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The news floored Dublin.
The principal of Emerald High School, the brand-new campus on the east side of the city that people fought for nearly a generation to bring to fruition, resigned by text message to the superintendent two months after he welcomed students into its halls for the first time.
Unanswered questions abounded, as Dublin Unified School District officials were guarded in explaining the personnel situation while also focusing on moving Emerald forward as seamlessly as possible for students and staff.
But recently released public records reveal more about the circumstances on campus, the stressors facing Francis Rojas and the interactions between the inaugural principal and his superiors in the district office – a health-related absence, ignoring emails, missed deadlines, complaints and a letter of warning.
And Rojas’ side of the story had remained largely untold … until now.
“What led to my ‘snap’ move essentially came down to how I was treated in the days, especially the hour, leading to my separation from DUSD after I sought help and support from district leadership,” Rojas told the Pleasanton Weekly in an exclusive interview this spring.
While he described his final weeks in Dublin as a traumatic experience he’s still recovering from, Rojas said he “truly enjoyed” most of his two-plus years leading Emerald through its first phase of construction to its grand opening.
“I miss my office staff, counselors, teachers, and program leaders. They are the best in DUSD,” Rojas said, also citing student and parent leaders and his assistant principal Lenni Velez by name. “It is a principal’s dream to be able to build a school campus and learning community from scratch; ‘setting the needle’ for innovation, rigor and equity instead of ‘moving the needle’.”
The suddenness of Rojas’ resignation rocked the Emerald community, and district leaders turned to Velez to steady the ship – both in the moment of need in mid-October and in setting the tone through the remainder of the campus’ debut year.
“I look around and students and staff are thriving,” Velez told the Weekly on April 17. “We are identifying who we are, building traditions, building culture and growing. I think overall it has been a positive experience. The staff have camaraderie and a shared vision which is necessary for moving us forward.”
“Students are engaging in academics, extracurriculars and being supported in multiple ways. There are so many opportunities for our students to find their niche. Our parents are incredibly supportive of students and staff as well,” Velez said. “I believe we are going to finish the year strong!”
Superintendent Chris Funk applauded the new principal and the state of Emerald, saying, “Ms. Velez has done an amazing job providing the leadership that the school needed to overcome this sudden departure. The school is thriving. Ms. Velez is the right person to lead Emerald into the future.”
“Sometimes, personal things come up in one’s life that impact one’s ability to work. This is what happened to Mr. Rojas. The only story is that he left during the school year,” Funk told the Weekly on March 28, as the newspaper’s investigation into the California Public Records Act results unfolded.
Rojas goes on record
After various attempts in the aftermath of his resignation, the Weekly was able to connect with Rojas via a series of emails to a personal account in March — and the former principal agreed to his first public interview about his departure from Dublin.
“There was a lack of timely and appropriate support from the district to help resolve these issues,” Rojas said by email March 31, referring to facilities problems and other first-year growing pains at Emerald. “I was trying to mediate between groups and solve problems together with my leadership team only to receive blame, excuses, and finger-pointing. This caused low morale among staff and it also started to affect my own health.”
A career educator who spent 16 years as a teacher and administrator at his alma mater James Logan High School in Union City, Rojas had five years as principal at Milpitas High School under his belt when he was hired by DUSD to become the inaugural principal of Emerald in July 2022.
His first year in Dublin was spent overseeing a school that only existed on paper while construction crews were working hard onsite, like Rojas and staff behind the scenes, to bring Emerald into reality — the state-of-the-art campus, estimated at $374 million and funded by proceeds from voter-approved facilities bonds, was aiming to become the first comprehensive high school built from the ground up in Alameda County in 50 years.
“Design-thinking sessions” with the University of California at Berkeley School of Education were key to what Rojas referred to as “Year Zero” for Emerald.
“Through collaboration, research, and storytelling, our team of 30+ students, parents, teachers, staff, and community leaders developed the priorities and values for the academic and co-curricular programs at EHS, including our Graduate Aims, input on the physical environment of the school (furnishings and ambiance), and desired models for the schedule and built-in supports and enrichment for students,” he said.
