Gazette Exposes Starr's "Transition team"

In today's Montgomery Gazette the public learns about Superintendent Starr's "transition team." Thanks to Gazette reporter Andrew Ujifusa the public now knows who is on this "team." Why didn't Superintendent Starr tell the public that this team was formed and who was on it? From out of state news sources we know that the "team" has been in existence since before Superintendent Starr's July 1st start date. 

The next question is who is PAYING for this team? Anyone want to take a guess since Superintendent Starr hasn't been interested in being transparent about this? Did the Board of Education trade after-school sports for this entourage? 

And the final question is, why didn't the Board of Education hire someone who could come in and start to work immediately without outside consultants? 

Montgomery’s schools chief turns to New England brainpower on advisory teamTwo-thirds work or worked with county school systemby Andrew Ujifusa, Staff Writer

The transition team for Montgomery County schools’ new superintendent includes the former director of a Harvard graduate school program, the executive director of a corporate foundation dedicated to schools and a former top official with the school system... 

...Larry Leverett 

Since 2006, Leverett has been executive director of the Panasonic Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Secaucaus, N.J. The organization’s mission, as stated on its website, is “to break the links between race, poverty, and educational outcomes,” echoing the key themes of Peterkin’s Urban Superintendents Program.
Like Starr, Marks and Peterkin, Leverett has education leadership experience in the Northeast, having worked as superintendent of Plainfield, N.J., and Greenwich, Conn., public schools prior to joining the Panasonic Foundation, a Grantmakers for Education biography states. Starr has worked in public schools in Connecticut and New Jersey, as well as New York City.
Leverett has his own connection to another member of the transition team. He also has served on the advisory committee to Peterkin’s Urban Superintendents Program...

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Wednesday August 10, 2011

Montgomery's schools chief turns to New England brainpower on advisory team

by andrew ujifusa , Staff Writer

The transition team for Montgomery County schools’ new superintendent includes the former director of a Harvard graduate school program, the executive director of a corporate foundation dedicated to schools and a former top official with the school system. A group of 15 people is helping Superintendent of Schools Joshua P. Starr take over the reins of Montgomery County Public Schools. Ten of them work or formerly worked in the school system, including long-time Weast deputies Larry Bowers, chief operating officer, and Frieda K. Lacey, deputy superintendent. A focus on educational equity is a major theme among the non-school system team members, one highlighted during former superintendent Jerry D. Weast’s tenure. There also are several links to the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Several of the members also have backgrounds in education leadership in the Northeast.

Those employed or formerly employed by the school system include Kathy Gemberling, former deputy superintendent; Vera Gaines, co-lead consulting teacher; Susan Marks, superintendent of schools in Norwalk, Conn. and a former community superintendent in Montgomery County; Ruth Musicante, a professional growth consultant with the school system; Frank Stetson, chief school performance officer; LaVerne Kimball, community superintendent; Scott Murphy, principal; and Brian Edwards, chief of staff.

Rebecca Thessin  Thessin has strong ties to Starr, having worked for him as director of school performance and professional development when he was Stamford Public Schools superintendent. She authored an article earlier this year with him about the development of Professional Learning Communities at Stamford. Thessin is an assistant professor at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She specializes in preparing students to be school principals and other leaders in educational settings. She is an academic adviser in the university’s master of arts in Education and Human Development program. She holds an educational doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Urban Superintendents Program. Thessin previously worked as an aide to a deputy superintendent in Boston Public Schools, and has classroom teaching experience.

Robert Peterkin From 1991 until last year, Robert Peterkin was director of the Urban Superintendents Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where Starr was one of his students. The program focuses on producing school leaders who strive for educational equity across racial and socioeconomic lines. Peterkin previously served as superintendent in Cambridge, Mass., and Milwaukee public schools.In an April 2010 interview with the graduate school’s magazine, Peterkin described what makes a good superintendent. “First, someone has to commit to a vision of equitable education for all. And I mean a real commitment, like, ‘I’m willing to get fired over this.’ The second is theory of change. It’s not enough to talk a good game and inspire a community. You have to have the wherewithal to get it done.”He added that both of these qualities required courage to work. Starr specifically thanked Peterkin for his help during his first Board of Education meeting last month.

Larry Leverett Since 2006, Leverett has been executive director of the Panasonic Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Secaucaus, N.J. The organization’s mission, as stated on its website, is “to break the links between race, poverty, and educational outcomes,” echoing the key themes of Peterkin’s Urban Superintendents Program.Like Starr, Marks and Peterkin, Leverett has education leadership experience in the Northeast, having worked as superintendent of Plainfield, N.J., and Greenwich, Conn., public schools prior to joining the Panasonic Foundation, a Grantmakers for Education biography states. Starr has worked in public schools in Connecticut and New Jersey, as well as New York City. Leverett has his own connection to another member of the transition team. He also has served on the advisory committee to Peterkin’s Urban Superintendents Program. The transition team also includes Brian Osborne, superintendent of schools, School District of South Orange and Maplewood, N.J.; and John Kim, chief executive officer, District Management Council.aujifusa@gazette.net

Breaking: Starr Payments to One Transition Team Member = $3,000 Fee and $299 a night Hotel ($343 with tax)

An investigative reporter in New Rochelle, NY has uncovered what Montgomery County parents and citizens never were told.  Former Superintendent Joshua Starr used MCPS Operating Budget funds to pay for his "transition team."  Starr's transition team was created, hired and paid behind closed doors.  The budget for this team was never disclosed to the public or approved at a public Board of Education meeting.  

