After five years of serving as AISD’s superintendent, Dr. Meria Carstarphen leaves the district headed to lead an Atlanta school district that is in need of a change of direction.
With many concerns on her mind, Carstarphen choked up with tears as she attempted to say her farewells to the AISD district.

 
“When you love something it’s hard to let go,” Carstarphen said. “With a lot of challenges in a district it is really important for a community to be able to continue to grow. Atlanta needs someone with ability to recruit and help others with their turn around. When they reached out to me to work at Atlanta it was hard to say that I wouldn’t come back home to help my people,”.

 
Bowie Principal Stephen Kane offered his opinion about  Carstarphen’s leaving.
“Dr. Carstarphen impacted not just Bowie herself but she had some very positive characteristics as far as campus support,” Kane said. “She always tried to make decisions that I felt helped the campus. Campuses were her top priority. I think all campuses benefitted from that.”

 
Carstarphen hopes to influence the Atlanta school district with her successful approach. With many ideas in mind, Carstarphen gives her approach on school districts and student body choices across the school board.

 
“I believe students have a significant voice and across the district they lead and shape the district across the board,” Carstarphen said. “I think student voice should be the lead voice because we want to create environment of staying in school and able to succeed.”

 
Junior, Arianna Granado, stays informed on the AISD community and showed her concern for Bowie’s facilities and the key qualities desired for the new AISD superintendent.
“I hope that the new superintendent of AISD is a good leader who can make decisions that benefit both students and teachers,” junior Granado said. “I don’t think Dr. Carstarphen made decisions that benefitted Bowie because she rejected the bond that would benefit Bowie’s facilities. Our theatre is falling apart with the chairs breaking as well as being very unreliable. This bond would have given us money to fix these problems.”

 
Kane expressed his concern for the new superintendent of the AISD school board.
“To me they have to be personable, always have kids and what’s best for kids at the forefront,” Kane said. “That’s what we are in this business for, to make a difference in young people’s lives.”
Carstarphen delivered her ideal image for the new AISD superintendent with leading characteristics and qualities in mind.

 
“The new superintendent needs to believe in principal leadership and be someone with financial and budget experience, management minded, be able to understand what the situation in Texas is very quickly,” Dr. Carstarphen said. “ The superintendent needs to love Austin and not be someone who hides and has to be engaged. Be able to talk candidly and help lead the district to excellent levels.”