The next academic year, 2023-24, saw the first set of Emerald students and teachers engaging together in a cluster of classrooms on the Dublin High School campus. Those freshmen, who would become sophomores when Emerald opened its doors in East Dublin eight months ago, will be the school’s first graduating class in two years.
Rojas credited the 350 students, their parents and the inaugural staff for taking a leap of faith to launch Emerald via a pod campus at Dublin High on the other side of town. While he lauded Dublin and Valley high school officials for being welcoming and supportive, “it was definitely a challenge being on the Dublin High School campus,” Rojas said.
“We had to stick to their bell schedule which was not aligned with the priorities set by the EHS Design Team. Students also felt limited with co-curricular activities due to our small size, new programs, limited staff and facilities, including athletics,” he added, “It was a year of humble beginnings which empowered us to build up our adaptive capacity, creativity, resilience and unity of our students and staff.”
One particular stressor for Rojas and the Emerald community last school year was the up-and-down road to earn admission to a Bay Area high school athletic league for the Aerouants.
After being rejected by the East Bay Athletic League and finding no luck despite early inroads with the Diablo Athletic League, Emerald secured a spot in the Bay Valley Athletic League starting in 2024-25.
“I know this 1.5-year struggle to gain membership into an athletic league took a significant toll on the development of our athletic program and student athletes,” Rojas said. “I appreciate the leadership of BVAL for taking us in and providing our athletic directors and coaches with the guidance and support we needed through membership and collaboration.”
As the 2023-24 year wound down, the excitement and workload of opening the actual Emerald campus at 3600 Central Pkwy. took hold and optimism was high after the end-of-year freshman dance, followed by public tours and the ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to Rojas.
The school welcomed its first set of freshman and sophomore students onto campus on Aug. 13 for the start of the 2024-25 academic year. Emerald plans to add a new class each of the next two years until it reaches full capacity and the end of construction on the final two phases by 2026-27.
It was a rough start at times, including delays with essential classroom equipment and materials, large athletic equipment and even the public address system, according to Rojas.
And, he said, things began to snowball from there.
“There were a lot of facilities issues from water and gas leaks, delayed shipment of furniture, hundreds of punch list items, to the lack of adequate maintenance and kitchen staff,” Rojas said. “All those and other challenges were amplified by negative, argumentative discourse from some of our parent community, and verbal and written attacks on our teachers, coaches, and PFSO parent leaders by other parents and physical neighbors.”
Rojas was critical of the level of support he received from the district office in the face of these issues, and the circumstances and stress started to impact his health – and ultimately led to what he called “a snap move” to resign by text message on Oct. 17.
‘I was in a bad place’
The second month after opening was a trying time for Emerald’s administrative operations and Rojas himself, according to internal district communications obtained this winter through a public records request.
Rojas missed multiple days of school as the calendar turned to October, with several work emails to superiors in the district office alluding to stress-induced health issues that required medical intervention — a backdrop he corroborated in his interview with the Weekly.
His absence and subsequent return also came amid a time when Rojas was the subject of at least two informal complaints, when he received a “letter of warning” from Funk with four directives to correct performance deficiencies in short order and when DUSD’s human resources team was already recruiting to secure extra part-time administrative help for Emerald, according to dozens of emails reviewed by the Weekly.
“Thank you for accommodating me for the last few days. I’ve been resting and focusing on improving my mental wellbeing with my family, spiritual advisors, and health providers,” Rojas wrote in an email to assistant superintendent of human resources Heather Campos on Friday, Oct. 4.
“I finally was able to meet with my doctor this morning. He adjusted my medications and is putting me off work on Monday to make sure I have time to adjust. He and I meet again on Tuesday morning ant Kaiser Fremont and I plan to be back at EHS right after,” Rojas told her.
The emails do not specify the full period when Rojas was out the week of Sept. 30 to Oct. 4.
He was scheduled to return on the afternoon of Tuesday, Oct. 8, and ordered to report first to a meeting with Funk and Campos at the district office before going to Emerald.
Rojas’ online work calendar, obtained by the Weekly, was lightly populated for that week of Oct. 7-11 – although that Thursday and Friday were no-school days in DUSD. The email trail shows Rojas engaged in some communications that week during those off-days, into the weekend and during his final three days before resigning.
