanced placement teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two years ago, the district gave teachers historic $9,000 raises. Now it’s facing a major budget crisis, spurring a commitment \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12044768/sf-school-district-unveils-balanced-budget-after-cutting-over-110-million-in-spending\">to cutting more than $150 million\u003c/a> in ongoing costs over two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Berkeley Federation of Teachers, meanwhile, asked for consecutive 5% raises for two years and has gotten no wage increase offer from BUSD after 17 bargaining sessions, according to union President Matt Meyer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12065384\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12065384\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/240508-Berkeley-High-File-MD-03_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/240508-Berkeley-High-File-MD-03_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/240508-Berkeley-High-File-MD-03_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/240508-Berkeley-High-File-MD-03_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Berkeley High School in Berkeley on May 8, 2024. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As wages fall behind the cost of living, Mahones said, more of educators’ paychecks are also going to health care coverage because districts are passing the cost of higher premiums along to teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>United Educators of San Francisco President Cassondra Curiel told KQED last week that without a new agreement, teachers with two children would have to put about $1500 of each paycheck toward health care come January.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meyer said Berkeley Unified covers about 55% of employees’ benefit costs, but he added that in the last five years, the percentage of their paychecks that has gone to health coverage has increased significantly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our disposable income has gone down quite a bit just because of what the employee has to pay for medical benefits,” he told KQED. Berkeley’s union has asked the district to cover 100% of health care costs, but it has not gotten an offer from the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement on Monday, Berkeley’s Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel said the district was “committed to good-faith discussions that honor their contributions while also ensuring the long-term financial health of our district.” It also faces a budget deficit of \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2025/06/24/berkeley-unified-approves-budget-cuts-family-engagement\">$7.6 million\u003c/a> for this school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Unions build statewide unity\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As more local unions feel emboldened to push toward strikes, Mahones said increased coordination and common ground are likely playing a large part. She said they’ve found that the problems they’re facing aren’t isolated and are in part a result of state funding shortfalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is one thing if one single district in our state goes out on strike. It is something else when we were just seeing district after district reach impasse,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12049415\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12049415\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250723-WEST-CO-CO-ICE-MD-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250723-WEST-CO-CO-ICE-MD-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250723-WEST-CO-CO-ICE-MD-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250723-WEST-CO-CO-ICE-MD-03-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The West Contra Costa School District Offices in Richmond on July 23, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Currently, California ranks \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/financing-californias-public-schools/\">16th in the country in terms of per-pupil education funding\u003c/a>, but that drops to 31st when accounting for the cost of living.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s a shame that we’re all stuck negotiating with our local districts for what the state gives,” Meyer said. “But we do know that our district can spend its money more wisely and can prioritize and make an investment in educators.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the spring, 32 unions, including West Contra Costa, San Francisco and Berkeley, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12025440/schools-face-cuts-california-teachers-unions-band-together-demands\">joined a coordinated campaign\u003c/a> by the California Teachers Association, dubbed “We Can’t Wait,” with the goals of increasing districts’ spending on school sites and ultimately increasing state funding.[aside postID=news_12065486 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-02_qed.jpg']Mahones said that one of their hopes is that coordinated union pressure could encourage district leaders to push legislators to allocate more money for public education in the state’s budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that educators are also looking to the state of California, as the fifth-biggest economy in the world, to say, ‘We need to be doing better for our students,’” Mahones told KQED. “‘What would it look like for California to actually make a commitment to all students in our state being able to receive a high-quality education with fair teacher-to-student ratios … counselors and school nurses and access to mental health?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Teachers Association President David Goldberg said that California’s education system has weathered decades of disinvestment since Proposition 13 passed, restricting the amount of state funding schools get from property taxes. Now, they rely much more heavily on income tax, resulting in major swings in school districts’ budgets based on economic fluctuations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But he cautioned against writing off the current union tensions as just a result of state shortages. Unions across the Bay Area say their districts spend too much money on large administrative arms, contracting outside special education services and teachers, and building up high reserve funds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because state funding is so scarce, they have to be that much better. There’s no room for error,” he said. “Districts have to get it right.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/shossaini\">\u003cem>Sara Hossaini\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Teachers in the West Contra Costa Unified School District \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065486/west-contra-costa-teachers-are-near-a-pivotal-moment-in-their-potential-strike\">plan to strike beginning Thursday\u003c/a> as long-simmering labor disputes come to a head in major districts across the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Union leaders say their educators need higher wages and better benefit coverage — and they aren’t alone. In San Francisco, the union representing public school teachers is holding a strike authorization vote on Wednesday, and in Berkeley, the union is entering mediation with the district after declaring an impasse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across California, meanwhile, school districts have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027158/how-oakland-and-sf-ended-up-among-7-ca-school-districts-who-cant-pay-their-bills\">struggled to balance their budgets\u003c/a> as they face declining enrollment and shrinking state funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is an education justice issue,” said Francisco Ortiz, the president of United Teachers of Richmond, which represents 1,400 West Contra Costa teachers. “The district’s piecemeal solutions are not serving our students. We need to see action that stabilizes our district now, which means providing competitive wages and health care, smaller class sizes, and a commitment to our educators that supports their ability to stay.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Educators at the district’s 50 campuses began negotiating a new two-year contract with school officials eight months ago. After the union declared an impasse in August, two negotiations mediated by a third party failed to yield an agreement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of that process, a neutral fact-finding committee made its recommendations for a compromise between West Contra Costa Unified and the teachers’ union last week. The district’s offer, however, proposed a lower wage hike than the report recommended, prompting United Teachers of Richmond to call the indefinite strike, Ortiz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031022\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031022\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Valerie Aquino (center) and other students from Richmond’s John F. Kennedy High School stage a walkout and march to the West Contra Costa Unified School District Offices to protest impending layoffs as part of cuts to the district’s budget in Richmond on March 12, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He said the offer was “not what’s going to help keep our educators here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our educators have been sounding the alarm for years about the staffing crisis and instability that our students face,” he told KQED. “Our students deserve educators who can feel safe and secure working here and can stay here. They deserve teachers whose work and commitment with our students is respected and reciprocated by the district. That’s the crux here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teachers in districts throughout the Bay Area have echoed his sentiment as they escalate their own threats to strike in the coming months without better contracts. United Educators of San Francisco members will take the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065524/san-francisco-teachers-take-key-step-toward-strike\">first of two votes necessary to authorize a strike on Wednesday\u003c/a> afternoon after their first third-party mediation process failed. The Berkeley Federation of Teachers and Berkeley Unified School District declared an impasse on Nov. 20, moving them into mediation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This has been a long time coming,” said Danielle Mahones, the director of leadership development programs at the UC Berkeley Labor Center. “Educators and parents and students have been feeling that schools … across California have been underfunded, that classrooms are too crowded, that the teacher pay is not keeping up with the cost of living in many cities. For some time, educators have diligently tried to get these issues resolved at the district level, but they’re seeing that there’s common themes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘They can’t do it anymore’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Across the districts, wages and health benefits have been the biggest sticking points for unions negotiating contracts for 2025 to 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Compared with similarly educated workers in the state, teachers’ compensation has always been low, Mahones said, but it’s become less tenable in recent years — both because the cost of living has risen and because workers are growing more fatigued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of them are sort of surviving paycheck to paycheck and yet still buying food for their own students who are in need, buying school supplies for their classrooms,” she told KQED. “I think it’s just reached a point where folks feel like they can’t do it anymore. And they’re really concerned seeing a lot of their colleagues leave the profession.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031025\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031025\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-08-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-08-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-08-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-08-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-08-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-08-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-08-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Julissa Blandon and other students from Richmond’s John F. Kennedy High School stage a walkout and rally in front of to the West Contra Costa Unified School District Offices to protest impending layoffs as part of cuts to the district’s budget in Richmond on March 12, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>United Teachers of Richmond asked the district for a 5% raise in each of the next two years when it began negotiations in February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Currently, we’re at the bottom of both pay and health care contributions in the entire county of Contra Costa,” Ortiz said, adding that union members did not receive any pay increase last year. “That’s why we’ve lost over 1,500 educators in the last five years. We’ve lost more teachers than we represent in the last five years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fact-finding team’s recommendation on Friday was equivalent to a 6% raise over the next two-year contract period: a 2.5% hike retroactive to July, when their former contract expired, plus additional raises of 0.5% in 2026 and 3% in 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district’s offer, which led to the strike declaration, was half of that, according to Ortiz: a 2% increase retroactive to July and 1% more in January, with no raise in 2027. It did increase the district’s contribution to health care benefits over the next two years, according to Superintendent Cheryl Cotton.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“We made this offer even though our district is already spending millions more each year than we receive in revenue,” Cotton wrote in an email to families on Monday. The district has had to slash \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065486/west-contra-costa-teachers-are-near-a-pivotal-moment-in-their-potential-strike\">tens of millions of dollars from its budget\u003c/a> over the last two years, and more cuts will be needed to stave off an ongoing deficit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Ortiz argued that the district can afford the union’s ask.