Two San Francisco school board members are raising questions about the forced resignation of Vidrale Franklin, the principal of Dr. Charles R. Drew College Preparatory Academy in the Bayview neighborhood. Franklin was forced to resign on May 22 after an eight-month school district investigation into her irregular financial management of donated money.

Community Support

Despite the investigation, Franklin’s allies attended a recent school board meeting to show their support for her. The allies included parents, teachers, fellow principals, and local advocacy groups, who praised Franklin’s leadership and commitment to her students. During her tenure, test scores, literacy rates, and staff retention rates rose at the school.

Board member Alida Fisher said that Franklin’s resignation was ‘heartbreaking’ and that the district needed to revisit her treatment. Fellow board member Matt Alexander agreed, saying that there was a ‘systemic failure’ somewhere in the district. The two board members are calling for a closer look at the district’s handling of Franklin’s case.

Systemic Failure

Fellow principals Helen Parker Leigh and Sara Saldaña also spoke out in support of Franklin, saying that the district had failed to support her and other principals of color. They called for the district to take a closer look at its disciplinary decisions and to provide more support for its leaders.

The community’s support for Franklin was evident at the school board meeting, with many speakers praising her leadership and commitment to her students. The school board president, Phil Kim, ended the public comment period early, which sparked criticism from some attendees.

Original reporting: Mission Local — read the source article.