June 27, 2023
City Council
DATE: June 27, 2023
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM: Vice Mayor McLaughlin
Subject:
Joint meeting of Richmond City Council and WCCUSD
Board
FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact related to this item other than staff time for preparation and facilitation.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
Joint meetings have been held in previous years.
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
Richmond City Council and the WCCUSD Board have
held joint meetings in the past. At one time, we
considered holding quarterly or bi-annual meetings to get updates and identify avenues of collaboration. It has
been some time since we have held such a joint meeting
and it is in the interest of Richmond residents, families and students to hold a joint meeting once again.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: DIRECT staff to connect with West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) Superintendent Dr. Chris
Hurst to identify a date and location in the fall for a joint meeting of the Richmond City Council and the WCCUSD
Board to hear updates and explore collaborations - Vice Mayor Gayle McLaughlin (510-620-6636).
DISCUSSION:
Vice Mayor McLaughlin has met on more than one occasion in recent months with WCCUSD Superintendent Hurst. One of the items that was discussed was the idea of AGENDA
REPORT
June 27, 2023
holding a joint meeting of Richmond City Council and the WCCUSD Board in the fall of 2023. Such joint meetings were held in the past and found to be very useful for both the City Council and the School Board.
Vice Mayor McLaughlin has also discussed this with Kennedy High’s Principal Jared Scott who offered a multi-purpose room at Kennedy High for the purpose of holding this joint meeting.
Supt. Hurst thought this fall would be a good time to hold such a joint meeting as the district will have some updates to share with the City Council at that time. On the City’s end, we have some issues that we would like to discuss with the Board. Below are some topics to consider for an agenda.
1. Discuss ways to strengthen the Joint Facilities Agreement between the City and the District. Various councilmembers have been discussing how we can better serve our youth with more affordable access to athletic fields and other facilities, so this will be a timely discussion.
2. Hear updates on the District’s plan for various new plans for Richmond schools such as:
a. renovations and construction improvements to Richmond schools. b. new curriculum and areas of study for Richmond schools c. status of community school efforts
3. Presentation by leaders of the Working Waterfront Coalition which is a great opportunity for collaboration among many entities, including the City Council and School Board. The Working Waterfront Coalition is a coalition of labor, civic and workforce boards committed to reviving vocational education, starting in WCCUSD with Richmond’s Kennedy High welding program to facilitate jobs in the Maritime trades.
There may be other topics to consider or modifications of the above. It will be wise to consider that we will have 12 elected officials at the table, along with many staff from the District and the City, as well as public comments to accommodate. Our joint meetings in the past were always kept to no more than 3 (o 4 at most) items to allow for discussion among all.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
None