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have identified ways in which the district can afford our proposals and stabilize our school district. And their current offer will not do that,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Unified School District has offered teachers a 2% wage hike in exchange for cutting other contractual obligations, including a sabbatical program for veteran educators and additional prep periods for advanced placement teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two years ago, the district gave teachers historic $9,000 raises. Now it’s facing a major budget crisis, spurring a commitment \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12044768/sf-school-district-unveils-balanced-budget-after-cutting-over-110-million-in-spending\">to cutting more than $150 million\u003c/a> in ongoing costs over two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Berkeley Federation of Teachers, meanwhile, asked for consecutive 5% raises for two years and has gotten no wage increase offer from BUSD after 17 bargaining sessions, according to union President Matt Meyer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12065384\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12065384\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/240508-Berkeley-High-File-MD-03_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/240508-Berkeley-High-File-MD-03_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/240508-Berkeley-High-File-MD-03_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/240508-Berkeley-High-File-MD-03_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Berkeley High School in Berkeley on May 8, 2024. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As wages fall behind the cost of living, Mahones said, more of educators’ paychecks are also going to health care coverage because districts are passing the cost of higher premiums along to teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>United Educators of San Francisco President Cassondra Curiel told KQED last week that without a new agreement, teachers with two children would have to put about $1500 of each paycheck toward health care come January.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meyer said Berkeley Unified covers about 55% of employees’ benefit costs, but he added that in the last five years, the percentage of their paychecks that has gone to health coverage has increased significantly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our disposable income has gone down quite a bit just because of what the employee has to pay for medical benefits,” he told KQED. Berkeley’s union has asked the district to cover 100% of health care costs, but it has not gotten an offer from the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement on Monday, Berkeley’s Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel said the district was “committed to good-faith discussions that honor their contributions while also ensuring the long-term financial health of our district.” It also faces a budget deficit of \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2025/06/24/berkeley-unified-approves-budget-cuts-family-engagement\">$7.6 million\u003c/a> for this school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Unions build statewide unity\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As more local unions feel emboldened to push toward strikes, Mahones said increased coordination and common ground are likely playing a large part. She said they’ve found that the problems they’re facing aren’t isolated and are in part a result of state funding shortfalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is one thing if one single district in our state goes out on strike. It is something else when we were just seeing district after district reach impasse,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12049415\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12049415\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250723-WEST-CO-CO-ICE-MD-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250723-WEST-CO-CO-ICE-MD-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250723-WEST-CO-CO-ICE-MD-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250723-WEST-CO-CO-ICE-MD-03-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The West Contra Costa School District Offices in Richmond on July 23, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Currently, California ranks \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/financing-californias-public-schools/\">16th in the country in terms of per-pupil education funding\u003c/a>, but that drops to 31st when accounting for the cost of living.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s a shame that we’re all stuck negotiating with our local districts for what the state gives,” Meyer said. “But we do know that our district can spend its money more wisely and can prioritize and make an investment in educators.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the spring, 32 unions, including West Contra Costa, San Francisco and Berkeley, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12025440/schools-face-cuts-california-teachers-unions-band-together-demands\">joined a coordinated campaign\u003c/a> by the California Teachers Association, dubbed “We Can’t Wait,” with the goals of increasing districts’ spending on school sites and ultimately increasing state funding.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Mahones said that one of their hopes is that coordinated union pressure could encourage district leaders to push legislators to allocate more money for public education in the state’s budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that educators are also looking to the state of California, as the fifth-biggest economy in the world, to say, ‘We need to be doing better for our students,’” Mahones told KQED. “‘What would it look like for California to actually make a commitment to all students in our state being able to receive a high-quality education with fair teacher-to-student ratios … counselors and school nurses and access to mental health?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Teachers Association President David Goldberg said that California’s education system has weathered decades of disinvestment since Proposition 13 passed, restricting the amount of state funding schools get from property taxes. Now, they rely much more heavily on income tax, resulting in major swings in school districts’ budgets based on economic fluctuations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But he cautioned against writing off the current union tensions as just a result of state shortages. Unions across the Bay Area say their districts spend too much money on large administrative arms, contracting outside special education services and teachers, and building up high reserve funds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because state funding is so scarce, they have to be that much better. There’s no room for error,” he said. “Districts have to get it right.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/shossaini\">\u003cem>Sara Hossaini\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/west-contra-costa-unified-school-district\">West Contra Costa Unified School District\u003c/a> educators are days away from receiving a report that could put to rest the threat of a strike — or make it official.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A mediator appointed by the California Public Employment Relations Board is expected to issue recommendations to the district and its teachers union by Friday in an effort to resolve the months-long contract negotiations that could push more than 1,500 educators to strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the two sides can’t come to an agreement after the recommendations are issued, United Teachers of Richmond can then go on strike after a 48-hour notice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Negotiations between the district and the union have been stalled for months over pay, health coverage, class sizes and services for students with disabilities. That led the union to declare an impasse in August, which kicked off a required process through PERB before the union could legally begin a work stoppage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re fighting because we love our students, because we refuse to let another generation of our kiddos experience a system that’s crumbling all around them,” union president Francisco Ortiz told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12022073\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Stege-Elementary34-1280x765-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12022073\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Stege-Elementary34-1280x765-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"765\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Stege-Elementary34-1280x765-1.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Stege-Elementary34-1280x765-1-800x478.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Stege-Elementary34-1280x765-1-1020x610.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Stege-Elementary34-1280x765-1-160x96.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">West Contra Costa Unified’s Stege Elementary School in Richmond. \u003ccite>(Andrew Reed/EdSource)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>UTR has proposed a 10% pay raise over the next two years and full health coverage. The district’s most recent counterproposal included a 2% pay raise for the 2025-26 school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union argues that an increase in compensation will attract and maintain quality educators to help the district address its staffing shortage. For this year alone in special education services, Ortiz said more than 255 students have gone without a speech-language pathologist assigned to them for five weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the district has said that it can only afford to do so much. District officials \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030935/our-education-matters-richmond-high-schoolers-rally-against-teacher-layoffs\">cut millions of dollars\u003c/a> from their budget to stay solvent this year, and they still face additional cuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district did not respond to a request for comment from KQED, but in a Monday night letter to community members, it said that its representatives on the state fact-finding panel have been meeting with the chairperson since the last hearings on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are committed to continuing these discussions into next week and through the break — whatever it takes — to try to reach a fair resolution and avert a strike that would only hurt our students,” wrote Raechelle Forrest, director of district communications.[aside postID=news_12030935 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-01-KQED-1-1020x680.jpg']Officials have also begun preparing for a potential strike, saying that the district is “committed to keeping our schools open.” WCCUSD’s school board \u003ca href=\"https://ccpulse.org/2025/10/16/wccusd-prepares-for-potential-strikes-by-upping-temporary-educators-pay/\">voted to increase pay\u003c/a> for substitute teachers last month, bumping the usual daily pay from $280 to up to $550 if the union goes on strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to UTR’s members, more than a thousand other district staff members were set to strike soon after the teachers union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If UTR does go on strike, it could trigger a sympathy strike by IFPTE Local 21, which represents school supervisors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teamsters Local 856, which includes paraprofessionals and clerical staff, came to a tentative agreement with the district on Wednesday after \u003ca href=\"https://teamster.org/2025/10/teamsters-at-west-contra-costa-unified-school-district-authorize-strike/\">authorizing a strike\u003c/a> only days after UTR’s authorization. Local 856 also cited staffing and pay concerns as reasons for a potential strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The gains achieved by UTR and Teamsters Local 856 directly affect the compensation of our unit through our ‘me too’ clause. When they secure a higher wage increase, we will also benefit if the increase they secure is more than what we secured,” IFPTE \u003ca href=\"https://ifpte21.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Sympathy-Strike-FAQ-WCCUSD-102725.pdf\">said \u003c/a>when recommending the strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mediator’s report this week isn’t binding, so the district isn’t required to offer the union a new proposal after its release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If the district is unwilling to [accept those recommendations], then we’re also ready to take that next step,” Ortiz said. “We’re ready to do our part, and the district needs to do theirs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/west-contra-costa-unified-school-district\">West Contra Costa Unified School District\u003c/a> educators are days away from receiving a report that could put to rest the threat of a strike — or make it official.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A mediator appointed by the California Public Employment Relations Board is expected to issue recommendations to the district and its teachers union by Friday in an effort to resolve the months-long contract negotiations that could push more than 1,500 educators to strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the two sides can’t come to an agreement after the recommendations are issued, United Teachers of Richmond can then go on strike after a 48-hour notice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Negotiations between the district and the union have been stalled for months over pay, health coverage, class sizes and services for students with disabilities. That led the union to declare an impasse in August, which kicked off a required process through PERB before the union could legally begin a work stoppage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re fighting because we love our students, because we refuse to let another generation of our kiddos experience a system that’s crumbling all around them,” union president Francisco Ortiz told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12022073\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Stege-Elementary34-1280x765-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12022073\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Stege-Elementary34-1280x765-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"765\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Stege-Elementary34-1280x765-1.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Stege-Elementary34-1280x765-1-800x478.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Stege-Elementary34-1280x765-1-1020x610.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Stege-Elementary34-1280x765-1-160x96.