Goodbye Meria: St. Paul Superintendent off to Austin

St. Paul Public Schools Superintendent Meria Carstarphen is leaving to become head of the Austin, Texas, school system. At a public meeting this morning, the Austin district’s Board of Trustees unanimously voted to name Carstarphen the sole finalist for the position. Although three weeks must elapse before she can sign a contract, Carstarphen immediately announced that she would accept the post.

“The decision I have made is both professional and personal,” Carstarphen said in a statement. “This opportunity allows me to continue doing work that I am passionate about: closing the achievement gap and accelerating achievement for all students in a diverse urban setting.”

The development hardly comes as a surprise. Last week the Austin-American Statesman reported that Carstarphen was among the finalists for the job, and she’d been extremely cagey in her public statements. Last evening Pioneer Press reporter Doug Belden noted her conspicuous presence at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Destination Austin, perhaps?

Castarphen will stay on through the end of the school year. She has been in the St. Paul post for three years.