04 Nov WCCUSD School Board Candidates Talk Literacy, Accountability in Final Forums

(Image courtesy of West Contra Costa Unified School District via Bay City News)

By Samantha Kennedy

Three seats on the West Contra Costa school board are up for reelection Nov. 5, but voters will only get to decide one. That seat is for Area 2, which covers much of Richmond and is currently held by Trustee Otheree Christian.

The West Contra Costa Unified School District and the League of Women Voters co-hosted two candidate forums on Oct. 21 and Oct. 30. The forums, held at De Anza High School and DeJean Middle School, respectively, were the last two before the Nov. 5 election. 

Attendees were not able to ask questions in person but could send questions to WCCUSD through email ahead of time for the candidates, Jamela Smith-Folds, Otheree Christian, Guadalupe Enllana and Cinthia Hernandez. Hernandez did not attend the Oct. 21 forum but made her first forum appearance of the election season at the Oct. 30 forum via Zoom. 

Smith-Folds, who is running for reelection to the Area 1 seat that represents Hercules, Pinole and parts of Richmond, and Hernandez, running for Area 3’s seat that represents parts of Richmond and San Pablo, are running unopposed and will automatically take office in January. 

Incumbent Christian and Enllana are running for the Area 2 seat, which includes the schools of Coronado Elementary, Peres Elementary, Stege Elementary, DeJean Middle School and Kennedy High School. 

Investing in Early Literacy, Math Support

WCCUSD students’ struggles with reading have remained largely the same, according to state reading assessment results that, in the 2021-22 school year, show only 10% of students tested above standard. Outgoing Superintendent Kenneth “Chris” Hurst said raising elementary reading test scores was his No. 1 priority last year for the district. 

Candidates agreed on the importance of increasing early literacy but pointed to different solutions. 

Hernandez, Smith-Folds and Enllana at the Oct. 30 forum pointed to the importance of data when addressing early literacy. For Smith-Folds, that means bringing back a literacy subcommittee to report on what’s the best avenue. Hernandez said that data collection needed to be equal and structured across all school sites. Enllana said that the district should use I-Ready to analyze where students are, focusing on subgroups that are especially struggling. 

“Reading is a skill,” Smith-Folds said Oct. 30. “It’s a skill that’s acquired through different processes.” 

Those processes, according to all four candidates, have to include support from more than the school. 

Smith-Folds, Hernandez and Enllana said that having families’ support and providing them with education on literacy is necessary to give students a strong foundation. 

Smith-Folds, who also said schools need robust libraries, says that “all reading is reading” and comic books and graphic novels should not be discouraged if kids are reading them. 

Enllana also felt that families and the district should be fostering the love of reading and ensuring that all students had access to reading materials. More funding, she said, should also be directed to literacy support. 

One of those supports is literacy coaches at school sites, which Christian, Hernandez, Enllana and Smith-Folds all said were part of increasing literacy.

Coaches were also an important part of prioritizing math learning in the district for Hernandez and Christian. 

Smith-Folds and Christian said part of prioritizing math learning is removing attitudes surrounding the subject.

“Make education fun, demonstrate, be innovative,” Christian said at the Oct. 30 forum. “Once you get the lightbulb of the student turned on, you can’t turn it off.” 

“You’ll see math everywhere,” Smith-Folds said, pointing to English, science and poetry. “Start loving it and stop being afraid of it.” 

Enllana was less sure of how to prioritize math learning, saying she felt that, even as an engaged parent and volunteer on district committees, she and other parents weren’t getting the information about how student outcomes are monitored and what the district is doing to support teachers. She said there needs to be increased transparency and accountability surrounding student learning. 

Accountability, Transparency Priority for Candidates

In one or both forums, each candidate has pushed for transparency and accountability in the district — something that parents and community members have sometimes criticized, including during the LCAP process.