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">West Contra Costa Unified’s Stege Elementary School in Richmond. \u003ccite>(Andrew Reed/EdSource)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>UTR has proposed a 10% pay raise over the next two years and full health coverage. The district’s most recent counterproposal included a 2% pay raise for the 2025-26 school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union argues that an increase in compensation will attract and maintain quality educators to help the district address its staffing shortage. For this year alone in special education services, Ortiz said more than 255 students have gone without a speech-language pathologist assigned to them for five weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the district has said that it can only afford to do so much. District officials \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030935/our-education-matters-richmond-high-schoolers-rally-against-teacher-layoffs\">cut millions of dollars\u003c/a> from their budget to stay solvent this year, and they still face additional cuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district did not respond to a request for comment from KQED, but in a Monday night letter to community members, it said that its representatives on the state fact-finding panel have been meeting with the chairperson since the last hearings on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are committed to continuing these discussions into next week and through the break — whatever it takes — to try to reach a fair resolution and avert a strike that would only hurt our students,” wrote Raechelle Forrest, director of district communications.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Officials have also begun preparing for a potential strike, saying that the district is “committed to keeping our schools open.” WCCUSD’s school board \u003ca href=\"https://ccpulse.org/2025/10/16/wccusd-prepares-for-potential-strikes-by-upping-temporary-educators-pay/\">voted to increase pay\u003c/a> for substitute teachers last month, bumping the usual daily pay from $280 to up to $550 if the union goes on strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to UTR’s members, more than a thousand other district staff members were set to strike soon after the teachers union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If UTR does go on strike, it could trigger a sympathy strike by IFPTE Local 21, which represents school supervisors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teamsters Local 856, which includes paraprofessionals and clerical staff, came to a tentative agreement with the district on Wednesday after \u003ca href=\"https://teamster.org/2025/10/teamsters-at-west-contra-costa-unified-school-district-authorize-strike/\">authorizing a strike\u003c/a> only days after UTR’s authorization. Local 856 also cited staffing and pay concerns as reasons for a potential strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The gains achieved by UTR and Teamsters Local 856 directly affect the compensation of our unit through our ‘me too’ clause. When they secure a higher wage increase, we will also benefit if the increase they secure is more than what we secured,” IFPTE \u003ca href=\"https://ifpte21.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Sympathy-Strike-FAQ-WCCUSD-102725.pdf\">said \u003c/a>when recommending the strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mediator’s report this week isn’t binding, so the district isn’t required to offer the union a new proposal after its release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If the district is unwilling to [accept those recommendations], then we’re also ready to take that next step,” Ortiz said. “We’re ready to do our part, and the district needs to do theirs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "middle-school-students-celebrate-betty-reid-soskin-the-nations-oldest-park-ranger-at-104",
"title": "Middle School Students Celebrate Betty Reid Soskin, the Nation’s Oldest Park Ranger, at 104",
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"headTitle": "Middle School Students Celebrate Betty Reid Soskin, the Nation’s Oldest Park Ranger, at 104 | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>At 104 years old, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/betty-reid-soskin\">Betty Reid Soskin\u003c/a> still commands a room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As she entered her namesake \u003ca href=\"https://soskin.wccusd.net/\">middle school\u003c/a> in Contra Costa County on Monday, her 104th birthday, a hush came over the crowd of students awaiting her arrival.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then came the cheers and singing: “Happy Birthday, Miss Betty!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11910061/betty-reid-soskin-americas-oldest-park-ranger-retires-at-100\">her retirement in 2022\u003c/a>, Reid Soskin was the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/201506101000/americas-oldest-park-ranger-brings-history-to-life-at-richmonds-rosie-the-riveter-park\">oldest park ranger in the country\u003c/a>, having started her career in the National Park Service at 85 at Richmond’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/rori/index.htm\">Rosie the Riveter World War II Homefront National Historical Park\u003c/a>. She retired from the park service at the age of 100.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As is now an annual tradition, Reid Soskin and her family stopped by the school for her birthday, where students and staff celebrated her. As she made her rounds, she and the students — generations apart — seemed to be awestruck in each other’s presence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The East Bay middle school, formerly Juan Crespi Middle School, was \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/community/education/2021/06/24/el-sobrante-middle-school-renamed-in-honor-of-betty-reid-soskin/\">renamed \u003c/a>in 2021 to honor Reid Soskin, who, Principal Jason Lau said, serves as a role model and an inspiration to the students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Your legacy reminds us that it’s never too early or too late to make a difference,” he told Reid Soskin in front of the small crowd assembled in the school’s library for her party on Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"mceTemp\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>While she doesn’t consider herself a “Rosie,” proclaimed a display documenting Reid Soskin’s life at the school’s library, Reid Soskin made her own contributions to the World War II effort at home in the Bay Area \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/rori/learn/historyculture/betty-reid-soskin.htm\">as a file clerk for shipyard workers in Richmond\u003c/a>. But she and her former husband — who would together go on to open \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13850266/reids-records-berkeley-gospel-mainstay-to-close-after-75-years\">Reid’s Records\u003c/a>, one of the first Black-owned record stores in Oakland and one of the oldest in the state before it \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2019/02/05/reids-records-californias-oldest-record-shop-to-close-in-the-fall\">closed\u003c/a> in 2019 — faced considerable racism, driving her into politics and civil rights work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12057138\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12057138\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250922_BETTYREIDSOSKIN104TH_GC-12-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250922_BETTYREIDSOSKIN104TH_GC-12-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250922_BETTYREIDSOSKIN104TH_GC-12-KQED-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250922_BETTYREIDSOSKIN104TH_GC-12-KQED-1536x998.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Betty Reid Soskin signs a poster made by history students during her 104th birthday celebration at Betty Reid Soskin Middle School in El Sobrante on Sept. 22, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She would later lead the creation of the Richmond site, which opened in 2000. Thanks to her efforts, the museum \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12053628/richmond-rally-national-parks-trump-white-house-rosie-the-riveter-world-war-ii-homefront\">highlights the wartime contributions of the East Bay’s nonwhite residents\u003c/a> and the struggles they faced to win their own freedom at home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reid Soskin said it wasn’t until her mid-50s, after she experienced the loss of her father and two former husbands within the span of just three months, that her life took a turn toward political activism — and to fully embracing who she is.[aside postID=arts_13952570 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-20-at-12.01.15-PM-1020x572.png']“I think I felt lost for a while,” she said. “I didn’t know that I was going to come back. And then I came back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I came back as Betty, and I’ve been able to work as Betty ever since,” she continued. “I was defined by myself and that was really something.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reid Soskin said working for the park service “was probably the best thing I ever did. I felt as if I were meant to be here, and I was doing exactly as I was intended to do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>West Contra Costa Unified School District Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said she had the opportunity to see Reid Soskin at work as a park ranger when she and her son visited the Rosie the Riveter park as part of a school group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can’t imagine how many lives she’s touched and really inspired,” Cotton said. “I think that the world needs to know that great things come from Richmond. Great things come from our communities — and she is one of the greatest.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13952570/at-102-years-old-betty-reid-soskin-revisits-her-music-from-the-civil-rights-era\">But it’s Reid Soskin’s music\u003c/a> and songwriting that inspires eighth grader Farahzareh Parvar, who plays the flute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12057136\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12057136\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250922_BETTYREIDSOSKIN104TH_GC-7-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250922_BETTYREIDSOSKIN104TH_GC-7-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250922_BETTYREIDSOSKIN104TH_GC-7-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250922_BETTYREIDSOSKIN104TH_GC-7-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Betty Reid Soskin speaks to media during her 104th birthday celebration at Betty Reid Soskin Middle School in El Sobrante on Sept. 22, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I do music myself, and I think I just look up to her,” Parvar said. Reid Soskin used her music to reflect on her life and her generation’s fight for civil liberties, but kept her songs private for nearly a half-century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reid Soskin said if today’s students take anything from her life’s story, it’s to keep pushing themselves and others forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope that they continue to ask questions, and that they never settle for the answers,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>At 104 years old, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/betty-reid-soskin\">Betty Reid Soskin\u003c/a> still commands a room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As she entered her namesake \u003ca href=\"https://soskin.wccusd.net/\">middle school\u003c/a> in Contra Costa County on Monday, her 104th birthday, a hush came over the crowd of students awaiting her arrival.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then came the cheers and singing: “Happy Birthday, Miss Betty!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11910061/betty-reid-soskin-americas-oldest-park-ranger-retires-at-100\">her retirement in 2022\u003c/a>, Reid Soskin was the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/201506101000/americas-oldest-park-ranger-brings-history-to-life-at-richmonds-rosie-the-riveter-park\">oldest park ranger in the country\u003c/a>, having started her career in the National Park Service at 85 at Richmond’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/rori/index.htm\">Rosie the Riveter World War II Homefront National Historical Park\u003c/a>. She retired from the park service at the age of 100.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As is now an annual tradition, Reid Soskin and her family stopped by the school for her birthday, where students and staff celebrated her. As she made her rounds, she and the students — generations apart — seemed to be awestruck in each other’s presence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The East Bay middle school, formerly Juan Crespi Middle School, was \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/community/education/2021/06/24/el-sobrante-middle-school-renamed-in-honor-of-betty-reid-soskin/\">renamed \u003c/a>in 2021 to honor Reid Soskin, who, Principal Jason Lau said, serves as a role model and an inspiration to the students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Your legacy reminds us that it’s never too early or too late to make a difference,” he told Reid Soskin in front of the small crowd assembled in the school’s library for her party on Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"mceTemp\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>While she doesn’t consider herself a “Rosie,” proclaimed a display documenting Reid Soskin’s life at the school’s library, Reid Soskin made her own contributions to the World War II effort at home in the Bay Area \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/rori/learn/historyculture/betty-reid-soskin.htm\">as a file clerk for shipyard workers in Richmond\u003c/a>. But she and her former husband — who would together go on to open \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13850266/reids-records-berkeley-gospel-mainstay-to-close-after-75-years\">Reid’s Records\u003c/a>, one of the first Black-owned record stores in Oakland and one of the oldest in the state before it \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2019/02/05/reids-records-californias-oldest-record-shop-to-close-in-the-fall\">closed\u003c/a> in 2019 — faced considerable racism, driving her into politics and civil rights work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12057138\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12057138\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250922_BETTYREIDSOSKIN104TH_GC-12-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250922_BETTYREIDSOSKIN104TH_GC-12-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250922_BETTYREIDSOSKIN104TH_GC-12-KQED-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250922_BETTYREIDSOSKIN104TH_GC-12-KQED-1536x998.