ATLANTA — According to a poll released over the weekend, a vast number of voters in the City of Atlanta who have a child in Atlanta public school say they support extending Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Meria Carstarphen's contract beyond this school year.
Landmark Communications, Inc. released the results in a press release on Facebook, saying they conducted the poll of 500 voters on Oct. 3.
Of those Atlanta voters with a child in the school system, 75% say they support extending her contract, with just 21% opposed.
The Atlanta Public Schools board decided in September they will not renew the contract of Carstarphen when it expires on June 30.
Just last year, the board voted 6-3 to extend her contract into 2020.
Carstarphen was hired to the position by a unanimous vote in 2014 and has overseen major changes and, recently, consolidations in one of the largest school systems in the state.
By a margin of 64-18%, Atlantans say they support extending the contract of Carstarphen. 18% of voters say they are undecided.
According to the poll, there was no significant difference between the race of voters in support for extending Carstarphen’s contract. African American voters say they support the extension of the contract by a 66-16% margin, while white voters support the extension by a 65-17% margin.
A large majority of voters favorably view Carstarphen’s job performance. By a 63-12% margin, voters say they favorably view her job performance.
Under her leadership, the district worked to rebuild trust after the APS cheating scandal and increased graduation rates. Last year, she was named Georgia Superintendent of the Year.
The poll has a margin of error of 4.1%. Landmark conducted and funded the poll on its own.