St. Paul superintendent ends tenure this week

Tuesday is the last day on the job for the superintendent of the state's second-largest school district.

Meria Carstarphen will be leaving the St. Paul School District to become superintendent in Austin, Texas.

Carstarphen was named to that new job in February and since then, has taken personal time off occasionally to be in Texas. The Austin American-Statesman has reported that she's being paid extra for those days worked before the new job starts.

A St. Paul district spokesman says Carstarphen will be in the office this week. Suzanne Kelly has been named St. Paul's interim superintendent.

Kelly does not have a superintendent's license, and the district's recent application to get a waiver to that rule was rejected.

The district, though, insists Kelly will continue as interim superintendent and has asked the board that rejected the waiver to reconsider. That review will happen in August.

The St. Paul School Board has said it wants to hire a permanent replacement for Carstarphen some time during the next school year.

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