Frequently
Asked Questions

GO Public Schools West Contra Costa is a branch of GO Public Schools, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit statewide organization that supports local coalitions of parents, educators, and community allies to advocate for quality education for all students in their communities. GO WCC is one among two sites of GO Public Schools. The other site is located in Oakland. GO WCC works to organize, align, and develop leaders to influence local education policy and practice in the best interest of our students. Learn about our mission and vision here.

GO Public Schools provides GO WCC with central supports like technology, database administration, finance, human resources, organizing models, and toolkits. Programming decisions and priorities are made at the local level, in partnership with our community.

We organize in West Contra Costa — meaning Richmond, Hercules, San Pablo, Pinole, and El Cerrito. We focus on working with and for historically underserved communities within our area, guided by the belief that every child in West Contra Costa should receive a quality education.

Our organization was formed in response to a request from our community. In 2015, a group of parents, educators, and community leaders (many of them West Contra Costa natives and WCCUSD alumni) were seeking support in creating an organization to advocate for West Contra Costa students. This group sought partnership with GO Public Schools to build a new education advocacy coalition here in West Contra Costa. With the formation of GO Public Schools West Contra Costa, this group also committed to serving as our founding Leadership Council to guide and support our work ahead.

Click here to learn more about how we got started.

In partnership with West Contra Costa parents, educators, and community allies, our staff and Leadership Council lead GO WCC. Together, this team is made of former and present district and charter educators (classroom teachers, principals, school founders); parents, grandparents, and graduates of WCCUSD schools; and leaders of community-based organizations such as BlackBoard, New Leaders, Level Playing Field Institute, and Teach for America.

Click here to meet our team.

Our policy framework is organized within three strategic pillars: effective educators, quality schools, and equitable systems. Guided by our Leadership Council, we work within this policy framework to identify, prioritize, and influence the highest leverage changes to West Contra Costa education policies, practices, structures, and culture.

Click here to learn more about our policy framework.

Many of the educators who are part of our coalition are also members of United Teachers of Richmond (UTR). Unions provide an important voice for teachers and other school employees, advance the profession and craft of teaching, and serve as a powerful force in shaping district policies and practices. We believe that collaboration between our district and teachers’ union can bring positive change.

We believe in high quality schools — period. Like many parents, we don’t make distinctions about the governance structure of a school; like many parents, we simply want safe, nurturing, and challenging public schools that prepare our children for success. Every student’s public education experience should be supported by excellent and equitable funding, facilities, and access to special services.

We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and will focus on providing non-partisan information about school board candidates, platforms, and issues affecting our public education system, so that our community can make well-informed voting decisions.

With a focus on improving public education across West Contra Costa’s five cities and six unincorporated areas, we recognize that durable, widespread change can only be achieved through coming together and collaborating. That’s why a key part of our model is partnership; we’ll support and contribute to the efforts of other community organizations, form strong working partnerships, and leverage the lessons learned from other coalitions within GO Public Schools’ statewide network in order to maximize impact for our children.

In addition to providing our community with timely updates on the superintendent search from WCCUSD and Leadership Associates (the selected search firm), we have been circulating our Community Survey and will share the findings publicly at our Community Convening event on Thursday, March 31. Then, we’ll meet with our school board members to communicate your perspectives and desires for our district’s next leader.

Find out how YOU can get involved with the superintendent search!

Presently, we’re funded by three local foundations and one national organization:

• Irene S. Scully Foundation
• Thomas J. Long Foundation
• East Bay Community Foundation
• Leadership for Educational Equity

Our funders support other local nonprofits as well, including:

• First 5 Contra Costa
• Lincoln Child Center
• RYSE Center
• YES Nature to Neighborhoods, formerly Youth Engagement Strategies

Over time and as we grow, we’ll develop a diverse funding base, including contributions from individuals — teachers, parents, and community allies — in West Contra Costa.