On April 4, Vincent Torres, president of the AISD Board of Trustees, provided the following message to AISD employees, families and community members about the contingency plan should Superintendent Meria Carstarphen be officially selected April 14 to lead Atlanta Public Schools:
Dear AISD Community:
The Austin ISD Board of Trustees is committed to openness and transparency as we craft a contingency plan should Dr. Meria Carstarphen be formally chosen to lead Atlanta Public Schools on April 14.
This past Monday, the school board had an opportunity to meet in executive session to begin discussing our contingency plan for a possible transition in superintendent. We will continue our discussions next Monday, April 7, both in executive session and in public during the board’s work session and dialogue meeting. We are also scheduled to meet in executive session again on Tuesday, April 8 to continue our deliberations. Please note that the board will not take any action until after Dr. Carstarphen announces her official plans.
As part of our contingency plan, the school board does need to start preparing for an interim superintendent should Dr. Carstarphen accept the position in Atlanta. If Dr. Carstarphen does submit her resignation, the board will need to move quickly to appoint an interim superintendent.
This is why we are launching a new website to help keep families, staff and the Austin community informed and to make it easier to collect input from all our stakeholders. Here you will find information about upcoming board meetings and, when available, detailed information about the process and timeline for a possible search for a new, permanent superintendent. You will also be able to send us comments and input directly.
I want to assure you that as your elected trustees we are committed to an open and transparent process that the board believes will yield the best field of candidates for superintendent.
For the time being, I plan to update you every Friday on the status of the board’s contingency plan, timeline and progress. You can read the President’s Update section of our new website and follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the most up-to-date information.
Thank you,
Vincent Torres
President
Austin ISD Board of Trustees