Education

Truancy epidemic in Richmond elementary schools

A recent report by the California attorney general’s office states that approximately 50,000 elementary school students in California were considered chronically truant and more than 250,000 were chronically absent during the 2013-14 school year. The West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) had a chronic absence rate of 17 percent. These numbers represent an attendance crisis that not only takes away funding from the district but also places students at an educational disadvantage. Truants cost Contra Costa County approximately $33,000…

LEAP celebrates 30 years of educating Richmond adults

Hugs and congratulatory handshakes were exchanged last Sunday as the Literacy for Every Adult Program (LEAP) celebrated 30 years of teaching in Richmond. As several hundred attendees bounced from information tables to carts of free books, music from the Hilltop Ukulele Lovers Academy played throughout the quad of the Civic center. “I owe it all to LEAP to be honest,” said Kendell Biggers, a 2010 LEAP graduate and GED recipient. “If it wasn’t for LEAP I would just never finish…

The teens behind the Uche Uwahemu campaign

Uche Uwahemu, a newcomer to Richmond politics, has built a grassroots campaign that relies on youth campaign workers and small donations from friends and fellow Nigerian émigrés to counter the name recognition of Tom Butt and Nat Bates.