Fact Check: Starr Fibbed in Interview? Now Says Elem. Day Tied to High School Start Times.

Superintendent Joshua Starr was interviewed on the Kojo Nnamdi Show on October 31, 2013.  The transcript is below, the audio clip is on YouTube.  Listen or read what Superintendent Starr said in that interview.  Either way you will hear him say that the extension of the elementary school day proposal is not tied to the proposal to change high school start times.

Yet, today Superintendent Starr is using opposition to the extension of the elementary school day as a deal breaker for the high school start time change.

The concern about extending the elementary school day also is significant, and this plan simply cannot move forward without such a change. [June 10, 2014, Memorandum, Page 2]

Kojo Nnamdi Show: Joshua Starr On Montgomery School Start Times
THURSDAY, OCT 31, 2013 AT 12:06 P.M. in EDUCATION
Transcript:

 

NNAMDI

12:12:55

The catalyst here is the high schools, but to make the schedule change work, you'd start middle schools 10 minutes earlier and make the elementary school day half an hour longer. What would the impact be on the younger students?

STARR

12:13:09

So the elementary day is not -- it's not tied into the ability to make the high schools later. The middle school earlier start time is tied into making the high schools later. The elementary came up because we realized when we were looking at the whole kit and caboodle that we said, you know what? We have the second shortest elementary day in the state. We could do so many wonderful things during that time, whether it's more enrichment, whether it's more support and interventions, whether it's more planning time for teachers, there's so many things we could do with that time.

http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2013-10-31/joshua-starr-montgomery-school-start-times/transcript

You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.

A few facts to go with the MCPS spin

The MCPS Press Release on Highland Elementary School today says:

"However, Mr. Judd [the AJC reporter] was told numerous times that the drop [in test scores at Highland] was related to budget reductions that resulted in the loss of staff that helped with focused reading instruction and interventions for students that were struggling."

So let's Fact Check that statement from MCPS by looking at the data on Highland Elementary for the years in question.  


The peak in the Highland Elementary test scores as shown on the AJC article chart was 2009.  Then the scores began to fall again.  

Click on image for full screen view to show all columns.

*  Spending per pupil as to School Personnel Cost. (source MCPS Schools at a Glance) 


** The local school budget information in these years gave more details than after 2008.  So the budget numbers for years with **  will be higher as they include all of the funding for the local school.  After 2008, MCPS limited the budget data that was released for each local school. 


*** This was the year that MCPS withheld local school budget information from the public so the budget for this local school for that year is not available.

Jerry Weast on short list for Chicago superintendent job?

Baltimore Sun:  Alonso may be contender for Chicago superintendent post 

According to the Tribune, others speculated to be part of Emanuel's short-list for the Chicago superintendent job are Jerry Weast, retired school superintendent from Montgomery County; John White, deputy chancellor in charge of talent, labor and innovation for the New York City Department of Education; and Timothy Knowles, former deputy superintendent of Boston's school system who now heads the Urban Education Institute at the University of the Chicago.

Chicago Tribune:  Emanuel may go outside city for new schools CEO

The short list is also said to include Peter Gorman, superintendent of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina; Jerry Weast, retired school superintendent from Montgomery County, Md.; and John White, a deputy chancellor in charge of talent, labor and innovation for the New York City Department of Education, who educators say could be a good fit considering his familiarity and success with large urban districts.

Montgomery, Arlington left out of national recognition

School districts honored for top-shelf AP performance | Lisa Gartner | DC | Washington Examiner

Three Washington-area school districts won recognition for increasing both participation and performance on Advanced Placement exams, while nationally acclaimed Montgomery County and several others were shut out...
...The total number and percentage of test-takers passing at least one exam rose in Montgomery and Arlington counties, too. But both forfeited their honors because minority performance fell, said Trevor Packer, College Board's vice president for the AP program...

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/dc/2011/03/school-districts-honored-top-shelf-ap-performance#ixzz1GxryUNKk