A global educator fighting for excellence in WCC: Voices’ Keri Szymanski

"Who’s this white lady from Wisconsin?"

That’s what some parents wondered when Keri Szymanski first arrived at Voices West Contra Costa. Four years later, she’s earned their trust, evidenced by their smiles, hugs and friendly conversation in the hallways.  

Keri brought a global perspective to Richmond after 17 years teaching and leading schools in Madrid and Dubai. During that time, she worked with a population who were learning English as a second language, as well as students who were newcomers to their current countries.

"I had more culture shock moving back to the U.S. than going abroad," she said. "I read an article about Richmond parents 'shopping for mediocrity' and thought: that's not good enough. Our kids deserve excellence."  

At Voices, she is building a culture of safety, joy, and multilingualism. "Every day, you get those little faces saying, ‘Hi, Ms. Keri!’" she said. Teacher retention is 100 percent, and a great majority of the kids return every year.  

Earning the trust of the Voices parent community was not easy. "They’d been let down before," she said. Now, they knock on her door asking, "You got my kid, right?" before they have to rush off to work.

The Voices' parents are also growing in their advocacy. Five core parent leaders work with the Contra Costa County Charter Coalition (5C’s), and while Keri has a goal that more parents participate, she also understands how important it is to meet parents where they’re at.

"Our families work two or three jobs,” she said. “Showing up is hard."  

Voices faces its first charter renewal this year, and the parent community has a large role to fill in the process. "We’ve been preparing parents for two years," Keri said. "Families don't always know politicians are making decisions that could shut us down.”

Through 5C’s family leadership institute, the Voices parents heard from parent leaders at other county charter schools on how to navigate the renewal process.

She hosts monthly "cafecitos" to explain how attendance and test scores affect renewal. "When parents understand the stakes, they become our strongest advocates," she said.

Keri is a strong advocate for school choice, believing that parents should have options beyond a struggling school to which they may be assigned. “Families shouldn’t have to choose between ‘bad’ and ‘less bad,’” she said.

"We're not just fighting for one school," she said about Voices’ charter renewal process.

"We're fighting to prove that when you believe in Black and Brown children, when you give families real choices, extraordinary things happen."

She still rejects the idea that charters compete with district schools. "We’re all in the business of helping kids and families,” she said.  

“We need to be better allies for our Richmond students and partner together for their wellbeing.” 

Voices’ WCC motto is “Soaring to Excellence,” and the Voices students hear that theme all day, every day, starting with the morning message. She even asks parents how their kids are soaring at home. By the end of the school year, the motto had become a community rallying cry.

Looking ahead, in response to increased enrollment and to meet the educational needs of their students, Keri and her team are extending their dual-immersion program at Voices to a second campus, strengthening its high school pathways, and mentoring new educators.

"Soaring to Excellence," Keri said of her focus. "And making sure the next generation of educators is ready to lead."

After 26 years in schools worldwide, her mission stays simple: "No more settling,” she said. “Our kids deserve the best."