Enllana, however, has aligned herself with district accountability more often than other candidates, especially pushing the inclusion of parents when making decisions about the LCAP and transitional kindergarten, she said at the Oct. 21 forum. 

>>>Read: WCCUSD Adopts New Anti-Racism Policy, Asks What It Means to Be Held ‘Accountable’<<<

“(Parents) are an integral part of the system,” she said at the Oct. 21 forum. “In order for us to achieve excellence within our students, we have to continue to build that out.” 

Enllana, who at the most recent forum referred to herself as a “fierce advocate,” also considers herself an independent thinker who is “not tied to any special interests.” 

She’s also been critical of some of Christian’s actions on the board. 

“I’m the one that’s not going to sleep through board meetings. I’m the one that’s going to show up prepared,” she said on Oct. 30, referring to several school board meetings where Christian appeared to be falling asleep. She also has been critical of his abstention on the LCAP vote. 

“We need to be the change,” she said, “and I am that change.” 

Christian, who has pointed to his work on the board and in district schools as one of the reasons he should be reelected, has also called for accountability within the district. At the Oct. 21 forum, Christian said the board has to hold the superintendent accountable and said he abstained from the LCAP vote to speak with parents. 

Hernandez knows “there’s more we can do as a district to increase transparency,” naming budget transparency one of the top priorities alongside equity and mental health support. 

>>>Read: ‘When Life Hits Like a Whip’: Students Try to Deal With Mental Health Themselves But Want More Support<<<

At the Oct. 21 forum, Smith-Folds talked about the public trusting its board members. Smith-Folds, who is running unopposed and will stay in her seat come January, has faced criticism from some of her constituents, including unsuccessful pushes to recall or oppose her in the election. Some of those efforts, which reportedly included racist threats to the board, came from community members who also protested a vaccine mandate in the district. 

Smith-Folds has not reported any campaign contributions, but the state Fair Political Practices Commission in September found that she had violated the Political Reform Act for failing to file campaign statements in 2021, 2022 and 2023 on time. The FPPC fined her the lowest amount possible — $800 — for the late statements, which showed no contributions or expenditures. 

Smith-Folds is endorsed by the United Teachers of Richmond, the Pinole Progressive Alliance, the Democratic Party of Contra Costa, WCCUSD Trusste Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy, the Contra Costa Labor Council and others, according to her campaign website. 

Enllana, who ran unsuccessfully for the board in 2020, is endorsed by former Richmond City Council member John Marquez, current Richmond City Council member Soheila Bana, San Pablo Mayor and Vice Mayor Patricia Ponce and Arturo Cruz, respectively, WCCUSD Trustee Leslie Reckler and others, according to her Facebook page. 

Enllana has reported $7,100 in contributions, according to most recent filings, including a $250 contribution from WCCUSD Trustee Mister Phillips and $3,000 from the U.A. Local 342 P.A.C. Fund. 

Hernandez has not reported any campaign contributions and is endorsed by the Contra Costa Building & Construction Trades Council, IFPTE Local 21, the Contra Costa Labor Council and the Richmond Progressive Alliance, according to their respective sites. 

Christian has raised the most of all candidates, totaling just over $13,000 in contributions, according to the most recent filing. Nearly half of that — $6,000 — comes from UTR’s president, Francisco Ortiz. 

Christian’s committee for his 2020 and 2024 campaigns and his treasurer are currently the subject of an FPPC investigation for allegedly being a campaign non-filer. The case, which was opened following a complaint from the Contra Costa County Elections office, has been open since 2020. 

Christian is endorsed by WCCUSD Trustees Gonzalez-Hoy and Smith-Folds; state Superintendent Tony Thurmond; the California Democratic Party; several unions including UTR and the Contra Costa Labor Council; Marquez; state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley; and others, according to his Facebook.

Voters have until 8 p.m. Tuesday to cast their ballots. At a polling place, they may vote in person or turn in a completed mail ballot. Visit the Contra Costa Elections’ In-Person Voting page for more information.