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Franklin High students, staff thank Stockton Unified board for HBCU college tour and ask to sustain program
Summary
Students and staff from Franklin High thanked the board for approving an HBCU college tour that exposed dozens of students to historically Black colleges; presenters described first-time air travel, on-campus experiences that inspired college applications, and urged the board to continue funding under LCAP Goal 6.
Dozens of Franklin High students and staff addressed the Stockton Unified School District board during public comment to thank trustees for approving a recent HBCU college tour and to ask that the district sustain the program under LCAP Goal 6.
Omar Stewart, a Franklin staff member and BSU adviser, told the board the trip was “flawless” and said 17 students visited multiple HBCUs, many traveling by plane for the first time. “This experience for the kids of my BSU at Franklin High was something that we still talk about to this day,” Stewart said, adding that the tour opened new possibilities for students who had not previously considered out-of-state colleges.
Students described immediate, concrete impacts. Athena Angel, the BSU social-media specialist, said seeing campuses filled with students who looked like her was empowering: “I felt empowered walking around Spellman, seeing women that look like me.” Jennifer Brown, Franklin’s AVID site coordinator, said students were completing college applications on the bus and that faculty and outside community members approached district staff to praise the students’ preparation and comportment.
Speakers credited district support and specific staff for organizing the trip and asked the board to make the college tours an annual, sustainable offering rather than a one-time event. “I hope this isn’t just a one-shot thing,” Brown said, urging continued investment in Goal 6.
The board heard similar testimony from other students and staff who described campus visits to Tuskegee and Spellman, student applications submitted while traveling, and personal transformations including overcoming anxiety and gaining confidence about college. Trustees and presenters repeatedly framed the trip as an equity-driven investment in college access.
Next steps noted in the meeting record: board members and staff discussed sustaining funding and programming through district initiatives such as ELOP and site-based supports; no formal vote on funding was taken at this meeting.