We now know that just one of these team members cost children and classrooms $4,163.  That's money that should have gone to classrooms, supplies and teacher salaries but instead was secretly diverted to a "team" created by Starr.

A New York investigative reporter has exposed the payments made from the MCPS Operating Budget to team member Brian Osborne, now the superintendent in New Rochelle, NY.  The documents showing the MCPS payments to Osborne are at the link at the bottom of this post.

There were 15 members of Joshua Starr's transition team and a report was generated.  How much of the MCPS Operating Budget did Joshua Starr spend on his transition team and their report?  

...The first is a letter of recommendation from Dr. Starr. He says that the first person he called to help him when he was hired as Superintendent of Montgomery County Schools was Brian Osborne. Starr, in fact, put Osborne on the payroll of the Montgomery County School District. Records obtained by Talk of the Sound under a Maryland Public Information Act request show that Osborne was paid fees totaling $3,000 plus reimbursement of expenses for travel and entertainment totaling $1,163.00 for 20 hours of work, primarily two days of “transition team” meetings in Maryland, one on June 16, 2011 and another on August 23, 2011...

http://www.newrochelletalk.com/content/tangled-web-between-montgomery-county-maryland-public-schools-and-new-rochelle-city-school

Osborne Consulting Payments from Montgomery County Public Schools [PDF]

Transition team urges Starr to improve schools | Lisa Gartner | Education | Washington Examiner

...Superintendent Joshua Starr's transition team also recommended that he pare down the system's plethora of initiatives to ensure results are achieved, reorganize professional development for teachers, and clear up administrative bureaucracy.

"The transition team was repeatedly informed that the district had so many initiatives under way that some members of the MCPS community were overwhelmed. ... The district must 'make some choices' and improve its follow-through, or accountability," the team wrote...

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/education/2011/09/transition-team-urges-starr-improve-schools#ixzz1YSN1Tlkg

Joshua Starr to have transition team of 12!

Just a little question...who is paying for this? Because you know a "transition team" is going to need supplies, expenses, and lunches for starters...


And, oh...who ELSE is on this "transition team"? Maybe the Stamford Times will report more on this! 

The Stamford Times: Norwalk school administrator to help transition of Stamford superintendent

STAMFORD -- The outgoing superintendent of Stamford Public Schools has recruited the superintendent of Norwalk Public Schools to help him transition this summer into his new job. 
After six years in this city, Joshua P. Starr announced last month he would resign to become the leader of Montgomery County Public Schools -- the same district where Susan Marks spent three decades before she moved to Norwalk last summer to lead city schools. 
"She has a unique knowledge of the system and has stepped away in the past year, so I am confident she would provide some really good insight into the teaching and learning environment, the culture and context and the operations," Starr said. 
His transition committee will be comprised of nearly 12 people, he said. No work has begun yet...

Next Transition Team meeting: Nov 29

The  next County Executive Transition Team meeting will be on Nov 29th, with the likely intent of ranking the education strategy recommendations. We hear the focus will be on strategies that are low to no additional cost and that are 'innovative.' We'll see.  The discussion will be finalized by County Executive-Elect Elrich's team after that. The second meeting was held and that discussion included the topics of lowering the achievement gap and increasing pre-K participation.

The transition team discussed a new strategy for pre-K, to supplement MCPS efforts, including grants to non-profits, religious organizations like churches, and even for-profit providers, to meet the needs of at-risk families closer to where they live.

One achievement gap strategy that was discussed would require MCPS to submit a strategy-based outcome budget, with cost and outcomes for individual literacy and math strategies delineated.

The meeting will likely be held at the East County Regional Center, but we're not sure of that, or when the meeting will be held. If anyone has additional information please post here!

Nov. 8th Listen and Learn Summary

SUMMARY OF 11.7.11 LISTEN & LEARN

Frederick Stichnoth

November 8, 2011

            This is a brief summary of Dr. Starr’s November 7 listen and learn session at Wheaton High School .

            Dr. Starr began by summarizing “patterns that have emerged” as he has familiarized himself the MCPS:

            1.         Variability: schools with similar makeups perform differently

            2.         Say/do ratio, aka accountability: we can only do so much. We need to slow down, examine how programs “fit,” and whether we follow through.

            3.         Community engagement: we can never do enough to get the community engaged.

            4.         Adult learning problem: we need to concentrate on professional development.

            The greatest number of comments and questions concerned the delay in the Wheaton/Edison reconstruction.  Dr. Starr said that the County Executive and Council had capped the capital budget. Starr’s priorities are compliance (sprinklers in schools, ADA ), maintenance, capacity (cutting the number of portable classrooms). It was necessary to make hard choices. Additional cuts may be exacted against even the current proposal. Parents said that the deferral was a slap to a high-poverty, high-minority, red zone community (Dr. Starr says nobody was singled out); Wheaton gets the “short end of the stick every time.” A parent said that it was necessary to support Wheaton’s programs, retain key teacher positions and increase enrollment; Dr. Starr responded that the budget is formula driven. A Wheaton Special Education para-educator questioned whether certain lower hallway art rooms are safe; and said that there is mold and mildew in the building; Dr. Starr said that the schools are safe and that it would take a decade to catch up with HVAC needs. A Wheaton junior said that she is really disappointed with the delay, she feels promises were broken, “it sucks;” Dr. Starr explicitly agree that “it sucks.”  

