Carstarphen, Norwood to speak at Nov. 20 community meeting

Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Meria Carstarphen, left, and former Atlanta Councilwoman and former mayoral candidate Mary Norwood will speak next week at a meeting of the Northwest Community Alliance.

Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Meria Carstarphen, left, and former Atlanta Councilwoman and former mayoral candidate Mary Norwood will speak next week at a meeting of the Northwest Community Alliance.

Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Meria Carstarphen and former Atlanta City Councilwoman Mary Norwood are the featured guest speakers at a meeting next week of the Northwest Community Alliance.

Carstarphen and Norwood will speak separately at the 7 p.m. Nov. 20 meeting.

The group’s chairman Mike Koblentz said Carstarphen will speak first, followed by Norwood. Each will get about 40 minutes. Both speakers are expected to take questions.

He said the group’s past speakers have included former Atlanta mayors Shirley Franklin and Kasim Reed. The group also hosted a 2017 mayoral debate that included Norwood and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, to whom Norwood lost in a runoff election.

Said Koblentz: “As a smart growth group, we have addressed all sorts of issues.”

The Atlanta school board announced in September that it would not renew Carstarphen's contract when it expires June 30. Carstarphen has not said what her plans will be once her tenure at Atlanta Public Schools is over. 

Norwood is the chairwoman of the Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods.

The event is open to the public.