Left-leaning group Rise Up Georgia is calling on Atlanta schools superintendent Meria Carstarphen to cancel the district’s contract with the architect of Gov. Nathan Deal’s state takeover plan.
Atlanta hired former Deal advisor Erin Hames in August on a $96,000, no-bid contract to work with the district as it tries to turn around the more than 40 schools at high risk of state takeover if Deal's Opportunity School District plan is approved by voters next year.
Hames will also make $30,000 over the next year consulting for Deal on education policy.
An online petition calling for the school board to end the contract has attracted hundreds of endorsements.
“Drop the contract with Erin Hames and prove you’re committed to building trust with our community,” APS parent Kimberly Brooks said Thursday just before Carstarphen gave her annual State of the District address.
The dual contracts with APS and the governor's office raised concerns of government transparency advocates.
“The best thing she could do is to terminate the contract,” State Sen. Vincent Fort said Thursday. “It’s undermining the public’s trust in Atlanta Public Schools doing the right thing.”
Fort says he plans to introduce a bill to prevent similar arrangements.
Carstarphen said last month that she stands by the decision to hire Hames.
“There are far more policy and legislative needs that Atlanta Public Schools have that go far beyond the OSD,” she said. “At the end of the day, we will be crushed at the state level if we don’t have people who have relationships and quality information that can help Atlanta Public Schools.””
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