West Contra Costa Schools Superintendent outlines attendance, budget and reforms at Richmond neighborhood meeting

Cheryl Cotton, superintendent of the West Contra Costa Unified School District, visited the Richmond Neighborhood Coordinating Council on Oct. 27 to outline academic results, attendance and fiscal pressures facing the district and to solicit community support.

Cotton said state CAASPP results released in October show about 33% of students meeting or exceeding standards in English language arts and about 25% meeting or exceeding standards in mathematics across the district. “Those are not great,” she said, calling the results “averages” that hide both bright spots and more-challenging schools.

Why it matters: Cotton said the district’s revenue depends heavily on average daily attendance (ADA) and that her administrators see attendance and enrollment as levers the community can help influence. She told meeting attendees the district’s ADA is running around 85%, and that raises the risk of recurring budget shortfalls unless the district retains and reclaims students and improves attendance.

Details from the presentation

- District size and staff: Cotton said West Contra Costa serves 54 school sites, including 26 designated community schools offering wrap-around services, and employs roughly 4,000 staff members. She said roughly 90% of students and staff identify as people of color and the district serves more than 4,000 students with individualized education programs.

- Attendance and funding: Cotton said the district’s ADA is about 85% and that state funding follows students’ daily attendance; the district still must staff as if every student attends. She said the district’s goal for attendance is at least 95% and described initiatives to reduce chronic absenteeism (students missing more than 10 days a year) by addressing transportation, safety concerns and other barriers.

- Academic interventions: Cotton described a new early reading-risk screener for kindergarten through second grade that the district will implement to identify students needing early supports. She said the screener is required by a recent state law but allows local choice of the instrument.

- Curriculum adoptions and policies: The district adopted new math materials (one set for TK–5, another for middle grades) and has board policies addressing anti‑slur rules, immigration protections, a no‑cell‑phone rule and an anti‑racism policy. Cotton said a state law will prohibit classroom phone use beginning July 1, 2026; the district has already adopted a no‑cell‑phone policy aligned to that law.

- Safety and visitors: Cotton said the district has rolled out a new visitor and volunteer system called Verkada that scans IDs against databases to flag people who should not be around students. She said volunteers must provide TB test documentation and that the district asks volunteers to complete that requirement by Nov. 3.

- Facilities and bond projects: Cotton reviewed ongoing bond-funded projects including modernizations at Richmond High, Lake Elementary and Kennedy High, and said some sites will be finished early next year. She credited community oversight and said design decisions are being made with public input.

- Labor negotiations and budget reductions: Cotton said both the teachers’ union and the Teamsters (classified staff) have declared impasse and the district has entered mediation and is preparing for fact-finding. She said district leaders are working to avoid any strike. On the fiscal side, Cotton said the district had previously made about $20 million in reductions and must identify another roughly $6 million in savings; additional raises for labor would require either deeper cuts or increased revenue.

- Parcel tax and outreach: Cotton said the district will ask voters in June 2027 to approve a replacement parcel tax that she estimated generates about $10 million a year (the current measure sunsets in 2027). She invited residents to join parcel‑tax and fiscal‑stabilization committees and public “Fiscal Fridays” updates and to attend district job fairs and community fiscal sessions.

Questions from attendees

Attendees pressed Cotton on school resource officers, charters and career pathways. Cotton said the district does not currently have a districtwide school‑resource‑officer (SRO) program but maintains relationships with local law enforcement and that officers will make referrals when they encounter youth in need of support. On charter schools and enrollment loss, she noted charter growth can reduce district ADA but said charter operators have not outperformed the district on average; she urged the community to consider returning to neighborhood schools by improving local offerings.

Cotton highlighted career and technical education pathways including welding and other trade-related classes that have drawn students districtwide and can feed into apprenticeships.

Sources and next steps

Cotton invited the public to five fiscal‑stabilization sessions (with in-person and Zoom options), to the district’s fall hiring fair, and to volunteer on school site councils and oversight committees. She said the district will continue the listening series and update the community through regular communications.

At the RNCC meeting, Cotton closed by asking how residents can help; she listed attendance advocacy, support for the parcel tax and public engagement on budget and school improvements.

Ending

Cotton closed by thanking attendees and urging participation in district events and committees. The RNCC scheduled no formal action on district items; the presentation served as an information session and public Q&A.