            In response to a comment regarding Edison career programming expansion, Dr. Starr said he is a believer in such programs; they require the same skills as those required for college. NCLB is disturbing to him, in part because it does not measure what kids need: collaboration, problem solving. Rather, NCLB perpetuates the current socio-economic order.

            The second greatest number of comments and questions came from Oak View ES parents. Oak View serves Grades 3-5. Parents want service expanded to include Grades K-2.

            A parent said more IT specialists and other support personnel were necessary, especially at larger schools such as Blair.

            A parent praised Sligo’s language immersion program, but complained that there was unmet demand and insufficient outreach to parents just entering the system. Dr. Starr said that there are no plans to expand language immersion.

            Liz King, MCCPTA Walter Johnson Cluster Coordinator, expressed concern with redistricting: capital issues should be met with capital solutions, not redistricting. Dr. Starr observed that other districts change school assignments annually, or change assignments as demographics change to promote diversity, but MCPS does not have any such guidelines. He has a “sacred trust” with taxpayers. If he can find a solution to growth that doesn’t entail capital spending and that will last for the long term, he will implement it. However, no superintendent likes redistricting.

            In response to a question regarding parent involvement, Dr. Starr said that he wants all parents to be “high demand parents.”

            I asked about equity: MCPS is committed that performance outcomes will not be predictable by race, ethnicity, SES; the achievement gap has a geographic locus (essentially red zone schools); Dr. Starr’s initial comment on “variability” concerned schools with “similar make ups and different performance;” I am interested in schools with different make up and different performance; I observed that the Transition Report discussed examining equitable budget allocation and an examination of equity programs and status. Dr. Starr said that equity is different than equality; we’re always concerned about equity; and he doesn’t remember anything in the Transition Report regarding an equity audit.

            Note to Dr. Starr. The Transition Report states:

Finally, the [Transition] Team recommends an examination of the district’s current practice of allocating resources to students and schools to ensure that funds are equitably distributed to provide all students, in all schools, with the resources necessary to achieve success. Transition Team Report, September 2011, 5.

Assess and align the district’s equity-based initiatives. Due to the wide range of equity-based plans, goals, strategies, initiatives, programs, activities, capacity building efforts, and accountability measures in the district, first conduct an assessment to establish baseline data and information to best inform the community of the extent to which these efforts are aligned, coherent, systemic, and supported. Evaluate the impact and influence on narrowing gaps and eliminating racial predictability and disproportionality of each initiative to determine which should be emphasized and supported and which should perhaps be discontinued. It may also be necessary to consider internal and external approaches to instructional and operational audits of performance in this area. Transition Team Report, September 2011, 21.

            A police officer asked if there was any thought about a program warning students about crimes against kids, particularly sex crimes; Dr. Starr said it’s sensitive.

BREAKING Transition Team Doings...

County Executive-Elect Marc Elrich has assembled a Transition Team of over 180 people. The list of the entire team is here, as reported by Josh Kurtz in Maryland Matters on Nov. 14th. The group met this past week (still don't know where, or when) and broke into smaller groups. These groups will be determining the future of the county and the incoming administration priorities. Yet we still have no idea what went on at the meeting, or who was involved in which discussions. There are no minutes, no notes, no report out, or who was involved. We do know, though, that paid county employees were at the meeting working as facilitators and moderators.

So much for transparency and #opengov hopes for this new administration.

Parents' Coalition has obtained the names of the team members and verified that the group that will be overseeing education is the, 'Thriving Youth and Families Outcome Team.' Discussions at the first meeting included focus on pre-K strategies and more oversight of MCPS and gaps.

Next meeting: Monday. We still don't know when or where. Shhh.

The members of the team (some affiliations listed, not all are included here. You can add your own!)

Jud Ashman (Mayor of Gaithersburg)
Mark Bergel (Founder, A Wider Circle)
Marielsa Bernard (Judge, Sixth Circuit Court Montgomery County)
Shruti Bhatnagar (Candidate, Montgomery County Council At-Large)
Gordon Brenne (Vice President, Montgomery County Taxpayers League)
Sharon Friedman
Maria Gomez (Mary's Center)
Ron Halber
Brigid Howe
Omege Jawonezi
Evelyn Kelly
Cara Lesser
Diane Lill
Ann Mazur
Lori Melman (Family Learning Solutions)
Sonia Mora (Latino Health Initiative, Montgomery County Dep't. of Health and Human Services)
Marice Morales (Delegate, D19)
Aryani Ong
Jill Ortman-Fouse (outgoing MCPS Board Member)
Grace Rivera
Brian Roberts
Neel Saxena
Laurie Anne Sayles (City Councilmember, City of Gaithersburg)
Maritza Solano (CASA, Director of Education)
Laura Stewart
Ananya Tadikonda
Crystal Townsend (President, Healthcare Initiative Foundation non-profit)
Chris Wilhelm
Art Williams
Maya Zegarra

Schools director began contract talks before starting job #PerformanceMatters #JackRSmith #NoBid

Montgomery County Public Schools spent $1.5 million on a no bid Performance Matters contract in FY18.  

