RICHMOND — Grappling with financial, academic, infrastructure and personnel challenges, West Contra Costa Unified School District trustees appointed Cheryl Cotton as the district’s new superintendent on Wednesday.
A former West Contra Costa Unified School District graduate, principal and district office employee, trustees unanimously chose Cotton to replace Dr. Kenneth Hurst and Dr. Kim Moses.
Hurst announced his retirement in October 2024 and Moses, the district’s assistant superintendent of business services, had temporarily held the top position.
“I am happy to welcome Ms. Cotton back to the WCCUSD. Her familiarity with our community and wide-ranging professional experiences will be instrumental in driving student achievement,” Board President Leslie Reckler said in a statement Wednesday.
Cotton has decades of experience in the education field at the local, county and state level. For the last four years, she served as deputy superintendent of public instruction for the California Department of Education, overseeing the Instruction, Measurement and Administration Branch.
She’s also worked as deputy superintendent of Human Resources and Labor Relations for the California Department of Education, assistant superintendent of Human Resources for the Contra Costa County Office of Education, human resources director for the Albany and West Contra Costa unified school districts, and school principal in the West Contra Costa and San Francisco unified school districts.
Cotton earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s in Education from Mills College.
She is now under a three-year contract with West Contra Costa Unified School District. Her starting salary, not including other benefits, is $325,000. Her term begins June 20.
Cotton is the district’s 11th superintendent and the first Black woman to permanently hold the position, the district noted.
“I am honored to return to the community that shaped my educational journey and professional path,” Cotton said in a statement. “Together, we will center equity, support student success, and uplift the voices of our families and educators to ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive.”
Cotton’s appointment was celebrated by members of the community and trustees during Wednesday’s meeting.
Karina Soriano-Ponce, a lead school counselor, credited Cotton for giving Soriano-Ponce her first job as an educator in the district and said she looks forward to Cotton seeing how much she’s grown. On behalf of all school counselors, Soriano-Ponce said they look forward to Cotton’s return and the chance to collaborate on improving student outcomes.
El Cerrito Mayor Carolyn Wysinger, a long-time supporter of Cotton dating back to Wysinger’s time working in the district, said she was pleased to see someone homegrown selected as superintendent.
“I could not be more proud,” Wysinger said.
Selecting someone who intimately knew the district and its schools was also a top priority for Board Vice President Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy, he said Wednesday. He lauded Cotton as a professional with a track record of deep caring for the community and familiarity with the district’s strengths and growth areas.
“She is someone I know who has high integrity with a proven record of caring about our students, our staff and families. I saw her work incredibly hard to be equity focused and student centered always,” Gonzalez-Hoy said.
Francisco Ortiz, president of United Teachers of Richmond which represents educators and other district staff, also spoke highly of Cotton’s character and professional approach in an interview Thursday.
Having worked with Cotton when she oversaw human resources for the district, Ortiz said Cotton would initiate meetings with staff to hear out their concerns and attempt to find common ground. He shared hope Cotton’s experience in the classroom and as a local, county and state education leader will help steer the district in the right direction.
“UTR Welcomes Cheryl as the new superintendent at West Contra Costa. We’re ready to work with her to fully staff our schools, stabilize school campuses and really focus on ongoing successful strategies to recruit and retain our region’s best educators. Our students deserve nothing less,” Ortiz said.
As superintendent, Cotton will be inheriting a number of issues years in the making — fiscal instability, the effects of massive budget cuts, teacher and staff shortages, trailing academic performances, shrinking student enrollment and capital improvement needs.
Trustee Jamela Smith-Folds said in a social media post that Cotton was the overqualified and best candidate for the role but also cautioned the public to not place too high of expectations on Cotton to save the district, a sentiment she also expressed during the meeting.
“If you try to put a cape on her, I will rip it off and cover her with it like a blanket. If you try to push her over the glass cliff, please know that she is equipped with a parachute,” Smith-Folds said, referring to what she explained is a phenomenon of hiring women, often Black women, to leadership positions during a crisis, ostensibly setting them up to fail.
Before formally voting on Cotton’s appointment, trustees also thanked Moses for her work leading and guiding the community through challenging decisions.
Moses said it was an honor to serve as interim superintendent and thanked district leadership for their guidance and support. She will return to her role overseeing the district’s finances, a position she said she’s eager to resume.
“I am both proud and grateful to have been selected to lead our district in this interim role,” Moses said. “Our collective work is extremely important to the success of our students and our schools, and I look forward to supporting our new leader in moving our district forward.”
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