Email responsiveness was one of four areas Rojas was told to address after returning to work as part of a “letter of warning” issued to him – the letter itself was not released to the Weekly, but an email exchange between Funk and Rojas on Oct. 15 refers to it and the task checklist.
The mix of inbox backup and communication silence during the second month of school got to the point that Funk ordered Rojas to “read and process unread emails, leaving no more than 25 unread remaining”.
It also became a talking point between Rojas and superiors during that week back on the job.
In an email Oct. 10, Campos followed up on a conversation with Rojas “regarding your concern that you would not be able to read all of your emails and that you didn’t feel the expectation was reasonable. It’s surprised me when you asked me if it would be advisable to just delete the unread emails. It would not be appropriate to delete emails.”
“By deleting unread emails, there is a high probability of letting people down and not being responsive in your job. You will miss issues or tasks that need to be handled or more,” Campos told the eighth-year principal.
The records released to the Weekly included sets of emails from two parents raising concerns about apparent grading policy changes in the biology department at Emerald – Rojas’ primary field when he was a classroom teacher. It was unclear whether Rojas responded to the messages, but after two-plus weeks, Funk himself got involved with researching the situation, interviewing the lead science teacher and responding to parents.
One parent emailed the school board, Funk, Rojas, the biology teachers and others on Sept. 18 to question whether grading practices were in line with board policy.
“Reviewing the attachments I can see why there is confusion. My team will investigate and follow up in the next few days,” Funk responded that morning.
The parent followed up on Oct. 7 implying she hadn’t heard any updates, leading to Funk initiating internal and external email exchanges on the issue the next two days.
“I spent several hours last night at home and this morning at EHS sorting through my emails … As of noon today, I have 18 unread emails,” Rojas told Campos by email Oct. 10.
“I appreciate all of your feedback and support and will work hard to follow the directives and recommendations to improve,” Rojas added. “I was in a bad place and these steps will help me refocus and move forward.”
One email response during that period led to a terse exchange with Funk on Oct. 9. Rojas added another staffer to the invite list for a meeting the superintendent called for Oct. 22 about “outstanding issues” at Emerald.
“Francis, I called this meeting. I emailed who I wanted to attend the meeting. Stay focused on the tasks you have been assigned,” Funk said. “Ok,” Rojas responded.
Rojas’ inbox count directive was unfulfilled on the due date Oct. 15. He told Funk by email at 6:42 p.m. that day that his inbox had been down to 15 unread emails days before but ballooned to 90-plus, with the principal citing auto-notifications, vendor messages and solicitations as the primary cause for the missed deadline.
Funk offered several inbox management tips to Rojas the following morning. “This allows me to clear my box each day. However, there are days when I’m in meetings all day, and then, of course, my email stacks up and requires me to review it in the evening or on the weekend,” the superintendent told the principal by email Oct. 16.
Another directive from Rojas’ warning letter was also still pending on deadline — only 10 of 12 goal-setting conferences with teachers were completed, with scheduling problems causing the delay for the remaining two, the principal said by email.
Rojas reported finishing the two other directives on time: submitting the school’s site safety plan on Oct. 9 and completing all Title IX presentations on Oct. 15.
The email records also make reference to two unspecified complaints lodged against Rojas – one filed on Oct. 7 and another on or before Sept. 30.
“No complaints subject to public disclosure exist,” Funk said in response to the CPRA request for complaints or claims filed against Rojas since the first day of school.
“I am not aware of any formal complaints filed against me,” Rojas told the Weekly.
As previously reported by the Weekly, Rojas stepped down by text message on the morning of Oct. 17 after being called into a meeting with Funk and Curtis Haar, director of TK-12 education for DUSD.
“I would like to tender my resignation,” Rojas texted on the chain with Funk and Haar.
“I accept. Please bring your keys and laptop to my office. We will schedule a time for you to clean out your office. You are not allowed back on the EHS campus without permission,” the superintendent responded. “In addition, your cell phone.”
Life goes on at Emerald
Despite the documented discord in Emerald administration, district and school officials worked hard to ensure disruptions were minimal for students, staff and the day-to-day educational experience, sources told the Weekly.
