Updated: School District Superintendent Gregory Franklin to Resign

Los Alamitos Unified School District Superintendent Gregory Franklin announced his resignation this morning after just four years in the district.

Franklin will stay on until the end of the school year, and will take the helm at the larger Tustin Unified School District starting July 1. In his short tenure, Franklin oversaw rising test scores and expanded advanced placement programs along with the $126 million bond sale to raise money for modernization projects at the schools. The board will move quickly to find a successor as major budget issues loom. The district will also have to compete with six other school districts in Orange County looking to fill the leadership role.

“He’s been an outstanding superintendent,” said Sherry Kropp, the district’s assistant superintendent of educational services. “It’s been very good for Los Alamitos to have him here, and we are going to miss him.”

“He was really what we needed in the last four years. We needed to pass the bonds for modernization and he had done that before,” said School Board President Karen Russell. “Dr. Franklin’s leadership has steered us in very difficult times and LAUSD has thrived.”

In some ways, the move is not unexpected because a small district such as LAUSD has to compete with the salaries offered at large school districts, added Russell.

“I think it’s a situation where when you do a good job, everyone wants you,” said former City Councilman Dean Grose, who sat on the committee that recruited Franklin four years ago.

“I hadn’t been looking to change, so it caught me off-guard when I got the phone call,” Franklin said. However, the offer held appeal—a larger district with more students and opportunities to implement more programs. The diversity of the student population also presents some appealing challenges, added Franklin.

Looking back over his tenure, Franklin said the bond sale was one of his largest accomplishments, but he’s most proud of the unity within the district.

“We have a good board, and the teachers and administrative leaders—everybody is going in the same direction. When that happens, it’s magical. It’s almost invincible.”

Franklin issued a written statement to the community Thursday morning as he officially announced his resignation. “It is difficult to convey how much I have enjoyed working with each of you,” he wrote. “The board members, staff, students and parents in Los Alamitos Unified are amazing. I am proud and honored to have served as the Los Al superintendent.”

If he leaves anything unfinished, it’s the ongoing modernization effort at schools throughout the campus, he said.

“We passed the $126 million bond measure in ’08 that is going to do a lot of good work, serving our needs 40 to 50 years out, but it’s not nearly enough to do all that we need done at our campuses.” 

The high school still needs a new gym and athletic fields, he added.

Franklin has one piece of advice for his successor: “Rely on the team that’s in place,” he said. “The district has strong senior leadership, and we have a very prudent school board.”

The school board will waste no time in looking for a replacement to start before Franklin leaves office for training purposes, Russell said. The district will hold a focus group on March 21, seeking input on what qualities the community is looking for in the next superintendent.

 “You have to move fast. If you decide to hire outside the district, you have to capture what is out there, and there is competition with six other openings in the county.”

The district is facing challenging times with loss of revenue and instability in state and federal education funding. This year is one of the most economically stark years for the district, which is bracing for one the most drastic budget cuts in district history when the state budget is released. If voters don’t pass a statewide tax extension this year, the district could lose approximately $351 per student, totaling around $3.28 million. Last year’s budget totaled $90,788,054.

“I don’t know a district in the state that’s not going to be challenged by the financial situation however it turns out,” Russell said. “But I have confidence that we are going to find the right person for the district and that we’ll continue to be a stellar district in the community.”