MCPS Superintendent Jack R. Smith brought in a no bid Performance Matters, LLC contract along with a consultant connected to Performance Matter, LLC.   

Two MCPS administrators were on Shawn Joseph's (Nashville) transition team. 

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Metro Schools Director Dr. Shawn Joseph began talks with a Utah-based technology company about a potential no-bid contract two weeks before he formally took command of the Nashville school system, emails uncovered by NewsChannel 5 Investigates reveal.

The emails, obtained through the Tennessee Public Records Act, show that Performance Matters had discussions with Joseph about how to “extend our partnership,” suggesting the company’s contract with Shelby County schools could be a “purchasing vehicle” for Metro Nashville Public Schools.

That process, known as “piggybacking,” allows companies to get government contracts without having to compete with other vendors.

“We may be able to discuss a pilot this year [if] the costs are right!” Joseph said in a follow-up email two weeks after he became director of schools.

Instead, less than six months into Joseph’s tenure, MNPS signed two no-bid contracts with Performance Matters, totaling $1.8 millon.

As a result of questions raised by NewsChannel 5 Investigates, the district admitted this week that it broke state law in awarding a $1 million, no-bid contract with Performance Matters for a student assessment platorm, piggybacking on a contract with Orange County, Florida, schools.

State law only allows piggybacking on in-state contracts.

The district signed a second, $845,000 contract with the company that was piggybacked on the Shelby County contract, although Metro changed the terms. Experts say that also violates state law...

...In a written statement, Metro Schools suggested that the Performance Matters contracts originated in 2016 after “a transition team made up of local, state and national experts shared that Nashville needed to focus on student achievement – with a sense of urgency.”

Joseph’s transition team did not release its final report until February 2017...

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/schools-director-began-contract-talks-before-starting-job?fbclid=IwAR1NktNHmZ1Bo_ZKtfeDJJZK-UAkTPmahLjAp8R2aPdsqctG_nX6AzZ92qo

Transition Team Report

MCPS has published the report of Superintendent Starr's Transition Team. Here is my analysis and executive summary of the Overview section. All quotes are from the report.

MCPS is a great school system – we say it ALL the time; therefore it is true. It is true even though our MSA scores are generally in the middle of the pack and even though one of every eight MCPS schools now falls short of standards set by MSDE.

The transition team met with EVERYONE we WANTED to meet with, and then we prepared this glossy report. We hope you like it.

1. Differentiation within and among schools, classrooms, and students

“Today MCPS continues to differentiate support and performance expectations between and among schools.” In other words, we expect less performance from schools in the red zone. Unequal outcomes show a “stubborn persistence” in MCPS schools. Close, damn gap! We SAID (many times) that we closed you; why won’t you close? We recommend more focus on differentiation, because we KNOW that will close the gap. It will just take more time and more focus and more reports.

2. Communications and relationships with stakeholders

We see “more work needs to be done to increase communication and subsequently build relationships with all parties”. To do this, we will continue to ignore and misinform parent groups with whom we have profound policy differences. We think this will make things better.

3. Implementation of vision, mission, and policies in practice

We “had so many initiatives under way that some members of the MCPS community were overwhelmed”. This “makes it difficult to discern the impact of many of the district’s ongoing efforts”. We recommend “a review and prioritization of the large number of initiatives”. No comment needed.

4. Design and delivery of professional development initiatives

We recommend that “professional development be reorganized” to “include a clear vision with intended outcomes”. In other words, the current system is poorly organized and has unclear goals.

5. Issues of race and equity

“MCPS has articulated a commitment to equity and excellence.” And we have shown a willingness to sacrifice excellence on the altar of equity. “Access to special programs and resources across the district concerns both the parents of high-achieving and struggling students”. We know some folks do not agree with our willingness to sacrifice excellence on the altar of equity. We recommend MCPS “maintain a focus on race and equity by embedding it within other initiatives”. We will embed our ideology more deeply to protect it from meddling parent groups.

Starr Transition Team member snags Administrator Position

The Gazette article below fails to mention that new MCPS hire Rebecca Thessin was a previous hire of Joshua Starr's in Stamford, CT.  Thessin and Starr also have written an article together, and  Superintendent Starr put her on his "transition team."  Now Starr has created a new MCPS office and appointed her as the administrator. 

Gazette:  Superintendent brings in 5 new top-tier execs 

After one year leading Montgomery County Public Schools, Superintendent Joshua P. Starr is bringing in a new team and realigning some departments.
The changes will align the school system with priorities laid out in Starr’s transition plan: intervention, community engagement and professional development, schools spokesman Dana Tofig said.
Last year, three offices reported directly to Starr: the chief of staff, deputy superintendent of schools, and chief operating officer.
This coming school year, four offices will report to him. Also, due to staff resignations and retirements, two of the deputy superintendents that will lead these offices will be new, and one associate superintendent will be new.
The chief of staff and the chief operating officer will continue to report directly to Starr.
In the place of the office of the deputy superintendent, Starr has created the Office of Teaching, Learning and Programs, and in the place of the chief school performance officer, which had reported to the deputy superintendent, Starr created the Office of School Support and Improvement, which will now reports directly to him.
Frieda Lacey, who had been deputy superintendent, retired last month. Kimberly Statham was appointed to lead the newly redefined Office of Teaching Learning and Programs, which oversees programmatic functions such as curriculum and instruction.
Under that office, Starr has realigned the Department of Family and Community Partnerships, to create the position of Chief Engagement and Partnership Officer. That position has not yet been filled.
Also under that office, Adrian Talley, associate superintendent for shared accountability, has resigned, leaving an open position for a new leader.
Since Frank Stetson retired as chief school performance officer, Beth Schiavino-Narvaez has been appointed as the deputy superintendent of school support and improvement.
Under that office, Starr has created one new office, for Professional Development and Support. It will be lead by a new hire, Rebecca A. Thessin, as an associate superintendent.
Thessin has been assistant professor of educational administration at George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development.
“This is to align with Dr. Starr’s strong belief that professional development and direct service to principals is extremely important,” Tofig wrote in an email.