“The school is off to an amazing start,” Funk told the Weekly. “Considering the many obstacles of opening the school in year one off-site and moving to a campus in year two that is still under construction is a challenge for any leadership team. The students are thriving at Emerald.”
The key decision in the aftermath of Rojas’ resignation was promoting Emerald assistant principal Velez, an educator and administrator in her 20th year with DUSD, to permanent principal.
“It was a shock to us all. I had to jump right in and continue what we started together,” Velez said of the circumstances precipitating her ascension. “It was a big learning curve, but I felt so much support from the District, our staff and parents. I was provided with dedicated guest administrators to help me through as well.”
Jyotika Rattia, president of Emerald’s parent-faculty-student organization (PFSO), praised Velez for stabilizing the school in October and leading with purpose through the fall semester and into the spring term — while also crediting contributions and dedication of Rojas during his tenure.
“As with any sudden change, it’s natural that students, staff, and members of the community experienced various stages of loss, each shaped by their personal experiences and the frequency of their interactions with Mr. Rojas. During this challenging time, we were fortunate to have the steady leadership of Ms. Velez … to provide support and continuity,” Rattia said.
“These freshman and sophomore students are incredibly resilient. They are excelling across academics, athletics, and the arts. Emerald High School students have already achieved remarkable success,” Rattia added.
Emerald parent Navpreet Kaur lauded Velez for “her open and collaborative style” that instilled confidence during the trying autumn.
“It’s still early, but overall I feel positive,” Kaur told the Weekly. “The leadership change definitely could have been destabilizing, but it seems it’s actually moving the school forward.”
“I appreciate that leading a brand-new comprehensive high school, especially one as highly anticipated as EHS, is an enormous task,” Kaur continued. “The community’s expectations are high and as expected, there are plenty of first-year wrinkles that need to be tested and ironed out.”
“Things feel more stable now and hopeful,” Kaur added. “There’s a sense that the school is finding its rhythm and laying a solid foundation for the future. I see some efforts being made to bring people together and shape a school culture that we can be excited about.”
Teachers also worked hard to maintain stability and continuity for students in their classroom in the face of the shakeup in the main office, according to Brad Dobrzenski, president of the Dublin Teachers Association.
“I think all of the educators — and to be clear I am including the amazing classified staff that serve those students in the umbrella term of educator — really came together to ensure that students continue to receive what they deserve, an excellent high school experience,” Dobrzenski said.
“The students at Emerald are in fantastic hands,” he added.
Emerald boasted both the district-wide Teacher of the Year (health instructor Joy Sherratt) and one of the countywide Classified Employees of the Year (campus supervisor Karen Chamberlain) during its first year.
Community tensions did rise when popular educator Jason Rockwell — Emerald’s 2023-24 Teacher of the Year, during their time at the Dublin High campus — was effectively relieved of his post as junior varsity boys’ basketball head coach this March for undisclosed reasons.
Kaur, an outspoken supporter of Rockwell as the basketball controversy played out, said the teacher and coach was a “grounding influence” on her son.
“We moved to Dublin partly as a financial investment but what we didn’t expect was how meaningful this first year would be in terms of our son’s personal growth,” Kaur said. “We’re seeing our son mature in real-time, and that’s the kind of payoff we weren’t expecting through EHS this early on.”
That’s in line with the tone Velez strives to set for the final six weeks of the academic year – and beyond.
“The goals are to expand our support for students (hence a new bell schedule for next year) and continue building our identity, culture and traditions,” the principal said. “I want to put Emerald on the map as the school where all are thriving and becoming the best version of themselves. We are innovative in what we do and are educating students for the future and not staying static. I believe we are already demonstrating that with some of our programming and events.”
“I want all to feel proud about being an Aerouant,” Velez added. “We are looking forward to opening our second academic tower and welcoming the Class of 2029, bringing us to right around 1,500 students next year.”
As for Rojas himself, he said he is currently looking for a new job and unsuccessfully pursued a settlement request with DUSD that was denied with no counteroffer.
“In the meantime, I have been finding ways to heal from the trauma of what I had experienced, going to church, volunteering with the community and professional organizations and boards that I serve, and most importantly, spending quality time with my family,” Rojas said.
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