st. paul

Meria Carstarphen, the 39-year-old superintendent hired in 2006 with the edict of improving student achievement and closing the achievement gap, is accepting a job in the Austin, Texas, school district.

She might be happy, but her bosses at the St. Paul school board were disappointed to learn Thursday that she is leaving after three years, the shortest tenured superintendent there in decades.

Take Board Member Tom Conlon: "I'm saddened," he said, "but I'm grateful for the service she gave us."

Or Anne Carroll: "I'm disappointed," she said, "of course I'm disappointed."

Or Vice Chairwoman Elona Street-Stewart: "I told her this morning that we're sorry you're going," she said, "but you were here for three years and we got a lot of work done."

The Austin Board of Trustees voted unanimously Thursday morning to choose Carstarphen as the only finalist in its search to replace the retiring Pat Forgione.

She's leaving as the district faces a $25 million budget deficit for next year, and is at the beginning of a large restructuring process. Test scores were up last year, though not enough to stave off the federally mandated restructuring of Arlington Senior High School and Humboldt Junior High School.

"It is with mixed emotions that I accept Austin's invitation," Carstarphen said in a statement. "I am deeply honored to have worked with the St. Paul Public Schools families and staff."

Street-Stewart said Carstarphen is leaving the district in a good spot. She has taken the district from one just coming to grips with the federal No Child Left Behind, to one that is ready for the large-scale restructuring Carstarphen was initiating this year.

"Her legacy will be that she positioned us for the changes we need to make," she said.

The search for a replacement

Carstarphen will leave Minnesota this summer, three years after arriving to replace Patricia Harvey. That's the average tenure for an urban superintendent in the United States. But St. Paul's superintendents tend to stick around longer: George Young, David Bennett, Curman Gains and Harvey -- the district's most recent full-time superintendents -- each was on the job for at least six years.

St. Paul has three options for its superintendent search, according to Charlie Kyte, executive director of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators. Hire someone who is already with the district, hire someone from within the Minnesota or Midwestern education community, or conduct a big national search.

The search could cost up to $50,000, he said, depending how the district runs it.

St. Paul, and most urban superintendent jobs, "are very challenging jobs," said Kyte, with huge pressures to close the achievement gap, deal with at-risk populations, and deal with pressure from inside the district as well.

Thursday afternoon, Street-Stewart said the school board has not yet considered how to proceed, but she imagines the process will look similar to past searches. The district might consider hiring an interim superintendent to take the reins when Carstarphen leaves.

When looking for a permanent candidate, Street-Stewart said she would look for someone who is "high-energy, 'cause we're used to that now." The board should also consider the person's communication skills and make sure he or she works well with local community groups and education partners.

Finding the way

The superintendent search that netted Carstarphen had two local finalists who could also be considered for post this time around: Kent Pekel used to serve as an adviser for former Superintendent Patricia Harvey, and he now directs the College Readiness Consortium at the University of Minnesota. Bernadeia Johnson taught in St. Paul for five years, and she is now the deputy superintendent in the Minneapolis district.

Valeria Silva, the chief academic officer of the St. Paul Public Schools, is another potential candidate. Silva recently completed a prestigious Broad fellowship to train urban superintendents. She was a finalist for the Anoka-Hennepin superintendent job earlier this year.

Reached Thursday morning, Pekel said he was "so stunned that [Carstarphen] is leaving so soon, that I don't even know what to think."

Would he be interested in the job? "I honestly have not even considered this because I didn't see this coming. I'm not trying to be coy, I'm really happy at the university."

Originally from Selma, Ala., Carstarphen has spent her years in the district focusing on closing the achievement gap between white students and students of color, beefing up the district's relationships with corporate and philanthropic partners and initiating major restructuring to the district.

According to Carroll, the district will be just fine in Carstarphen's absence.

"This is St. Paul," she said. "We will find our way. We'll do the right thing as we go forward to the future, just like we always have. It's never about just one person."

Emily Johns • 612-673-7460