The first test of the relationship between Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Meria Carstarphen and a new school board comes Monday when the board will consider extending her contract.
Carstarphen, who previously led the Austin, Texas, school system, was hired in Atlanta in 2014. She quickly set about trying to turn around the district marred by a criminal test-cheating scandal and struggling with some of Georgia's lowest performing schools.
Her plan has included closing and merging schools, hiring charter school operators to run schools and, in some cases, requiring teachers to reapply for their jobs. The recommendations have been met with board support, despite occasional no votes from individual board members.
VIDEO: Previous coverage on this issue
Monday’s vote will provide insight into how this board, which took office in January with three new members, view her and the ambitious and sometimes controversial vision she’s laid out for the 52,000-student district.
Here are five things you need to know.
1. Previous extensions
The previous school board has twice extended the superintendent's original contract. In 2015, the board unanimously agreed to a one-year extension through June 30, 2018. In 2017, the board extended her contract by another year, to run through June 30, 2019.
2. New school board
In January, a new board took office. The members include six incumbents and three newcomers. The board makeup, as well as the passage of time and implementation of controversial strategies aimed at improving schools, could affect the level of support for the superintendent.
Jason Esteves, who became the board’s chairman in January and is one of the superintendent’s strong backers, feels confident about the contract vote but expects the board’s decision to extend her term is “not going to be unanimous.”
“I think that’s absolutely natural in a superintendent’s life cycle because turnaround is hard, and we’ve seen good results, but there’s still a lot of improvement left,” he said. “You get different opinions.”
3. Superintendent’s report
Carstarphen and her team have prepared a 41-page report to be shared at Monday's meeting outlining progress made during the last four years. The report outlines the challenges faced by the district — among them low graduation rates, low academic achievement and community distrust after the cheating scandal — and how APS has improved.
The report highlights the increase in the graduation rate from 59 percent in 2014 to 77 percent in 2017, the growth of the pre-kindergarten program, and gains made in 2017 by two-thirds of Atlanta schools on the state report card, which is largely based on standardized test scores.
The superintendent also heralds efforts to obtain deeds to school properties that the city had held onto for years, increase donations and grants, and revise and track employee ethics training. Under her leadership, the district has boosted pay for teachers. Next year's tentative budget, which the board is scheduled to give final approval to Monday, also includes employee pay bumps.
4. Criticism
Some decisions made by the superintendent and school board have drawn criticism. The Atlanta Federation of Teachers did not endorse any incumbents in last year's school board election and objected to what it calls a "push to privatize education" and expand charter schools. Parents in neighborhoods where schools have been closed have also complained over the years about the district's strategy.
5. More work to do
Carstarphen has said she wants to stay in Atlanta, telling reporters at a recent news conference “that would be ideal.”
“A superintendent is only part of the structure. A school board has to agree that they want to do that, and that they want to continue down the agenda,” she said. “And you know, that does change over time. So, we’ll see how all that works out, but I’m still super-focused. I love Atlanta.”
A quality public school system is key to the city and region’s success, she said. It’s seen as a critical component of breaking inter-generational poverty and maintaining a middle class.
Esteves said he's most encouraged by the work Carstarphen has done to lay a solid foundation so that APS can thrive. He said the superintendent needs to be able to complete the strategic plan, which ends in 2020.
“She’s the leader that we need to finish the work that we started,” he said. “We have to give her that time.”
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