L. Fernando Alarcón is the new principal of Benjamin Franklin Elementary. Alarcón is originally from Colombia and has been in education for 21 years. He worked for 10 years in Bogotá, Colombia as a bilingual teacher in elementary and secondary school, and 11 years in Houston ISD as a bilingual teacher at Tinsley and Benavidez Elementary. He later was named assistant principal at Gallegos Elementary. 

Alarcón holds a bachelor’s in Modern Languages from the Universidad INCCA de Colombia, a master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of St. Thomas, and a Principal’s Certification from Lamar University.