A top West Contra Costa school leader announces retirement

RICHMOND — Kim Moses, a top West Contra Costa Unified School District official responsible for overseeing district finances, will be retiring at the end of the school year after nearly two decades with the district.

Moses’ retirement will cap a three-decade career in education, starting as a teacher in the Oakland Unified School District before coming to West Contra Costa.

“We will miss Dr. Moses’s wisdom and leadership, but we are also grateful for the legacy she leaves behind,” said Superintendent Cheryl Cotton in a statement announcing Moses’ retirement.

An alumni of the West Contra Costa Unified School District, Moses earned a bachelor’s degree in education from University of California, Berkeley, her teaching credentials from California State University East Bay, a master’s degree in urban education leadership from UC Berkeley and her doctorate of education from East Carolina University.

Her tenure with the West Contra Costa Unified School District included three- to four-year stints as the principal at Nystrom, Wilson, Stege and Ohlone elementary schools before becoming a special education administrator and associate superintendent of business.

Following the retirement of former Superintendent Kenneth Hurst, Moses was appointed interim superintendent while the district searched for a permanent replacement. Following Cotton’s selection this summer, Moses returned to her role as associate superintendent overseeing the business department.

“From her early days as a principal and coordinator to her role as Associate Superintendent of Business Services and her time recently as Interim Superintendent, Dr. Moses has led with commitment, compassion, and love for our community,” Cotton said.

In her roles as chief business officer and interim superintendent, Moses has had to lead the district through tough financial decisions, including cutting millions from the district’s budget or risk losing local control to the Contra Costa County Office of Education. The district has had a history of instable finances that led to a state takeover in the 1990s and the repayment of a near $29 million loan. The district’s latest agreement with the county Office of Education promises to cut $32.7 million from the budget over a period of three years.

Moses’ retirement announcement comes just weeks after district leaders landed tentative agreements with two of its unions, Teamsters Local 856, which represents staff from cafeteria workers to security, and United Teachers of Richmond, the union for about 1,400 educators, counselors and other employees.

A joint strike by the two unions helped earn them 8% pay increases over the next two years, better health care benefits and improved working conditions, despite warning from district leadership that meeting union demands could require future budget cuts.

District trustees have yet to approve the tentative agreements which have been ratified by both unions, a major concern for union members who voiced their worries to trustees during their most recent meeting.

Though Moses will officially retire at the end of the school year in June, the board and Cotton will select a replacement who will serve in her role during the upcoming spring semester, according to the district and a comment Trustee Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy shared on social media.