The following is a letter from Cynthia Briscoe Brown, the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education Member from District 8, regarding an announcement about the finalist for the APS Superintendent position:

I am thrilled to announce the Board of Education’s sole finalist for Superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools, Dr. Meria Joel Carstarphen. She has an impressive track record of student results and a history of uniting all for the benefit of children. I’m excited about working with her and my colleagues on the Board to make APS the best school system in the nation.

Dr. Carstarphen has nearly 20 years of education experience in diverse, urban public school districts, including Austin, St. Paul and District of Columbia. She is currently Superintendent of the Austin Independent School District, which she joined in 2009, as its first African American and the first woman superintendent. Results during her tenure include:

o Improved graduation rates (82.5% all-time high)

o Reduced longitudinal dropout rate by 25 percent to 9.5%

o Higher overall SAT and ACT exam scores, as compared  with counterparts across the state and nation (all-time high for ACT)

o Ranked first in 8th grade math and second in 4th grade science compared to all NAEP urban districts

o 92% of Class of 2012 applied to college (all-time high)

o Improved attendance rates at all levels (95% all-time high)

“Meria was our unanimous choice not just because of her impressive track record of success, but how she achieved her results: by bringing people together,” said Board Chair Courtney English. “She repeatedly has united communities around a collective vision to achieve unprecedented and lasting achievements for students.”

“I’d be honored to bring my experience back to my home region of the Deep South,” said Dr. Carstarphen. “It’s thrilling that my experience so neatly matches up to the expressed needs that will transform Atlanta into the educational powerhouse it deserves to be.”

“We’re confident that she will be able to restore trust, leverage her proven track record of improving student scores, and manage the sensitivities of our diverse districts,” added Ann Cramer, Chair of the Superintendent Search Committee. “She holds the promise of achieving sustainable advances for our whole student community.”

The Atlanta Board of Education will vote on this finalist during its standing April 14, 2014 Board meeting. Dr. Carstarphen will be in Atlanta Thursday, March 27 through Saturday March 29, and return April 1, to participate in school tours and community meet-and-greets in all six districts.

Your Board of Education Representative,

Cynthia Briscoe Brown