06/08/2026
We cannot talk about the forced resignation of Principal Vidrale Franklin at Dr. Charles R. Drew College Preparatory Academy without talking about structural violence.
There is a dangerous, systemic myth that all public schools are funded equally based on dollars-per-student. The reality? Public school funding is heavily supplemented by private dollars. Wealthier neighborhoods have robust PTAs that routinely raise over $500k a year to fund extra staff, programs, and resources.
Meanwhile, schools in historically under-resourced neighborhoods—like Bayview, where 74.5% of families face immense socioeconomic disadvantages—simply lack the baseline financial stability, time, and administrative capacity to run high-yield fundraising campaigns.
This is where the fundraising issue becomes an equity failure: The district failed to provide the necessary structural support, training, or infrastructure to help Charles R. Drew Prep build sustainable fundraising efforts. Yet, they penalized a beloved Black principal for the exact systemic economic barriers her community faces.
Punishing a leader over fundraising allegations while failing to provide the resources to meet those administrative demands is structural violence in action. Under Principal Franklin’s leadership, academic outcomes and test scores for underprivileged groups improved dramatically. Forcing her out actively destabilizes the school, directly harming our students' futures.
We urge SFUSD to reconsider this decision and call on our community to stand against administrative actions that punish leadership for systemic inequities.
Read our full statement: PPS-SF Statement on Principal Vidrale Franklin's Removal https://www.ppssf.org/media-press-research/concerns-regarding-the-removal-of-principal-vidrale-franklin-and-equity-in-school-fundraising
