Principal at S.F.’s Lowell High resigns, criticizes board

Joe Ryan Dominguez, principal at San Francisco’s prestigious Lowell High School, announced his resignation this week in a letter to families in which he blasted the district for what he described as a lack of fiscal responsibility and “sound instructional practices,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Dominguez, who’s held the top job a Lowell less than a year, accepted a job at a school in Arizona, the newspaper reported. He will serve out the remained of the year at Lowell.

The move comes amid continuing controversy at Lowell High, which until recently admitted students based on their academic prowess. Last year, the school board voted to ditch the admission system and admit students by lottery instead, in an effort to diversify the 166-year-old school, the first public high school west of the Mississippi.

Jenny Lam, president of the school board, said she regrets Dominguez’ departure.

“Support for our high schools is deeply important to me, and with this resignation, I see that we have much work to do,” she said, according to the newspaper. “I will be speaking with members of the Lowell community soon about their steps forward.”