Michael Franklin is the new Principal at Morro Bay High School. Photo by Neil Farrell
Morro Bay High School’s new principal brings a wealth of experience both in the classroom and the administration office, as he and his family escape the Arizona heat for the cool climes of the Central Coast.
Michael Franklin, 42, was hired over the summer break to replace the retired former Principal Scott Schalde. His first day of classes was Aug. 20.
Born in Los Angeles and raised in Baltimore, Franklin later went to the University of Arizona in Tucson, where he started out working towards a degree in pediatric medicine.
But he said he quickly learned that medicine wasn’t for him. He started coaching kids’ sports, basketball and soccer, and realized he really liked working with kids.
So, he changed his major to education, deciding to become a teacher.
His undergrad degree is from The University of Arizona, and he earned a master’s degree from Northern Arizona University. His first teaching job was in the Sunnyside School District, a small district where opportunities to advance came relatively easy.
He taught social studies, he recounted. Then he taught TV and media for 6 years at the high school level. He moved up quickly.
“If you’re hungry enough people give you opportunities,” he explained sitting in the Principal’s Office at MBHS the day before the chaos of a new school year began.
He became the assistant athletic director, he said, “that was a good fit. I took advantage of the opportunities ahead of me.”
He eventually became the athletic director at the school. “That’s how it started,” he said of his switch to the administrative side of education.
He became principal in 2020, “in the heart of COVID,” he said. “I began the next school year as a COVID principal at the second biggest high school in the state.”
How did he end up in Morro Bay? “My wife and I always thought we’d move back to California,” he explained, adding that every time they came back for a visit or vacation, it reinforced his desire to return.
He was sending out resumes last spring and saw a posting for the Morro Bay High job and sent his resume to the San Luis Coastal Unified School District.
“I had never heard of this area before I saw that posting,” he said. The Franklins moved here along with their 15-year-old son, who is a sophomore at MBHS, and their 11-year-old daughter (soon to turn 12) who is going to Los Osos Middle School.
“It’s always important that our kids are in the same system I’m in,” he said. “We tell people to bring their kids to our school, so it’s important to have ours here.”
He also believes it’s important that his children spend their K-12th grade years with him nearby, “before they go off into adulthood.”
The family is living in San Luis Obispo at this time. He said while they were looking for somewhere to live, they “quickly saw how difficult it is to find housing in this town.”
Nevertheless, “We love it here,” he said. “My body has always had a calling to the coast.” Escaping the Arizona heat is a welcomed relief as well.
His wife is an instructional systems designer by profession, who worked for his old school district. They look forward to exploring the area, he explained.
Their short time here has been good. “We’ve met a lot of local leaders,” he said. “It’s been really good.” As evidence of this, before he sat down for this interview, he was in a meeting with Morro Bay Police Chief Amy Watkins and the school resource officer. He’s also met with the mayor and other City officials.
Asked to explain a couple of card games — “The One Thing” and “Conversation Cards” — that he has sitting on the conference table inside the Principal’s Office, he said, “We believe your values drive the direction in your life.” He added that without values, a person could be driven anywhere.
“We use these cards to reset values,” he explained. The cards explore individual values, relationship values as well as he and his wife’s relationship values with their children.
“I’m a people person,” he said. “I’m big on relationships.”
He reiterated that relationships matter the most in a school setting. “We’re in a business that produces a human product. You can never lose sight of that. It keeps me grounded, and it aligns with the true purpose we serve.”
Will he change things from how his predecessor ran the school? “I’m not a big believer in change,” he said, “unless it has to happen. Scott did a phenomenal job.” He added that the school enjoys a good environment that includes the kids, the staff and the community. “I want to build on top of that. I want everyone to know that.”
He added that the key to getting the students to achieve comes through love. “You do it with love,” he said. “You do it with heart. You build a system that ensures that love is never lost and that the structure supports what is around us.”
He takes over a school that was greatly rebuilt just a few years ago and is now completely settled from the years it was under construction. The staff is all in place and “ready to go.”
They spent two exciting days in collaborative meetings to “make sure we were ready for the kids.”
He plans to continue with the school’s weekly Principal’s Newsletter that Schalde and his office staff faithfully put out the past several years, informing students and parents of the goings on and acknowledging the accomplishments of the students.
He’s big on having the students do service in the community and plans to continue with those efforts. “I believe the school is at the center of the community,” he explained, “and I want the community to continue to take pride in the school.”