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Betty Reid Soskin signs a poster made by history students during her 104th birthday celebration at Betty Reid Soskin Middle School in El Sobrante on Sept. 22, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She would later lead the creation of the Richmond site, which opened in 2000. Thanks to her efforts, the museum \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12053628/richmond-rally-national-parks-trump-white-house-rosie-the-riveter-world-war-ii-homefront\">highlights the wartime contributions of the East Bay’s nonwhite residents\u003c/a> and the struggles they faced to win their own freedom at home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reid Soskin said it wasn’t until her mid-50s, after she experienced the loss of her father and two former husbands within the span of just three months, that her life took a turn toward political activism — and to fully embracing who she is.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“I think I felt lost for a while,” she said. “I didn’t know that I was going to come back. And then I came back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I came back as Betty, and I’ve been able to work as Betty ever since,” she continued. “I was defined by myself and that was really something.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reid Soskin said working for the park service “was probably the best thing I ever did. I felt as if I were meant to be here, and I was doing exactly as I was intended to do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>West Contra Costa Unified School District Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said she had the opportunity to see Reid Soskin at work as a park ranger when she and her son visited the Rosie the Riveter park as part of a school group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can’t imagine how many lives she’s touched and really inspired,” Cotton said. “I think that the world needs to know that great things come from Richmond. Great things come from our communities — and she is one of the greatest.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13952570/at-102-years-old-betty-reid-soskin-revisits-her-music-from-the-civil-rights-era\">But it’s Reid Soskin’s music\u003c/a> and songwriting that inspires eighth grader Farahzareh Parvar, who plays the flute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12057136\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12057136\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250922_BETTYREIDSOSKIN104TH_GC-7-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250922_BETTYREIDSOSKIN104TH_GC-7-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250922_BETTYREIDSOSKIN104TH_GC-7-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250922_BETTYREIDSOSKIN104TH_GC-7-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Betty Reid Soskin speaks to media during her 104th birthday celebration at Betty Reid Soskin Middle School in El Sobrante on Sept. 22, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I do music myself, and I think I just look up to her,” Parvar said. Reid Soskin used her music to reflect on her life and her generation’s fight for civil liberties, but kept her songs private for nearly a half-century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reid Soskin said if today’s students take anything from her life’s story, it’s to keep pushing themselves and others forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope that they continue to ask questions, and that they never settle for the answers,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Over a hundred students from at least two \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/richmond\">Richmond\u003c/a> high schools walked out of class on Wednesday and marched to the school district’s office to protest millions of dollars in budget cuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The action came just a day after students at John F. Kennedy High School walked out, calling on the West Contra Costa Unified School District to halt $13 million in cuts over the next two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Honestly, we’re fighting for the future,” Julissa Blandon, a senior at Kennedy High, told KQED. “I’m going to be leaving, and I’m going to see all my fellow lowerclassmen suffer. That just doesn’t stand with me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The West Contra Costa school board voted last month to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12029232/west-contra-costa-compromises-on-eliminating-staff-but-student-services-could-face-cuts\">move forward with cuts\u003c/a> to over 150 positions as part of its multi-year plan to maintain local control of its finances. The vote saved eight positions but left the district in further fiscal uncertainty, requiring more than $1 million in alternative cuts, interim Superintendent Kim Moses said in a Feb. 27 statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-13.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031128\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-13.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"833\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-13.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-13-800x267.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-13-1020x340.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-13-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-13-1536x512.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-13-2048x682.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-13-1920x640.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031026\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12031026 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-09-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-09-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-09-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-09-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students from Richmond’s John F. Kennedy High School stage a walkout and rally in front of the West Contra Costa Unified School District offices to protest impending layoffs as part of cuts to the district’s budget in Richmond on March 12, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, students from Kennedy and Richmond High schools marched over two miles in the rain from Kennedy on Cutting Boulevard to district offices on Bissell Avenue, receiving honks of approval from passing cars and drawing residents out of their homes. Students and former Richmond City Councilmember Melvin Willis led chants while some held signs saying “Our Education Matters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cuts would be especially harmful to Kennedy, Blandon said. The school is over 90% students of color, and many have low income, according to state data. She said the cuts would eliminate almost 20 teachers from the school’s college and career pathways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Union officials have also said the reductions, which have already resulted in $19 million being cut for this school year, are unnecessary and “a direct attack on our classrooms, our educators, and our students’ future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031023\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-02-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031023\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-02-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-02-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-02-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students from Richmond’s John F. Kennedy High School rally outside the West Contra Costa Unified School District offices in Richmond on March 12, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The United Teachers of Richmond, which represents educators throughout the district, said last month during a Richmond City Council \u003ca href=\"https://ccpulse.org/2025/02/27/teachers-union-asks-richmond-to-look-at-wccusd-finances-richmond-honors-black-nine-officers/\">meeting\u003c/a> that WCCUSD was “stockpiling reserves” instead of funding schools. Moses said at a Feb. 5 meeting on UTR’s reserves comments that their numbers were “not an accuracy in our reality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a Wednesday statement, the district said it was aware of the walkout and respects students’ right to express themselves and issues they care about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“However, our top priority is ensuring their safety,” the statement said. “This walkout is not a school-sponsored event, and we have encouraged students to remain on campus, where we have provided safe spaces for discussion. We urge students to engage in peaceful and safe forms of expressions that do not put themselves or others at risk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Over a hundred students from at least two \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/richmond\">Richmond\u003c/a> high schools walked out of class on Wednesday and marched to the school district’s office to protest millions of dollars in budget cuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The action came just a day after students at John F. Kennedy High School walked out, calling on the West Contra Costa Unified School District to halt $13 million in cuts over the next two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Honestly, we’re fighting for the future,” Julissa Blandon, a senior at Kennedy High, told KQED. “I’m going to be leaving, and I’m going to see all my fellow lowerclassmen suffer. That just doesn’t stand with me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The West Contra Costa school board voted last month to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12029232/west-contra-costa-compromises-on-eliminating-staff-but-student-services-could-face-cuts\">move forward with cuts\u003c/a> to over 150 positions as part of its multi-year plan to maintain local control of its finances. The vote saved eight positions but left the district in further fiscal uncertainty, requiring more than $1 million in alternative cuts, interim Superintendent Kim Moses said in a Feb. 27 statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-13.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031128\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-13.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"833\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-13.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-13-800x267.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-13-1020x340.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-13-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-13-1536x512.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-13-2048x682.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-13-1920x640.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031026\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12031026 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-09-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-09-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-09-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-09-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students from Richmond’s John F. Kennedy High School stage a walkout and rally in front of the West Contra Costa Unified School District offices to protest impending layoffs as part of cuts to the district’s budget in Richmond on March 12, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, students from Kennedy and Richmond High schools marched over two miles in the rain from Kennedy on Cutting Boulevard to district offices on Bissell Avenue, receiving honks of approval from passing cars and drawing residents out of their homes. Students and former Richmond City Councilmember Melvin Willis led chants while some held signs saying “Our Education Matters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cuts would be especially harmful to Kennedy, Blandon said. The school is over 90% students of color, and many have low income, according to state data. She said the cuts would eliminate almost 20 teachers from the school’s college and career pathways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Union officials have also said the reductions, which have already resulted in $19 million being cut for this school year, are unnecessary and “a direct attack on our classrooms, our educators, and our students’ future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031023\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-02-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031023\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-02-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-02-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240312-RICHMOND-WALKOUT-MD-02-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students from Richmond’s John F. Kennedy High School rally outside the West Contra Costa Unified School District offices in Richmond on March 12, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The United Teachers of Richmond, which represents educators throughout the district, said last month during a Richmond City Council \u003ca href=\"https://ccpulse.org/2025/02/27/teachers-union-asks-richmond-to-look-at-wccusd-finances-richmond-honors-black-nine-officers/\">meeting\u003c/a> that WCCUSD was “stockpiling reserves” instead of funding schools. Moses said at a Feb. 5 meeting on UTR’s reserves comments that their numbers were “not an accuracy in our reality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a Wednesday statement, the district said it was aware of the walkout and respects students’ right to express themselves and issues they care about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“However, our top priority is ensuring their safety,” the statement said. “This walkout is not a school-sponsored event, and we have encouraged students to remain on campus, where we have provided safe spaces for discussion. We urge students to engage in peaceful and safe forms of expressions that do not put themselves or others at risk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>In a move consistent with dozens of California school districts, West Contra Costa Unified board members have had to choose between eliminating staff and services for students or exploding its budget deficit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the start of the debate at Wednesday night’s school board meeting, the district had proposed cutting about 177 staffing positions and, after nearly three hours of debate, the board voted 3–1 to cut all but eight. But saving those eight positions jeopardizes funding for services for at-risk students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ultimately, with these decisions, our students will suffer the most without the staff that is needed to provide them with an excellent education that they deserve and which is necessary to decrease the longstanding education gaps for the district’s Black and brown students,” said Sheryl Lane, executive director of \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.fierceadvocates.org/mission-vision\">Fierce Advocates\u003c/a>, a Richmond organization focused on working with parents of color.