Following a show of support from allies at Tuesday’s school board meeting, two Board of Education commissioners raised questions about Vidrale Franklin’s forced resignation as the principal of her Bayview elementary school, Dr. Charles R. Drew College Preparatory Academy.
“The fact that this is one of our few women of color, who was a school leader in the district, who was in her home community, who came back specifically to lead … to be where we are now is heartbreaking,” said board member Alida Fisher in an interview on Wednesday. “I think [Franklin’s colleagues and community members] raised some good questions that should indeed be investigated further.”
Franklin was forced to resign on May 22 after an eight-month school district investigation into her irregular financial management of donated money, practices that she and others said are common in schools that face barriers in organizing a PTA.
While she acknowledged failing to follow protocol, she said that “everything I did was in service of my students.”
Her allies attended Tuesday’s school board meeting both in person and online. The seven commissioners did not address their comments during the meeting. However, Fisher and Matt Alexander said in interviews on Wednesday that the district needed to revisit Franklin’s treatment.
“There’s been a documented increase in student outcomes during her tenure,” said Alexander in a text to Mission Local. “So what that tells me is that there was a systemic failure somewhere here … We need to take a close look.”
That has not yet happened. Instead, Franklin received an email on Wednesday morning informing her that her summer assignment at Drew had been canceled. “I am writing to confirm that we are no longer able to move forward with your Summer assignment at Dr. Charles Drew ES, so this assignment will be cancelled effective immediately,” wrote Kory Frasure, a senior HR analyst for summer programs at the district.
Nevertheless, Fisher and Alexander – two of the seven commissioners appeared to have been moved by Franklin’s allies, who have grown to include parents, teachers, fellow principals, local advocacy groups and the San Francisco chapter of the NAACP.
“Whatever you did behind closed doors tonight,” said Virginia Marshall, a member of the local NAACP education committee, addressing the board over Zoom, “if it did not reinstate Ms. Franklin, please do so. The community wants you, begs you, requests that you reinstate Ms. Franklin as the principal of Dr. Charles Drew … she has made some missteps. It is your responsibility to help her.”
She called Franklin a “stellar educator.”
At least a dozen others who spoke out for Franklin in person and over Zoom, agreed. They testified to her gifts as an educator; several spoke more broadly about the lack of support Black principals and schools with marginalized populations receive from the district.
Fellow principals Helen Parker Leigh of Sherman Elementary, and Sara Saldaña of Jean Parker Elementary, were among the first to speak on Franklin’s behalf.
“We are here tonight so that she and you know that she does not stand alone in the challenges she faced,” said Leigh. “This district has made public commitments to hiring leaders of color and to anti-racist policies… We ask you directly, what systems are in place to check for bias in disciplinary decisions, not just in theory, but as it plays out in investigations, in outcomes, and in who receives the benefit of the doubt.”
Saldaña added: “We must not lose passionate, capable instructional leaders and community builders because we failed to support them when they needed help. Equity cannot stop at hiring, it must extend to support how we correct, how we retain leaders that we say we value.”
She ended her comment by addressing Franklin, who was not present but watched the meeting online. “To Dr. Franklin directly, we see you. We see what you built at Drew, and what you gave to that community.”
During Franklin’s tenure, test scores, literacy rates, and staff retention rates rose.
Leigh’s and Saldaña’s statements were followed by comments from Drew parents, SFUSD alumni and representatives from grassroots organizations that work with district families.
“I’ve seen firsthand how Dr. Franklin builds trust with students, families and staff,” attested Blanca Catalan, a well-known community organizer and parent advocate with Coleman Advocates, who works with Drew families for whom English is a second language.
Parents for Public Schools president Vanessa Marrero was the last to speak on the issue “I want to make sure that all [board members] understand that there are patterns developing that are displacing our Black leaders, specifically women. And it is incumbent upon every single board member to work with the community to resolve this.”
When Board of Education president Phil Kim ended the public comment period at 7:45 p.m., 10 minutes shy of the hour allotted for attendees to address the board, Franklin’s supporters were not happy.
“We started late!” shouted third grade Drew teacher Erin Lang and turned to a colleague, whispering, “Do you think they’re doing this because they don’t want us to speak?”