Meet Dr. Starr's Mentor - Larry Leverett

With Dr. Starr coming to MoCo, its time to introduce an important member of his transition team, Larry Leverett.

Dr. Leverett's biography is honorable in its own right.  Here is his bio, courtesy of  NJ After 3, an organization where he also is a member of the Board:

Dr. Larry Leverett is the Executive Director of the Panasonic Foundation, a corporate foundation with a mission to help public school systems with high percentages of children in poverty to improve learning for all students so that they may use their minds well and become productive, responsible citizens. Leverett recently served as Superintendent of Schools in Greenwich, Connecticut.


His career in education has included urban and suburban experiences as a classroom teacher, elementary principal, assistant superintendent, school board member, and Assistant State Commissioner of Education and 15 years as superintendent in 3 school districts, including Plainfield and Englewood in New Jersey. Leverett serves on advisory committees for the George Lucas Educational Foundation, Educators for Social Responsibility, and the Laura Bush Foundation for School Libraries. He is committed to social justice and ensuring that all children have access to a high quality educational experience in public schools.

Wait a minute - doesn't this sound a little like our own Dr. Starr? 

Yes.  Here is why. 

Not only is Dr. Leverett on Josh's MoCo Transition team, the two go back to being superintendents in neighboring districts in Connecticut. 

And Dr. Leverett, spent eight years as superintendent of the Plainfield Public Schools in New Jersey before moving to the Greenwich Public Schools.    Before working in New York City, Dr. Starr was the Director of Accountability for the Plainfield, NJ Public Schools.  Dr. Leverett was Dr. Starr's mentor when Dr. Starr was at the Harvard Urban Superintendent's Program.

The two have authored chapters in the same book Every Child, Every Classroom, Every Day.  Dr. Leverett wrote chapter 1, Dr. Starr contributed to chapter 6.

And more good news?  Dr. Leverett is already an MCPS consultant.  He's participated in several retreats for the Board of Education.  Best of all, Dr. Leverett facilitated an MCPS BOE retreat in December 2009, and his organization facilitated another  September 2010 worksession for the Board of Education.

Do you see a pattern?  Are these two inseparable or is it just a coincidence?  Six degrees of Keven Bacon comes to mind.

Here are my two questions for the day:

Who is running the June 21 closed BOE retreat/training/team building session?

The bigger question whether the Panasonic Foundation and Dr. Leverett influenced the recent superintendent search.  Was the selection open, or did the BOE really have a lead candidate from the start.

Maybe the "P" in MCPS will soon stand for the Montgomery County Panasonic School System.

This may sound like Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, but honestly, this song just kept popping into my head all day today, so I thought it was time to sing along:

Jack Smith Keeps Joshua Starr Consultant in MCPS Budget at $50,000

From the Board of Education Agenda for their upcoming meeting:

4408.1 Professional Services—Extension Responsible Office: Office of the Chief Financial Officer Awardee Katheryn W. Gemberling, Silver Spring, Maryland $ 50,000 
https://www.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/B4D2G976C1FC/$file/Contracts%2025K%20or%20More%20180911.pdf

2011: Joshua Starr's transition team.
http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2011/08/gazette-exposes-starrs-transition-team.html


The Board of Education will approve this $50,000 payment to Kathryn Gemberling without any idea of what the money will be used for or why this expenditure is more important than a classroom teacher. 

Important Update for Parents/Guardians of Students with Individualized Education Programs or Section 504 Plans

Dear Montgomery County Public Schools Families,

On March 22, 2020, Superintendent Jack Smith announced that beginning on March 30, 2020, MCPS will launch the first phase of a continuity of learning (distance/remote learning) system so that all students can begin to have structured school experiences. Monday, March 30 will be the first day our teachers and 10-month support staff members will be back at work. They are excited and eager to reconnect with their students.

We know that families of students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and accommodations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) have many questions. Throughout the last few weeks, the Office of Special Education, the Resolution and Compliance Unit, and the Office of the General Counsel have been collaborating with local and state education agencies to determine a thoughtful, measured approach to implement the continuity of learning. As the instructional environment shifts from in-person to online, students and teachers will need time to adjust.

As a result, all IEP and Section 504 meetings that were postponed while schools were closed from March 16 to March 27, 2020, will be rescheduled. All IEP and Section 504 meetings scheduled for March 30 through April 3, 2020, are postponed and will be rescheduled.