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Out of the positions that are being eliminated, 122 are already vacant, according to district officials. And so far, the district has also received 27 resignations and 47 retirement notices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s unclear if there will be layoffs, but \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2025/west-contra-costa-community-rallies-around-educators-protesting-staffing-cuts/726845\">on Feb. \u003c/a>6, interim Superintendent Kim Moses said that because of vacancy levels, the district administrators “expect that there will be a certificated job available for all current WCCUSD (West Contra Costa Unified School District) educators for the 2025–26 school year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout this month, educators, parents, students and community members showed up in large numbers to speak, as they have in all board meetings since the budget talks started, urging the board to reconsider cutting staff positions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We saw today the dysfunction,” United Teachers of Richmond President Francisco Ortiz said during the meeting. “We need collaboration. Every single cabinet member has my direct phone number. Every board member has my phone number. We have been excluded from the decision-making process and in the collaboration since the new administration took over. This situation has been imposed on us, but we’re ready to fight.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A split board\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It took nine amended resolutions for a vote to pass on Wednesday night. Trustee Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy attempted to save high school teachers, school counselors, social workers, psychologists, speech therapists, and career technical education educators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the board was split.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Board President Leslie Reckler and trustee Guadalupe Enllana voted down the motions while Gonzalez-Hoy and trustee Cinthia Hernandez were determined to save some staffing positions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The successful resolution saved one part-time psychologist position, one part-time and seven full-time high school teachers. Reckler voted down the resolution and trustee Jamela Smith-Folds was absent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an email to EdSource, Reckler argued the board had already approved the fiscal solvency plan and if the cuts weren’t passed, “it shows the board to be an unreliable steward of public funds, and I will not be lumped into that category.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My prime responsibility is to ensure the long-term fiscal solvency of the school district and ensure continued local control in decision-making,” Reckler said. “Last night’s vote will make it more difficult for the school district.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The top priority for Gonzalez-Hoy was to save the high school teacher positions because cutting them would have caused some schools to go from a seven-period day to six, he said. English learners, students with disabilities and students who need more academic support would be most affected because they often need to take on extra courses and benefit from having more class periods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I could not in good conscience make those reductions, knowing the unintended impact they would have,” he said. “Even though it was a very difficult conversation and decision, I did vote to cut the majority of the positions, in part due to our ability to possibly retain some of those positions through grants, but also due to our financial situation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an emailed statement, Enllana said the board and district can no longer continue to be “driven by individual interests but must prioritize the needs of all students.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is a clear distinction between needs and wants. Our first responsibility is to secure what our students need, and then work towards fulfilling the wants under our current budget.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>California schools are in a budget crisis\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This week, other Bay Area school boards also made the difficult decision to lay off employees for the coming school year. Oakland’s school board voted to cut 100 positions, \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/oakland-school-board-tiptoes-back-fiscal-cliff-20187724.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> reported\u003c/a>. \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028317/sf-schools-brace-hundreds-layoffs-including-teachers-librarians-counselors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According to KQED\u003c/a>, San Francisco Unified will also send pink slips to more than 500 employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>West Contra Costa Unified has to balance between the need for fiscal solvency and keeping the schools adequately staffed with teachers, social workers, psychologists and other support staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These decisions by the school board are tough ones and speak to the structural changes needed at the state level to change the revenue it receives that can go towards funding local school districts, like WCCUSD,” Lane said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district has been under financial stress since last year and could risk insolvency if its fiscal plan isn’t followed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When districts can’t get out of deficits, they risk being taken over by the state and losing local control over budget decisions. Twenty-six years ago, West Contra Costa became the first district in the state to go insolvent and received a $29 million bailout loan, which took 21 years to pay off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To stay out of a deficit, West Contra Costa has to cut $32.7 million in costs between 2024 and 2027. District officials have said about 84% of the budget is used to pay salaries and benefits — the reason staffing cuts would be unavoidable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district needs to put forth a fiscal solvency plan approved by the Contra Costa County Office of Education to avoid going insolvent and risking a takeover, Moses said. The staffing cuts are tied to the plan and must happen for the district to stay on track. The board \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2025/west-contra-costa-school-board-slashes-staffing-to-avoid-deficit/726423\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">approved the plan\u003c/a> earlier this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It would be multiple millions of dollars of impact to the general fund if we don’t take action,” Moses said during the meeting. “The response to the county, if that is the case, I think we would be sending a strong message that we are not addressing our fiscal stability, and that would not be advisable as they are oversight agents.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The price of compromise\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Saving the high school teacher and psychologist positions will add $1.5 million to $1.75 million to the deficit, Moses said. The district doesn’t have a choice but to use funds that are meant for student services and will likely have to dip into the $4 million set aside for math curriculum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We value all staff and their dedication to our community; however, the fiscal health of our district has to be prioritized as the foundation for our ability to continue normal district operations,” Moses said in a news release Thursday. “I am concerned about the added fiscal uncertainty we face after last night’s board meeting.”[aside label='Related Coverage' tag='west-contra-costa-unified-school-district']Cutting the money for teacher and math support is a step backward for the district, which makes it more difficult for educators to help students improve, said Natalie Walchuk, vice president of local impact at \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://gopublicschoolswcc.org/our-organization/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GO Public Schools\u003c/a>, an organization advocating for equitable public education.\u003cem> \u003c/em>In West Contra Costa, only \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://bit.ly/kidscan24\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1 in 4 students are performing at grade level in math\u003c/a> and just 6.1% of seniors are ready for college-level math.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Teachers need the right tools and resources to support their students, yet the district has lagged for years in adopting a new math curriculum,” Walchuk said. “While we recognize the difficult financial decisions the board had to make, it is critical that the district prioritizes student learning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The positions on the chopping block came from two pots of money — the general fund, which accounts for 40 positions, and grants, which cover 137 positions. Money for grant-funded positions is either expiring or has been used faster than projected, said Camille Johnson, associate superintendent of human resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trying to save the grant-funded positions would add to the deficit, Moses said. Although the district staff is working to secure more grants, the funds districts receive from the federal government are uncertain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were not in a position to consult the (teachers) union because we do not have money to pay for these positions,” Moses said during the meeting. “Negotiations in terms of what stays and what goes was not possible in this scenario because it’s strictly driven by money that is expiring or money we aren’t responsible for assigning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district doesn’t have a choice but to eliminate some positions because they are dependent on school sites approving the positions in their budgets, Moses said. If approved, about 78 positions could be reinstated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deadline to give layoff notices is March 15.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2025/we-are-ready-to-fight-union-says-after-west-contra-costa-votes-to-cut-nearly-200-positions/727577\">\u003cem>This story originally appeared in EdSource.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Facing a big budget deficit, West Contra Costa Unified board members have had to choose between eliminating staff and services for students. The deadline to give layoff notices is March 15.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In a move consistent with dozens of California school districts, West Contra Costa Unified board members have had to choose between eliminating staff and services for students or exploding its budget deficit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the start of the debate at Wednesday night’s school board meeting, the district had proposed cutting about 177 staffing positions and, after nearly three hours of debate, the board voted 3–1 to cut all but eight. But saving those eight positions jeopardizes funding for services for at-risk students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ultimately, with these decisions, our students will suffer the most without the staff that is needed to provide them with an excellent education that they deserve and which is necessary to decrease the longstanding education gaps for the district’s Black and brown students,” said Sheryl Lane, executive director of \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.fierceadvocates.org/mission-vision\">Fierce Advocates\u003c/a>, a Richmond organization focused on working with parents of color.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Out of the positions that are being eliminated, 122 are already vacant, according to district officials. And so far, the district has also received 27 resignations and 47 retirement notices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s unclear if there will be layoffs, but \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2025/west-contra-costa-community-rallies-around-educators-protesting-staffing-cuts/726845\">on Feb. \u003c/a>6, interim Superintendent Kim Moses said that because of vacancy levels, the district administrators “expect that there will be a certificated job available for all current WCCUSD (West Contra Costa Unified School District) educators for the 2025–26 school year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout this month, educators, parents, students and community members showed up in large numbers to speak, as they have in all board meetings since the budget talks started, urging the board to reconsider cutting staff positions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We saw today the dysfunction,” United Teachers of Richmond President Francisco Ortiz said during the meeting. “We need collaboration. Every single cabinet member has my direct phone number. Every board member has my phone number. We have been excluded from the decision-making process and in the collaboration since the new administration took over. This situation has been imposed on us, but we’re ready to fight.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A split board\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It took nine amended resolutions for a vote to pass on Wednesday night. Trustee Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy attempted to save high school teachers, school counselors, social workers, psychologists, speech therapists, and career technical education educators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the board was split.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Board President Leslie Reckler and trustee Guadalupe Enllana voted down the motions while Gonzalez-Hoy and trustee Cinthia Hernandez were determined to save some staffing positions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The successful resolution saved one part-time psychologist position, one part-time and seven full-time high school teachers. Reckler voted down the resolution and trustee Jamela Smith-Folds was absent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an email to EdSource, Reckler argued the board had already approved the fiscal solvency plan and if the cuts weren’t passed, “it shows the board to be an unreliable steward of public funds, and I will not be lumped into that category.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My prime responsibility is to ensure the long-term fiscal solvency of the school district and ensure continued local control in decision-making,” Reckler said. “Last night’s vote will make it more difficult for the school district.