Transition begins for new Atlanta superintendent
Incoming Atlanta Superintendent Meria Carstarphen will likely be starting her job sooner than expected.
The Atlanta school board plans to approve a resolution Tuesday that would allow Carstarphen to recruit a transition team and begin readying the school system for her official arrival July 7, said board Chairman Courtney English.
English said Monday he intends to raise between $500,000 and $1 million from business and philanthropic organizations to compensate Carstarphen and her transition team. Carstarphen will be paid a $375,00 base salary once she takes office.
Carstarphen would be able to begin working immediately after the resolution is approved.
“We want to give her the authority to put a transition team in place,” English said. “We want to be transparent about what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.”
The Atlanta Board of Education called a special legislative meeting to vote on the resolution Tuesday afternoon.
Carstarphen will replace Superintendent Erroll Davis, who plans to retire after three years leading Atlanta Public Schools.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