Beginning Monday, March 30, students and families will have the opportunity to take tutorials and lessons to practice interacting with the online tools. Staff will be participating in professional development on a variety of topics, including the use of new and familiar technology tools to support student learning and setting up their myMCPS classrooms. We are working diligently to ensure these virtual tools allow access to learning for all students, including students with disabilities.

Elementary school staff will be engaged in professional learning on Monday through Wednesday (March 30–April 1). They will begin to reconnect with students on Wednesday, April 1 and begin learning experiences with students on Thursday, April 2.

Secondary school staff will take part in professional learning on Monday and Tuesday (March 30-31). They will reconnect with students beginning Wednesday, April 1and begin to close out the third marking period.

For students with IEPs or Section 504 Plans, we will work with families to maximize their individualized specially designed instruction or to implement their Section 504 accommodations to the fullest extent possible. Beginning Wednesday, April 1, we will reconnect with you to discuss individualized supports. More information on our processes beginning next week is below. As additional information and guidance is provided by the federal, state and local educational and health departments, we will keep you informed.

Virtual IEP and Section 504 Meetings

·        Our staff will be working to schedule virtual IEP and Section 504 meetings with critical team members to implement continuity of learning.

·    Meetings will be held via conference call or through Google Meet or Google Hangouts. 

·        Case managers will contact you during the week of March 30 to discuss your child’s individualized plan for continuity of learning.

·        Documents will be sent to you before and after meetings. If you do not have access to a computer and need hard copies of documents, please let your child’s case manager know when they contact you.

·        You will receive instructions for how to participate in the virtual meeting along with all documents to be discussed at the meeting. 

Academic Supports for Students

Case Management

·        Your child’s case manager will contact you next week to discuss and assess the individualized supports and strategies necessary for your child to access the continuity of learning plan required to implement IEP goals or 504 Plan accommodations. 

·        Through this initial contact, a schedule of ongoing check-ins, provision of resources, and expectations for parent communication will be established.

Accessibility Features

·        Content for students is being developed with accessibility standards.  Students with disabilities will be able to access assistive technology outlined in their IEPs or Section 504 Plans through the MCPS-provided Chromebooks, with such accessibility features such as Google Read & Write, EquatlO for math and other embedded features within the Google Suite. 

·        IEP and Section 504 teams will work with families to provision additional assistive technologies if needed during this time period.

Special Education Teacher/Paraeducator Supports

Special education teachers will co-plan with general education teachers and co-teach when applicable. Special education teachers will collaborate with special education paraeducators to determine what supports the paraeducator will provide to your child.

 Academic support for students working towards alternative learning outcomes will include a modified schedule and materials. To support the alternative education framework for students working towards a certificate of completion, the Office of Special Education has customized a schedule and accompanying curriculum materials to meet their needs. Your child’s case manager will provide a brief overview of this modified schedule. There are time frames built in for supporting students so that special education teachers in programs such as School Community-based, Autism and Learning for Independence will be able to reinforce, reteach and provide modified lessons. 

Interventions  

Access to computer-based academic interventions, including, but not limited to, i-Ready Math, Systems 44 and Math 180 will be available.

Section 504 Accommodations

During the continuity of learning, teachers will implement the accommodations on your child’s Section 504 Plan to the maximum extent appropriate to ensure access to this modified curriculum.

Assessments and Evaluation

·        If your student is currently in the process of initial eligibility or reevaluation, it may become necessary to adjust the original timelines for completion of assessments. 

·        Evaluators may contact you to explain the formal assessments that can be done virtually and/or to gather information for the evaluation, such as parent and student interviews.  

·       Evaluations that require an in-person assessment will be postponed and rescheduled once schools reopen.

·        Please work with your child’s case manager if you have individual questions around evaluation.  

Related Service Provision

·        Related service providers may include occupational therapists, physical therapists, school counselors, school psychologists, social workers and speech language pathologists. 

·        Depending on the current related services on your child’s IEP,  the applicable related service provider(s) will contact you in the upcoming weeks to discuss individual supports for those related service(s). 

·        Some hands-on related services may be unsafe to deliver during the continuity of the learning plan.

·        Parents/guardians of students with related services on their IEPs should expect one or more of the following: individually modified direct services to students, consultative services to the IEP team; strategies for a family coaching model; and/or tele-visits.

·        Depending on the current consultative related services on your child’s Section 504 Plan, the applicable related service provider(s) will contact you in the upcoming weeks to discuss the individual supports for the related consultative service(s) on your child’s current Section 504 Plan.  

·        Related service providers will be available to support students and families by responding to questions and reaching out to students by phone, text or email. 

Transition Activities

·        Transition services are to be completed annually for students with IEPs beginning at age 14 (or age 13 if turning 14 in the IEP year). 

·        For high school students, transition support teachers will contact you in the upcoming weeks to discuss individual supports for the transition activities in your child’s current IEP. 

·        For middle school students, special education resource teachers will contact you in the upcoming weeks to discuss individual supports for the transition activities in your child’s current IEP. 

·     MCPS staff will explain how employment skills for transition activities related to employment or community-based instruction will be addressed as a result of the business restrictions  mandated by Governor Larry Hogan.

Thank you for your understanding and ongoing commitment to making the safety of our students, staff and school communities a priority.

Regular updates will be shared with families on the MCPS Coronavirus Continuity of Learning webpage. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Education and the Maryland State Department of Education have developed specific guidance for special education to support school teams. 