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The top priority for Gonzalez-Hoy was to save the high school teacher positions because cutting them would have caused some schools to go from a seven-period day to six, he said. English learners, students with disabilities and students who need more academic support would be most affected because they often need to take on extra courses and benefit from having more class periods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I could not in good conscience make those reductions, knowing the unintended impact they would have,” he said. “Even though it was a very difficult conversation and decision, I did vote to cut the majority of the positions, in part due to our ability to possibly retain some of those positions through grants, but also due to our financial situation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an emailed statement, Enllana said the board and district can no longer continue to be “driven by individual interests but must prioritize the needs of all students.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is a clear distinction between needs and wants. Our first responsibility is to secure what our students need, and then work towards fulfilling the wants under our current budget.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>California schools are in a budget crisis\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This week, other Bay Area school boards also made the difficult decision to lay off employees for the coming school year. Oakland’s school board voted to cut 100 positions, \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/oakland-school-board-tiptoes-back-fiscal-cliff-20187724.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> reported\u003c/a>. \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028317/sf-schools-brace-hundreds-layoffs-including-teachers-librarians-counselors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According to KQED\u003c/a>, San Francisco Unified will also send pink slips to more than 500 employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>West Contra Costa Unified has to balance between the need for fiscal solvency and keeping the schools adequately staffed with teachers, social workers, psychologists and other support staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These decisions by the school board are tough ones and speak to the structural changes needed at the state level to change the revenue it receives that can go towards funding local school districts, like WCCUSD,” Lane said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district has been under financial stress since last year and could risk insolvency if its fiscal plan isn’t followed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When districts can’t get out of deficits, they risk being taken over by the state and losing local control over budget decisions. Twenty-six years ago, West Contra Costa became the first district in the state to go insolvent and received a $29 million bailout loan, which took 21 years to pay off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To stay out of a deficit, West Contra Costa has to cut $32.7 million in costs between 2024 and 2027. District officials have said about 84% of the budget is used to pay salaries and benefits — the reason staffing cuts would be unavoidable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district needs to put forth a fiscal solvency plan approved by the Contra Costa County Office of Education to avoid going insolvent and risking a takeover, Moses said. The staffing cuts are tied to the plan and must happen for the district to stay on track. The board \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2025/west-contra-costa-school-board-slashes-staffing-to-avoid-deficit/726423\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">approved the plan\u003c/a> earlier this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It would be multiple millions of dollars of impact to the general fund if we don’t take action,” Moses said during the meeting. “The response to the county, if that is the case, I think we would be sending a strong message that we are not addressing our fiscal stability, and that would not be advisable as they are oversight agents.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The price of compromise\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Saving the high school teacher and psychologist positions will add $1.5 million to $1.75 million to the deficit, Moses said. The district doesn’t have a choice but to use funds that are meant for student services and will likely have to dip into the $4 million set aside for math curriculum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We value all staff and their dedication to our community; however, the fiscal health of our district has to be prioritized as the foundation for our ability to continue normal district operations,” Moses said in a news release Thursday. “I am concerned about the added fiscal uncertainty we face after last night’s board meeting.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Cutting the money for teacher and math support is a step backward for the district, which makes it more difficult for educators to help students improve, said Natalie Walchuk, vice president of local impact at \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://gopublicschoolswcc.org/our-organization/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GO Public Schools\u003c/a>, an organization advocating for equitable public education.\u003cem> \u003c/em>In West Contra Costa, only \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://bit.ly/kidscan24\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1 in 4 students are performing at grade level in math\u003c/a> and just 6.1% of seniors are ready for college-level math.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Teachers need the right tools and resources to support their students, yet the district has lagged for years in adopting a new math curriculum,” Walchuk said. “While we recognize the difficult financial decisions the board had to make, it is critical that the district prioritizes student learning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The positions on the chopping block came from two pots of money — the general fund, which accounts for 40 positions, and grants, which cover 137 positions. Money for grant-funded positions is either expiring or has been used faster than projected, said Camille Johnson, associate superintendent of human resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trying to save the grant-funded positions would add to the deficit, Moses said. Although the district staff is working to secure more grants, the funds districts receive from the federal government are uncertain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were not in a position to consult the (teachers) union because we do not have money to pay for these positions,” Moses said during the meeting. “Negotiations in terms of what stays and what goes was not possible in this scenario because it’s strictly driven by money that is expiring or money we aren’t responsible for assigning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district doesn’t have a choice but to eliminate some positions because they are dependent on school sites approving the positions in their budgets, Moses said. If approved, about 78 positions could be reinstated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deadline to give layoff notices is March 15.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2025/we-are-ready-to-fight-union-says-after-west-contra-costa-votes-to-cut-nearly-200-positions/727577\">\u003cem>This story originally appeared in EdSource.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "west-contra-costa-unified-struggles-to-stay-solvent-and-avoid-state-takeover",
"title": "West Contra Costa Unified Struggles to Stay Solvent Amid Looming Threat of State Takeover",
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"headTitle": "West Contra Costa Unified Struggles to Stay Solvent Amid Looming Threat of State Takeover | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>West Contra Costa Unified School District is on the cusp of a new and uncertain era following the retirement of its superintendent, Chris Hurst, who \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12007378/west-contra-costa-school-district-to-appoint-interim-leader-after-superintendent-announces-retirement\">stepped down in December\u003c/a> after just over three years on the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whoever is chosen to permanently replace him will face a daunting set of concerns, including ensuring that the district is not placed under state control. For now, that job is in the hands of interim Superintendent Kim Moses, who, until December, was the district’s associate superintendent for business services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With an enrollment of just under 30,000 students, more than half from lower-income families, the district comprises 54 schools in El Cerrito, Richmond and other East Bay communities in the San Francisco Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chief among the issues the district faces are declining enrollment, persistent budget deficits, a sluggish improvement in post-COVID test scores, teacher shortages, and meeting the multiple needs of a diverse and largely lower-income student body, along with a sometimes-contentious school board not always in alignment with its superintendent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To a greater or lesser extent, these are problems facing many urban districts across California, including some larger neighbors around the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Unified also got a new superintendent last month and is grappling with \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2024/san-francisco-schools-must-avoid-state-takeover-at-all-costs-education-veteran-warns/720851\">severe budget deficits\u003c/a> and intense pressure to close schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Oakland Unified’s superintendent, Kyla Johnson-Trammell, is still in her job after seven years, surviving a teacher strike, the pandemic, and other travails, the district is dealing with similar \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://abc7news.com/post/ousd-budget-deficit-oakland-unified-schools/15438418/\">profound challenges\u003c/a>. Both San Francisco and Oakland also face the prospect \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2024/12/12/oakland-school-board-mergers-vote-budget/\">of a state takeover\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last Wednesday, at West Contra Costa’s first board meeting of 2025, Moses issued a blunt warning about the need to make further budget cuts to avoid insolvency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After making $19 million in cuts during the current year, the district still has a “significant structural deficit,” she said, and warned that under current scenarios, its budget reserves “will be exhausted within three years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without further reductions in the next two school years, the district would be “placed under (state) receivership, which means we’ll no longer be in charge of making financial decisions for our district,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1991, the district had the unfortunate distinction of being the \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/west-contra-costa-school-district-pays-off-debt-3603036.php\">first in the state\u003c/a> to go insolvent. To rescue it, the district received a $29 million bailout loan, which took 21 years to pay off. Now, it is trying to head off a similar fate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December, the West Contra Costa school board passed a budget that members said met the standard to receive a “positive certification,” which, under state regulations, means it would not spend its entire reserve over the next three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the county office of education has refused to approve that certification without the district providing a multiyear deficit-reduction plan. That is what Moses \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=36030499&MID=35548&Tab=Agenda&enIID=RHWWplusB2gtQOQVppslshZ6fPAw%3D%3D\">presented to the board \u003c/a>on Wednesday night, involving cuts of $7 million next year and an additional $6 million the following year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Declining enrollment — by 8% over the past four years alone — is perhaps West Contra Costa’s primary concern, according to Michael Fine, CEO of California’s \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.fcmat.org/\">Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team\u003c/a>, an agency created by the state to help districts resolve financial and management problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fine largely attributes the decline — which is mirrored in many other districts and the \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.the74million.org/article/california-lost-420k-public-school-kids-in-4-years-may-drop-1m-more-by-2031/\">state as a whole\u003c/a> — to lower birth rates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a long-term problem” for schools, he said. “Right now, schools are feeling it most in kindergarten and elementary school. In 10 years, it will be middle school, then high school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problem translates directly into money. In California, schools have a variety of sources of funds, but they are primarily based on “average daily attendance,” that is, the number of kids in the classroom each day. In 2022-23, the district received \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://ed-data.org/ShareData/Html/120187\">nearly $24,000\u003c/a> per student from various sources, most of it from the state based on actual attendance, according to Ed-Data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As enrollment declines — either through lower birth rates or families leaving the expensive Bay Area — so, too, does the district’s revenues. Another factor reducing income is the end of the federal government’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund, designed to help with COVID-19 recovery. The fund brought the district some $53 million by 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of which has had an effect on West Contra Costa Unified’s budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One approach the district is examining to reduce its deficit is so-called “purpose-based budgeting.” The method, designed to more tightly control expenses, is to evaluate how well specific funds match the district’s priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that may not be enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Look, I understand. No one joins a school board to lay off people,” Fine said. “But your revenue is going away, and they’re overstaffed compared to their enrollment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Francisco Ortiz, president of United Teachers of Richmond, the union representing teachers, said there are already too many unfilled positions in West Contra Costa, and the district cannot afford to save more by further reducing staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In secondary schools alone, we have 27 vacant FTEs — full-time equivalent (positions),” he said. “And in elementary, it’s 30.8 vacancies and 22 in special ed. The majority of these folks are teachers, some counselors, in elementary, but the majority are classroom teachers.” Most schools, he said, have to use substitutes on a daily basis.