MCPS: Leggett Falls Short In Funding Schools

Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr said he is disappointed in the County Executive's budget plan.

The amount of aid for county schools proposed by Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett in his fiscal 2014 county budget plan falls short of what's needed, Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr said Friday. Leggett's plan calls for a schools budget of $2.23 billion—an increase of $65.8 million, or 3 percent more than the budget approved for the current school year. "The County Executive's recommendation would fund 100 percent of the [school board]'s request," according to Leggett's budget proposal. Click here to read more on Leggett's fiscal 2014 budget plan and here to hear the County Executive discuss the proposal. The proposal is a slight increase in spending for MCPS, to the level required by the state's …

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Superintendent’s Leadership Program for Students, March 15 Deadline

The year-long career and leadership development program looks for students who have demonstrated leadership, maturity and the ability to learn outside the classroom.

MCPS Fares Well in Progress Index

Superintendent Starr is critical of the purpose of the index.

Montgomery County's public schools fared well in the state's most recently released School Progress Index—a new accountability measure whose purpose has been criticized by Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr. The School Progress Index—which uses a formula, based mostly on state test scores, to determine how schools are progressing toward academic goals—was released on Monday. Sixty-four percent of the county's public schools made it into the top two (of five) strands—the two strands requiring the least amount of monitoring and support, according to a county schools statement.  Overall, the county school system received an index score of 1.014. A score of 1.0 or higher means that the school or school system has met …

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Work Group Formed to Consider Later School Start Times

An online petition to start county public high schools at 8:15 a.m. already had collected more than 10,000 signatures by Wednesday morning, Dec. 12.

Montgomery County public school parents and students are speaking up about school start times, and the county's school superintendent is responding. An online petition, "Changing Montgomery County, MD's High School Start Times to 8:15 AM or Later," has asked the county school board to "officially recognize the large and compelling body of research regarding teen sleep and academic achievement," and "to start high schools in Montgomery County, MD, after 8:15 [a.m.]." On Tuesday, Superintendent of Schools Joshua P. Starr announced that a work group has been established to study the issue. That will come as good news to the petition's signers, who already numbered more than 10,000 by 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12. "Sleep deprivation, with such …

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MCPS Achievement Gap Shrink Noted at National Conference

A University of Chicago professor said a change in culture, not curriculum, was key.

Montgomery County Public Schools were singled out at a recent national conference on high school reform for taking steps to close the achievement gap between races, according to US News and World Report. A professor at the University of Chicago noted the system had succeeded in lifting up scores for black and Hispanic students.  Charles Payne, professor and affiliate of the university's Urban Education Institute, said MCPS narrowed the achievement gap—lower test scores among black and Latino students when compared to white and Asian students—at all grade levels by moving the best teachers to underserved schools.  "There are some groups of African-American and Hispanic students who, when they get a different caliber of teachers, can turn on…

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'Rethink:' Superintendent Starr Outlines Public Education of the Future

Dr. Joshua Starr outlines his vision for public education in Montgomery County at the first "State of the Schools" address.

Montgomery County Public Schools are succeeding on many levels, according to Superintendent Joshua Starr, who hosted a lush "State of the Schools" address Monday. Starr and his 500 to 600 guests spent much of the morning at The Music Center at Strathmore revelling in the system's many gifts: The highest high school graduation rate of any large school system; scores of talented students excelling in music, visual art, science and math; and millions of dollars in college scholarship funds doled to graduates.  Despite a history of success, it was clear that Starr's vision for the future of public education in Montgomery County is different than the past. The system's students are also different than the past—majority non-white and …

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Montgomery County Superintendent Endorses Maryland Dream Act

Dr. Joshua Starr said the ballot referendum 'is not about politics: it’s about our future and the future of our students.'

Supporters of the Maryland Dream Act recently scored two high-profile endorsements: Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and CEO of the NAACP, and Dr. Joshua Starr, superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools. Starr, who heads the largest school system in the state, said the ballot referendum that would allow undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition should they meet certain reprequisites "is not about politics."  His written statement: "The Maryland DREAM Act is not about politics: it’s about our future and the future of our students. The Act would simply allow hard-working students who have been in our system for years to pursue the dream of post-secondary education and receive in-state tuition rates. A college education is …

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MCPS Superintendent Is on Twitter

Joshua Starr is tweeting as @mcpssuper.

Joshua Starr, Montgomery County Public Schools' new superintendent, has joined Twitter. Starr, who began his tenure this month, tweets under @mcpssuper. "As I explore the school system and talk to the people that make it the vibrant and successful place that it is, Twitter will be a great way to share my experiences with the community," Starr said in a news release. Thus far, he has tweeted about visiting schools and construction sites in the county. Starr used the same account to reach students and parents when he was superintendent in Stamford, Conn. MCPS has a seperate Twitter account for its news and tips, which you can find at @MCPS.

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Busy First Meeting for New Superintendent

Starr thanks staff for transition help, finalizes appointments, recommends delaying vote on charter school.

The new superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools had three days into his new job to prepare for the first school board meeting, one with a heavy agenda. "You'll have the full breadth in this meeting," Board President Christopher Barclay said, "From swearing in our student member to making decisions that will affect the lives of children." In addition to welcoming Board Student Member Alan Xie for his second term, Dr. Joshua P. Starr also made three personnel appointments official, including two principals, as well as signed previously negotiated agreements with staff unions represented in MCPS.  On substantive matters, Starr recommended a vote on one charter school; application be delayed, listened in as the board members …

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Board of Education Postpones Community Montessori Decision

In his first Board meeting, Starr makes recommendation to postpone charter vote.

The Board of Education postponed its decision on a charter for Community Montessori School today after Dr. Starr, in his first Board meeting, cautioned the Board about making a precedent that would guide future charter decisions. One main question stalled the vote: how the school would comply with the state charter law provision's to be open to all students, including a lottery system if there were more applicants than spaces. Laura Berthiaume (District 2) voiced the strongest objections on this issue, even after Patricia O'Neill (District 3) amended the action sheet to include a catchment area "to be determined" by both the school system and the applicant. "I find it hard to believe that the administration would say no to a Crossway …

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