It's a secret!

Don't ask about Superintendent Starr's transition to Montgomery County. It's a secret.

Superintendent Starr's "transition" to MCPS will be discussed in a Closed Board of Education Session on July 25, 2011.

In fact, the whole Superintendent Starr Transition team is a secret. None of your business. Yes, you pay the bills. But please don't ask any questions or expect to know how your tax dollars are being spent!

Joshua Starr on Transition Team for New Haven Schools Superintendent

...Joshua Starr, CEO of PDK International — which lists growing and connecting education leaders as its mission on its website — said he has been a mentor to Birks for about 12 years when he was Stamford superintendent of schools and she was in a program at the University of Connecticut.

“For 12 years we’ve been working on making sure she gets the right job,” he said. “We’ll be supporting her behind the scenes.”

Starr said PDK International will oversee the transition period...

https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Reformers-take-center-stage-on-Birks-transition-12803581.php

Extremely Low Turnout for Superintendent Thomas Taylor's Listening Session. Are parents tired of "entry plans" without action?

Another MCPS Superintendent. [4 in 3 years + acting interim superintendent]

+

Another Superintendent entry plan/transition plan/transition team.

=

Minimal interest in Superintendent Thomas Taylor's Listening Session at Blair High School this week. 

 Superintendent's Entry Plan | Montgomery County Public Schools | Rockville, MD (montgomeryschoolsmd.org)

Montgomery Blair High School on X: "Dr. Thomas Taylor is hosting a Community Meeting now here at Blair. Come join us! @BlairPTSA @MCPS https://t.co/bWJ0Jdg7H7" / X

Budget Comment: NOT ONE CENT OVER MOE

FY 2014 Budget Comment

 

To:       County Executive Ike Leggett

Cc:       County Council, Board of Education, MCEA, MCCPTA, Delegation

From:    Frederick Stichnoth, fred.stichnoth@yahoo.com

Date:    January 29, 2013

 

            For the following reasons, please limit the County’s budget allocation to Montgomery County Public Schools to the minimum Maintenance of Effort requirement.

 

            1. MCPS’ lack of budget transparency and targeting. Dr. Starr’s Transition Team noted parent “concerns…as to how the equitable allocation of resources is being determined and assessed;” and recommended “an examination of the district’s current practice of allocating resources to students and schools to ensure that funds are equitably distributed to provide all students, in all schools, with the resources necessary to achieve success.”  MCPS Core Values commit MCPS to “Distribute resources as necessary to provide extra supports and interventions so all students can achieve.” Maryland ’s Thornton Commission found that “systems would need an additional $9,165 [in 2002] for each student eligible for free and reduced price meals, 1.39 times the base cost figure….” (In other words, the cost of providing an equal educational outcome to a low-income student equals 239 percent of the cost of producing the same outcome in a student who is not low-income. MCPS’ attempt to accomplish that objective in an underfunded school environment siphons base level support away from non-FARMS students, leaving everyone in the school at a relative disadvantage.) The forthcoming County Council Office of Legislative Oversight report is expected to show insufficient progress in closing the achievement gap, particularly in the poorer southeast portion of the County. This undermines not only the life opportunities of these students, but also their neighborhoods (as evidenced by the flight of white and middle class students over the last decade) and the social and economic stability of the County as a whole. MCPS has not be accounted transparently for the subsidy (positive or negative) to these down- and east-county schools, and lacks the political will to fund them appropriately. It’s wasting our money.

 

            2. Preempting County budget discretion. The County must prioritize service provision to accomplish short- and long-term strategic objectives. The required MOE minimum preempts County discretion over a full half of its budget. While education is important to me, to the Superintendent and to the County, its strategic priority within the portfolio of County services must be determined by elected representatives with overall responsibility—the Executive and Council.

 

            3. MCPS cabal wags the MoCo dog. The Superintendent’s budget request, a mere $10 million (0.4 percent) above the MOE minimum requirement, appears to be a test and provocation. This affront complements the Board’s lawsuit against the County, enactment of the MOE amendments and the FY 2013 MCPS salary increases. MCPS’ budget tactics are determined by the Superintendent and the union officials. MCPS is immune from political check, because its Board is selected by the unions and subordinated to the Superintendent: it is a puppet. By contrast, the Executive and Council are invested by the voters with political authority; they must exercise it—not abandon it before the Superintendent-union cabal. 

Breaking News: Starr Hires Pal, No BOE Vote?

MCPS is sporting a new Associate Superintendent! The MCPS Office of Shared Accountability  website shows that Susan F. Marks, recently in Norwalk, CT, recently on Superintendent Joshua Starr's Transition team, and previously in MCPS working for Superintendent Jerry Weast, is the new Associate Superintendent for that department.

But, when did the Board of Education vote on this appointment?  Maybe, Board votes aren't really that important and Starr has decided to just skip that step? 

UPDATE: The MCPS website has now been edited since the screen shot from this morning that is shown above in this blog posting.  
When you click on the MCPS link to the Office of Shared Accountability, we have no idea what will be shown.  
Our screen shot shows the page the way it existed this morning. MCPS may continue to edit the page as the day progresses.