[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_12007378,news_11996607,news_11806638\"]At the board meeting this week, interim Superintendent Moses argued that increasing student attendance and enrollment is the only realistic way to reduce the district’s deficits without making further cuts. For every 1% increase in attendance, the district would generate $2.75 million in additional state funding. To that end, the district is launching what it calls its “Why We Show Up” campaign. “It’s really cut and dried,” Moses said. “We only get revenue based upon the number of children we have in a seat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At last week’s board meeting, many parents and teachers expressed concerns that there would be cuts in district offerings like its International Baccalaureate and bilingual and dual immersion programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Moses tried to reassure the school community that no programs would be cut. A big chunk of reductions she is proposing would come from central office reductions, moving teachers out of classrooms with small numbers of students, and so on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Part of the problem, union leader Ortiz said, is that the district has done a poor job of budgeting for how many teachers it will need each year. As for covering the district’s deficit — to pay for more teachers — he said the district should draw further on its reserve. “The reserve is for a rainy day, and right now, it’s flooding. Our most vulnerable students are the ones receiving the blunt end of this. Cutting classroom teachers is not the answer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, FCMAT’s Fine argues that it has to be part of the equation. “Lots of school boards say cut as far away from the classroom as you can, but when you have declining enrollment, you cut at the classroom level. But it’s really tough. It’s difficult as heck. It is horrendous.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fine argues that the issue of teacher vacancies is a nuanced one and that there may be possible solutions. There may, for example, may be too many English teachers and not enough math teachers or too many PE teachers and not enough special education teachers. He suggests that districts consider offering programs to re-credential teachers, even though this is not a short-term strategy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The solution doesn’t work for everyone, but why don’t we pay, say, English teachers, to get credentialed to teach the sixth grade? Or invest in someone to get a special ed credential?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before his departure, outgoing superintendent Hurst outlined several of the district’s recent accomplishments in his \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.wccusd.net/cms/lib/CA01001466/Centricity/Domain/77/State%20of%20Our%20District_Presentation_9_30.pdf\">State of Our District (PDF)\u003c/a> report — a reminder that putting all the attention on finances can obscure progress in other areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among those is the return to 100% in-person learning in the district after the pandemic. Another is “improved staff recruitment, development and retention,” with teacher vacancies declining from 143 two years ago to 64 in the current school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Test scores have also improved somewhat in the district, according to \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://caaspp.edsource.org/sbac/west-contra-costa-unified-07617960000000\">results of the Smarter Balanced assessments\u003c/a> students took last spring, though they still lag statewide averages and, like almost all districts in the state, are not yet up to pre-pandemic levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board recently hired David Hart as chief business manager, at least through the remainder of the school year. He’s the highly regarded former chief financial officer of the massive Los Angeles Unified, a district 20 times the size of West Contra Costa. Fine is hopeful Hart’s experience with a vastly more complex district will accelerate the district’s path to recovery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They are hiring a very skilled interim CBO,” he said. “I hope they listen to him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Louis Freedberg contributed to this report, \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2025/west-contra-costa-unified-struggles-to-stay-solvent-avoid-state-takeover/725039\">which originally appeared in EdSource.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "West Contra Costa Unified Struggles to Stay Solvent Amid Looming Threat of State Takeover | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>West Contra Costa Unified School District is on the cusp of a new and uncertain era following the retirement of its superintendent, Chris Hurst, who \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12007378/west-contra-costa-school-district-to-appoint-interim-leader-after-superintendent-announces-retirement\">stepped down in December\u003c/a> after just over three years on the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whoever is chosen to permanently replace him will face a daunting set of concerns, including ensuring that the district is not placed under state control. For now, that job is in the hands of interim Superintendent Kim Moses, who, until December, was the district’s associate superintendent for business services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With an enrollment of just under 30,000 students, more than half from lower-income families, the district comprises 54 schools in El Cerrito, Richmond and other East Bay communities in the San Francisco Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chief among the issues the district faces are declining enrollment, persistent budget deficits, a sluggish improvement in post-COVID test scores, teacher shortages, and meeting the multiple needs of a diverse and largely lower-income student body, along with a sometimes-contentious school board not always in alignment with its superintendent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To a greater or lesser extent, these are problems facing many urban districts across California, including some larger neighbors around the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Unified also got a new superintendent last month and is grappling with \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2024/san-francisco-schools-must-avoid-state-takeover-at-all-costs-education-veteran-warns/720851\">severe budget deficits\u003c/a> and intense pressure to close schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Oakland Unified’s superintendent, Kyla Johnson-Trammell, is still in her job after seven years, surviving a teacher strike, the pandemic, and other travails, the district is dealing with similar \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://abc7news.com/post/ousd-budget-deficit-oakland-unified-schools/15438418/\">profound challenges\u003c/a>. Both San Francisco and Oakland also face the prospect \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2024/12/12/oakland-school-board-mergers-vote-budget/\">of a state takeover\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last Wednesday, at West Contra Costa’s first board meeting of 2025, Moses issued a blunt warning about the need to make further budget cuts to avoid insolvency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After making $19 million in cuts during the current year, the district still has a “significant structural deficit,” she said, and warned that under current scenarios, its budget reserves “will be exhausted within three years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without further reductions in the next two school years, the district would be “placed under (state) receivership, which means we’ll no longer be in charge of making financial decisions for our district,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1991, the district had the unfortunate distinction of being the \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/west-contra-costa-school-district-pays-off-debt-3603036.php\">first in the state\u003c/a> to go insolvent. To rescue it, the district received a $29 million bailout loan, which took 21 years to pay off. Now, it is trying to head off a similar fate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December, the West Contra Costa school board passed a budget that members said met the standard to receive a “positive certification,” which, under state regulations, means it would not spend its entire reserve over the next three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the county office of education has refused to approve that certification without the district providing a multiyear deficit-reduction plan. That is what Moses \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=36030499&MID=35548&Tab=Agenda&enIID=RHWWplusB2gtQOQVppslshZ6fPAw%3D%3D\">presented to the board \u003c/a>on Wednesday night, involving cuts of $7 million next year and an additional $6 million the following year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Declining enrollment — by 8% over the past four years alone — is perhaps West Contra Costa’s primary concern, according to Michael Fine, CEO of California’s \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.fcmat.org/\">Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team\u003c/a>, an agency created by the state to help districts resolve financial and management problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fine largely attributes the decline — which is mirrored in many other districts and the \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.the74million.org/article/california-lost-420k-public-school-kids-in-4-years-may-drop-1m-more-by-2031/\">state as a whole\u003c/a> — to lower birth rates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a long-term problem” for schools, he said. “Right now, schools are feeling it most in kindergarten and elementary school. In 10 years, it will be middle school, then high school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problem translates directly into money. In California, schools have a variety of sources of funds, but they are primarily based on “average daily attendance,” that is, the number of kids in the classroom each day. In 2022-23, the district received \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://ed-data.org/ShareData/Html/120187\">nearly $24,000\u003c/a> per student from various sources, most of it from the state based on actual attendance, according to Ed-Data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As enrollment declines — either through lower birth rates or families leaving the expensive Bay Area — so, too, does the district’s revenues. Another factor reducing income is the end of the federal government’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund, designed to help with COVID-19 recovery. The fund brought the district some $53 million by 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of which has had an effect on West Contra Costa Unified’s budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One approach the district is examining to reduce its deficit is so-called “purpose-based budgeting.” The method, designed to more tightly control expenses, is to evaluate how well specific funds match the district’s priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that may not be enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Look, I understand. No one joins a school board to lay off people,” Fine said. “But your revenue is going away, and they’re overstaffed compared to their enrollment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Francisco Ortiz, president of United Teachers of Richmond, the union representing teachers, said there are already too many unfilled positions in West Contra Costa, and the district cannot afford to save more by further reducing staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In secondary schools alone, we have 27 vacant FTEs — full-time equivalent (positions),” he said. “And in elementary, it’s 30.8 vacancies and 22 in special ed. The majority of these folks are teachers, some counselors, in elementary, but the majority are classroom teachers.” Most schools, he said, have to use substitutes on a daily basis.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>At the board meeting this week, interim Superintendent Moses argued that increasing student attendance and enrollment is the only realistic way to reduce the district’s deficits without making further cuts. For every 1% increase in attendance, the district would generate $2.75 million in additional state funding. To that end, the district is launching what it calls its “Why We Show Up” campaign. “It’s really cut and dried,” Moses said. “We only get revenue based upon the number of children we have in a seat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At last week’s board meeting, many parents and teachers expressed concerns that there would be cuts in district offerings like its International Baccalaureate and bilingual and dual immersion programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Moses tried to reassure the school community that no programs would be cut. A big chunk of reductions she is proposing would come from central office reductions, moving teachers out of classrooms with small numbers of students, and so on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Part of the problem, union leader Ortiz said, is that the district has done a poor job of budgeting for how many teachers it will need each year. As for covering the district’s deficit — to pay for more teachers — he said the district should draw further on its reserve. “The reserve is for a rainy day, and right now, it’s flooding. Our most vulnerable students are the ones receiving the blunt end of this. Cutting classroom teachers is not the answer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, FCMAT’s Fine argues that it has to be part of the equation. “Lots of school boards say cut as far away from the classroom as you can, but when you have declining enrollment, you cut at the classroom level. But it’s really tough. It’s difficult as heck. It is horrendous.