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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WATCH: Paint Branch High Students Quiz Superintendent

Students at the Burtonsville, MD high school asked questions about music programs, school start times and school safety.

Armed with a myriad of questions for their school system's leader, students at Paint Branch High in Burtonsville spent 40 minutes quizzing Dr. Joshua Starr on everything from the stability of music programs to teacher evaluations during a student town hall meeting Jan. 29. "I think it's a great opportunity that MCPS gives us for kids to be able to communicate with the superintendent," one Paint Branch student told MCPS TV. Starr also took the opportunity to allow students to weigh in on changing school start times, a debate that has garnered considerable attention in many different areas of Montgomery County. With a show of hands for which students actually wanted to change bell times, he noted that most did not.  "They have a lot of great…

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Starr to Host School Year's First Book Club Meeting

The MCPS superintendent will host a panel discussion of 'How Children Succeed.'

  How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, by Paul Tough, will be the focus of Montgomery County schools Superintendent Joshua P. Starr’s first Book Club discussion of the school year Tuesday. Starr will host a discussion of the book at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Carver Educational Services Center, at 850 Hungerford Drive, in Rockville. The discussion will include questions from Montgomery County Public Schools parents, staff and students and community members for a panel of researchers and educators. In How Children Succeed, “Tough argues that the qualities that matter most have more to do with character: skills like perseverance, curiosity, conscientiousness, optimism, and self-control,” according to…

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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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Einstein, Blake to Host Community Day with Schools Leader

Dr. Joshua Starr will visit six different areas of the county in a series of community events.

Parents and community members are invited to visit with Dr. Joshua Starr, superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools, during a series of Community Day events throughout the remainder of the school year, the system announced.  During each of the six days, held in different parts of the county, Starr will visit with school staff and meet with parents. Each day will end with a town hall for the public at 7:30 p.m. Albert Einstein High in Kensington will host the next event for the entire Downcounty Consortium Thursday, Dec. 13. The Consortium includes Montgomery Blair, Einstein, John F. Kennedy, Northwood and Wheaton High clusters.  James Hubert Blake High in Silver Spring will host for the Northeast Consortium and the Sherwood High …

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Starr to Deliver First 'State of the Schools' Address Nov. 12

The Montgomery County Schools superintendent will be at the Music Center at Strathmore.

Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr will deliver his first State of the Schools address—"Building the Future Together"—on Nov. 12, at the Music Center at Strathmore. The event is open to the public, and those who plan to attend can RSVP on the MCPS website. "The event, which begins at 7:30 a.m., is an opportunity for business, non-profit and educational leaders to hear Dr. Starr’s vision for the future of MCPS," according to a school system news release. "The event will also highlight the outstanding achievements and talents of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) students." Starr will deliver his address at 8:30 a.m., with the event expected to conclude an hour later. Montgomery County Board of Education …

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Montgomery Mojo

Moco Mojo: School Starts! Is Your Town 'Best'? Silver Spring Snake Attack

Do you have YOUR new lunch box? Everything you may have missed in these 500 square miles.

  It's the first day of classes Monday for Montgomery County schools. Even if you don't have kids in school, beware! Traffic will be a bear as school buses, parents and carpools hit the streets. And, if you're late and you think driving around that school bus is justified, think again. Starting today, a number of school buses will have cameras attached that can catch you in the act. The fine: $250. Unless a police officer witnesses it. Then, you can get a $1,000 ticket and three points on your driver's license. Patch editors will be scouring the county and may show up at your local school to document the first-day jitters and joys. Leave it to parents to sum up the gravity of the situation. A Greenbelt mom told her kindergartener when …

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Superintendent on NBC4: How Do We Prepare Kids for 21st Century?

Dr. Joshua Starr tells NBC4 what he's focused on as thousands of Montgomery County students go back to school: Preparing kids for the 21st century, building the district and celebrating diversity.

When you’re already ranked as one of the best large school districts in the nation, the coming school year is about ideas for how to get even better, according to Dr. Joshua Starr, superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools, who visited NBC4 Wednesday afternoon.  “We have done so well when it compares to any other district out there when it comes to academic skills,” he said. “Now we have to think about how we prepare kids for the 21st century.” Starr offered thoughts on a variety of subjects, from the school system’s nationality and income diversity to the lack of need for standardized tests.  On keeping up with growth in MCPS: “We just keep building--we keep hiring people. We keep building new schools. We're adding on to schools …

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Starr Appears on WTOP's 'Ask the Superintendent'

MCPS Superintendent Dr. Joshua Starr joined school officials from Prince George's County, Fairfax County, Washington, DC, and Alexandria City to talk schools Tuesday morning.

It was quite the crowd Tuesday morning as officials from five Washington, DC-area school districts joined WTOP to discuss teacher shortage, citizenship and homework as part of the radio station's "Ask the Superintendent" show. Among the officials was Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Joshua Starr, who was joined by Fairfax County Schools Superintendent Jack Dale, D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson and Prince George's County School Board Chair Verjeana Jacobs, according to the report. Alexandria City School Superintendent Morton Sherman joined the discussion via telephone. Starr's comments on MCPS during the WTOP interview included: Also noted was that every Montgomery County school has a librarian. To read the full …

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