WTOP: Starr thinks illegal fees collected end up in MCPS budget

Thanks to WTOP for getting the new Superintendent Joshua Starr to comment on fees charged to students.
It's clear from the interview that Superintendent Starr thinks that the illegal curricular fees collected by local schools end up in the MCPS budget. Is Superintendent Starr getting some bad information from the "transition team" or the "community committee"?

FYI for new superintendent: illegal fees don't end up in the MCPS Operating budget. 
You won't find them accounted for on any page in the budget.

That's how you can tell they are illegal!

If they were legal fees they would be accounted for in the annual budget process, and the fees would have been voted on by the Board of Education.

WTOP: 7 Montgomery Co. schools to close on 1st day of class

From the WTOP audio interview:

WTOP:  A lot of school systems have had to start charging kids if they want to play sports and extra-curricular activities. Where are you on that?  

Superintendent Joshua Starr:  We have some fees for some specialized classes at the high schools, you know. But we certainly make accomodations for families. And you know, I am not of the mindset that we will want to increase fees in any way, shape, or form. It is something we'll certainly take a look at in our budget process. We know that it's not ideal but it is necessary right now. We have no plans to increase it at this time.

8/30/11 UPDATE: Parents' Coalition releases list of MCPS Middle School Curricular Fees

Berthiaume: "I'm sorry...had I known...I would have sat stone faced."

Statement of MCPS Board of Education member Laura Berthiaume on February 9, 2009, during Board of Education discussion of resolution to vote on MCPS FY10 Operating Budget
(transcribed from webcast at 1:25:57)

Once I pass my vote on this proposed budget, the budget will move forward and I will support it as it will be the decision of the whole board, which I will be obliged to support. To be on the team means to support the team position, and I will. But I do not believe that to be a team player means to sit mute when the play is being called, or to fail to vote in good conscience yea or nay, or to fail to explain my vote on how the play should be executed and so I am going to do that now.

First, I want to say that I am disappointed that the Board was unable to have the benefit of the evaluation of the Learning Center transition before acting today. The resolution before us specifically approves the 2010 Special Education staff plan as proposed. I don't know how the Board can effectively provide oversight on, or input into, a special education staffing plan when it is missing vital information on whether or not one of the major moves in how we provide special education services over the last two years has in fact worked for the special education students receiving those services. This is the equivalent of buying a "pig in a poke".

Second, I do not agree with the Board's current approach to the budget. As this stands, it does appear that a majority of the Board is committed to passing the Superintendent's budget without change. Apparently on the theory that the federal, state and county numbers at this time are uncertain and furthermore that to change anything at all is to somehow invite the County Council to change the numbers in the eleven categories as set forth in the resolution. The uncertainty as to the federal and state numbers can be rectified, as I believe we are going to entertain a motion to amend, to take up those considerations in April, rather than in June. At that time those state and federal numbers will be certain. I hope and encourage the Board to support that motion.

The uncertainty as to the county number is present every single year. To take the position that the Board will always support the Superintendent's Budget in February, without change or until it comes back from the County Council, lest the Council interfere with the budget, effectively means that every February the Board will always accept the Superintendent's recommended funding. By taking this position the Board is agreeing to basically limit its role to behind the scenes advocacy for priorities that may, or may not ever receive public exposure. And furthermore, is largely agreeing to limit its role to that of cheerleader for the budget. What is left to be decided in June is solely whether anything will be restored, not whether anything that perhaps should have been cut was not in fact cut.

Keep in mind that our inaction now does in my opinion effectively doom the Middle School Magnet Consortium and the Reading and Staff development positions, because teachers will need to commit to positions for the next school year and many will chose to take new positions or leave the system, rather than bet on an uncertain restoration of the cuts.

It seems to me moreover that a failure by the Board to actually evaluate and make appropriate changes to the proposed budget now is in fact itself an invitation to the County Council to meddle. If the Board will not do its own business as a body that is supposed to oversee the school system budget, and do so in a representative fashion for the best interests of the students, taking into account public testimony, then I see no reason why the County Council should hesitate to do our business for us. Beyond this it seems to me that to take this approach to the Budget wastes an awful lot of time and effort, both by the Board and by the community at large.

If it is the Board's intent to always support the proposed Budget in February, as is, with no changes, and then to make changes around the edges only in June after the County Council has adopted its budget, then perhaps we should just have the Superintendent present the budget to the County Council directly in February. Let our PTA's and parent's advocate directly to the Council. For it is clear we'll take no action right now as a result of the public's advocacy. And perhaps not very much action at a later time. After all, it will always be true that the school system as a whole will have moved ahead by June on the assumption that 99% of the Budget is a done deal. It seems to me to be inefficient and unseemly to sit in front of a crowded room in January full of people who think that their pleas will result in action now, if we know that no changes will be made. To raise hopes and expectations when the reality is that there is no hope is unfair.

As I left one Budget hearing I heard one parent say to another that the Board seemed to be moved by the stories that we heard of the children in the MPAC program. And there was real excitement in that parent's voice. I was the Board member who responded so enthusiastically. To that parent, I'm sorry. Sorry I responded so positively to your story. Had I known how misleading my reaction was, I would have sat stone faced.

In sum, if the Board will not do its job, then I will cast my vote against the budget because I believe we have a job to do. After I cast my vote, as I said, I will support it once it passes. But I encourage the Board to take this up again in April and to do its job now. Thank you.