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fine argues that the issue of teacher vacancies is a nuanced one and that there may be possible solutions. There may, for example, may be too many English teachers and not enough math teachers or too many PE teachers and not enough special education teachers. He suggests that districts consider offering programs to re-credential teachers, even though this is not a short-term strategy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The solution doesn’t work for everyone, but why don’t we pay, say, English teachers, to get credentialed to teach the sixth grade? Or invest in someone to get a special ed credential?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before his departure, outgoing superintendent Hurst outlined several of the district’s recent accomplishments in his \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.wccusd.net/cms/lib/CA01001466/Centricity/Domain/77/State%20of%20Our%20District_Presentation_9_30.pdf\">State of Our District (PDF)\u003c/a> report — a reminder that putting all the attention on finances can obscure progress in other areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among those is the return to 100% in-person learning in the district after the pandemic. Another is “improved staff recruitment, development and retention,” with teacher vacancies declining from 143 two years ago to 64 in the current school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Test scores have also improved somewhat in the district, according to \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://caaspp.edsource.org/sbac/west-contra-costa-unified-07617960000000\">results of the Smarter Balanced assessments\u003c/a> students took last spring, though they still lag statewide averages and, like almost all districts in the state, are not yet up to pre-pandemic levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board recently hired David Hart as chief business manager, at least through the remainder of the school year. He’s the highly regarded former chief financial officer of the massive Los Angeles Unified, a district 20 times the size of West Contra Costa. Fine is hopeful Hart’s experience with a vastly more complex district will accelerate the district’s path to recovery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They are hiring a very skilled interim CBO,” he said. “I hope they listen to him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Louis Freedberg contributed to this report, \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2025/west-contra-costa-unified-struggles-to-stay-solvent-avoid-state-takeover/725039\">which originally appeared in EdSource.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "West Contra Costa School District to Appoint Interim Leader After Superintendent Announces Retirement",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 8 p.m. Tuesday:\u003c/strong> The West Contra Costa Unified School District Board of Education on Tuesday evening voted unanimously to appoint Kim Moses as interim superintendent. Moses, who is currently the associate superintendent of business services for the district, will officially take on the role of interim superintendent in December, following the retirement of current Superintendent Kenneth Hurst. The vote took place during a closed session board meeting at DeJean Middle School.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">The board will begin the search for a permanent superintendent later this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Original story, 4:30 p.m. Tuesday: \u003c/strong>The West Contra Costa Unified School District board is expected to appoint an interim superintendent on Tuesday, a day after current Superintendent Kenneth Hurst \u003ca href=\"https://richmondside.org/2024/09/30/wccusd-superintendent-announces-retirement/\">announced plans to step down\u003c/a> in December.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hurst’s announcement, in which he cites family health problems as the main reason for his departure, comes as the district faces long-standing issues with \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/We-are-in-a-crisis-West-Contra-Costa-17660471.php\">staffing shortages\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://richmondconfidential.org/2023/06/28/wccusd-budget-cuts-involvency-looms/\">financial solvency\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://ccpulse.org/2024/03/21/wccusd-school-board-says-its-received-threats-racist-messages/\">racism\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Family and faith are at the core of what I am, and I must prioritize them at this time.” Hurst, who became superintendent in 2021, said in \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/HjkVe7vSNqM\">a video announcement\u003c/a> on Monday. “I am incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made as a district, and I know that the dedicated leadership team we’ve built will continue this work to support our students and staff.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent months, the district — which serves the cities of Richmond, El Cerrito, San Pablo, Hercules and Pinole — has been hit with a series of setbacks, including a\u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2024/lawsuit-against-west-contra-costa-schools-could-set-precedent-for-how-districts-handle-complaints/717945\"> civil rights lawsuit\u003c/a> over school building conditions and teacher vacancies. It also\u003ca href=\"https://richmondside.org/2024/06/27/west-contra-costa-school-board-fails-to-adopt-2024-25-budget/\"> failed to pass its budget on time \u003c/a>and was forced to \u003ca href=\"https://ccpulse.org/2024/08/09/problems-at-stege-elementary-now-temporarily-closed-had-happened-too-long/\">close an elementary school\u003c/a> because of environmental hazards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related coverage\" tag=\"west-contra-costa-unified-school-district\"]“It just adds to the instability in the district,” said Gabby Micheletti, vice president of United Teachers of Richmond, the union representing over 1,000 educators in the district. “As educators, we’re really here to ensure students are receiving the education and services they need and deserve despite all the chaos going on at the top.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://richmondconfidential.org/2024/10/01/richmoond-wccusd-purpose-based-budget-deficit/\">drop in enrollment and lack of attendance due to chronic absenteeism\u003c/a> have led to a significant decrease in district funding, \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2023/west-contra-costa-unified-braces-for-more-major-budget-cuts/686328\">forcing the school board to make major budget cuts \u003c/a>over the past few years, even as it still faces a deficit of more than $20 million in the next three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite its ongoing challenges, Micheletti thinks the transition to new leadership can be a smooth one that benefits the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are hopeful that, as we look for a new superintendent, we can find someone who is really student-centered, ready to really uplift the values of equity and inclusivity in this district, and ensuring that all our students are getting what they need,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his video announcement on Monday, Hurst said he believes the district is in good hands with the current school board and executive team that oversees the district’s departments, most of whom were appointed this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The district is in a strong place with a clear vision for the future,” he said. “I’m confident that our leadership, teachers and staff will continue to carry forth the important work we’ve started in ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That work, according to a press release from the district, includes an equity audit, improvements to staffing and fiscal health, and the creation of \u003ca href=\"https://www.wccusd.net/collegeandcareerpathways\">24 Career Technical Education\u003c/a> pathways — which provide students with experience in select careers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“His commitment to anti-racism has left a lasting legacy,” WCCUSD Board President Jamela Smith-Folds said in the release. “While we are saddened to see him retire, we fully support his decision to prioritize his family at this time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carol Darden, a parent of a student at Harding Elementary in El Cerrito, called Hurst an advocate for the district’s students and teachers but mentioned a long-standing lack of transparency in the district predating Hurst’s tenure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would love to see much more transparency around where our dollars are going and what the prioritization process is,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Darden’s comments echo the feelings of other district parents who, in June, sought to block the board from passing part of the 2024–25 budget because they said they were not involved in the process as state law requires. The board eventually passed the budget last month after making revisions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 8 p.m. Tuesday:\u003c/strong> The West Contra Costa Unified School District Board of Education on Tuesday evening voted unanimously to appoint Kim Moses as interim superintendent. Moses, who is currently the associate superintendent of business services for the district, will officially take on the role of interim superintendent in December, following the retirement of current Superintendent Kenneth Hurst. The vote took place during a closed session board meeting at DeJean Middle School.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">The board will begin the search for a permanent superintendent later this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Original story, 4:30 p.m. Tuesday: \u003c/strong>The West Contra Costa Unified School District board is expected to appoint an interim superintendent on Tuesday, a day after current Superintendent Kenneth Hurst \u003ca href=\"https://richmondside.org/2024/09/30/wccusd-superintendent-announces-retirement/\">announced plans to step down\u003c/a> in December.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hurst’s announcement, in which he cites family health problems as the main reason for his departure, comes as the district faces long-standing issues with \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/We-are-in-a-crisis-West-Contra-Costa-17660471.php\">staffing shortages\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://richmondconfidential.org/2023/06/28/wccusd-budget-cuts-involvency-looms/\">financial solvency\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://ccpulse.org/2024/03/21/wccusd-school-board-says-its-received-threats-racist-messages/\">racism\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Family and faith are at the core of what I am, and I must prioritize them at this time.” Hurst, who became superintendent in 2021, said in \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/HjkVe7vSNqM\">a video announcement\u003c/a> on Monday. “I am incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made as a district, and I know that the dedicated leadership team we’ve built will continue this work to support our students and staff.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent months, the district — which serves the cities of Richmond, El Cerrito, San Pablo, Hercules and Pinole — has been hit with a series of setbacks, including a\u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2024/lawsuit-against-west-contra-costa-schools-could-set-precedent-for-how-districts-handle-complaints/717945\"> civil rights lawsuit\u003c/a> over school building conditions and teacher vacancies. It also\u003ca href=\"https://richmondside.org/2024/06/27/west-contra-costa-school-board-fails-to-adopt-2024-25-budget/\"> failed to pass its budget on time \u003c/a>and was forced to \u003ca href=\"https://ccpulse.org/2024/08/09/problems-at-stege-elementary-now-temporarily-closed-had-happened-too-long/\">close an elementary school\u003c/a> because of environmental hazards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“It just adds to the instability in the district,” said Gabby Micheletti, vice president of United Teachers of Richmond, the union representing over 1,000 educators in the district. “As educators, we’re really here to ensure students are receiving the education and services they need and deserve despite all the chaos going on at the top.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://richmondconfidential.org/2024/10/01/richmoond-wccusd-purpose-based-budget-deficit/\">drop in enrollment and lack of attendance due to chronic absenteeism\u003c/a> have led to a significant decrease in district funding, \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2023/west-contra-costa-unified-braces-for-more-major-budget-cuts/686328\">forcing the school board to make major budget cuts \u003c/a>over the past few years, even as it still faces a deficit of more than $20 million in the next three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite its ongoing challenges, Micheletti thinks the transition to new leadership can be a smooth one that benefits the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are hopeful that, as we look for a new superintendent, we can find someone who is really student-centered, ready to really uplift the values of equity and inclusivity in this district, and ensuring that all our students are getting what they need,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his video announcement on Monday, Hurst said he believes the district is in good hands with the current school board and executive team that oversees the district’s departments, most of whom were appointed this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The district is in a strong place with a clear vision for the future,” he said. “I’m confident that our leadership, teachers and staff will continue to carry forth the important work we’ve started in ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
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"meta": {
"site": "radio",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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}
},
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
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"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
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"id": "here-and-now",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
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},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
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"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
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},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
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"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
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}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
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},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
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