Joshua Starr now superintendent in residence at New Mexico Right At School, a leading provider of after-school enrichment programs.

 https://www.abqjournal.com/opinion/article_cd9b0228-d33b-40b9-baf7-eb8932ae6634.html

Joshua Starr Finalist for North Carolina Superintendent Position

 https://www.heraldonline.com/news/local/education/article306389816.html

Joshua Starr one of three finalists for Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent position

...The finalists are Dr. Brenda Cassellius, former superintendent of Boston Public Schools; Dr. Joshua Starr, who previously led Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland; and Dr. Andraé Townsel, current superintendent of Calvert County Public Schools in Maryland...

https://www.wisn.com/article/milwaukee-public-schools-superintendent-finalists/63635918

Former @mcps superintendent says, “the only decision that a superintendent gets to make on their own is a snow day.”

...Emphasizing that he was not commenting on the specifics of the situation in Montgomery County, Martirano said that school leaders do have the ability to challenge a board’s actions.

“Superintendents have particular rights that are defined in one’s contract that is negotiated with the board,” he said. “And if those contract specifics aren’t followed,” then there can be challenges on both sides. “If there are challenges with a board, the board has to be extremely communicative through a defined process” outlined in the superintendent’s contract, he added.

While the turmoil in Montgomery County’s school system has some parents wondering about school governance, Starr said parents should know that “the only decision that a superintendent gets to make on their own is a snow day.” The running of a school district, he said, is a collaborative effort between the board and the superintendent.

Most decisions, said Starr, are bound by state laws, district policies and contractual agreements with employees throughout the system. “There’s so many guardrails and so many strictures on the ability of a superintendent, or a board, for that matter, to make quick moves” on personnel issues...

https://wtop.com/education/2024/02/former-superintendents-when-school-boards-and-superintendents-clash/

***BREAKING: New Charges filed on former MCPS Cloverly Elementary School Teacher John Vigna

Please see our previous extensive coverage of the arrest, conviction, vacated conviction, and re-trial of former MCPS elementary school teacher John Vigna. Recall that Mr. Vigna was never fired by the Montgomery County Board of Education and his teaching license was never revoked.  He was allowed to retire and voluntarily surrender his teaching license. His original conviction was vacated and he was released from prison.  A new trial on those charges has been scheduled for 2024.  Now additional charges have been filed against Mr. Vigna.  

New charges were filed against Mr. Vigna on November 30, 2023.

From Maryland Judiciary Case Search: 

Circuit Court For Montgomery County - Criminal

Location: Montgomery Circuit Court

Case Number: C-15-CR-23-001418

Title: State of Maryland vs. JOHN VIGNA

Case Type: Criminal Indictment

Filing Date: 11/30/2023

Case Status: Open

 

What did @mcps @mocoboe know and when did they know it? Former MCPS Middle School Teacher Charged With Sexual Abuse of a Student [Joshua Starr was Superintendent]

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Gaithersburg, MD - A former Montgomery County teacher has been arrested and charged with multiple sexual offenses for engaging in sexual acts with a minor. Detectives believe there may be additional victims.

On Thursday, October 5, 2023, the Montgomery County Department of Police - Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) initiated an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by an adult male victim. The victim alleges that he had engaged in sexual acts with 31-year-old Melissa Marie Curtis of Upper Marlboro, when he was a minor.

The alleged abuse began in 2015 when Curtis was 22-years-old. The incidents continued for several months while the victim was a student at Montgomery Village Middle School, and Curtis was a teacher at the same school. All of the incidents took place within Montgomery County.

A warrant for Melissa Curtis's arrest was obtained on Tuesday, October 31, charging her with sexual abuse of a minor and multiple counts of third and fourth-degree sexual offenses.

Curtis had been a teacher for approximately two years in Montgomery County and taught at Lakelands Park Middle School as well.

SVID detectives suspect that there may be additional victims and would like to speak with them. Detectives encourage potential victims to call 240-773-5400.

Curtis turned herself in on Tuesday, November 7, and is currently awaiting a bond hearing.

Montgomery County Maryland (montgomerycountymd.gov)

John Vigna v. State of Maryland: Statement of Reasons for Vacating Convictions and Granting New Trial

2023 State v. Vigna Stateme... by Parents' Coalition of Montg...

Montgomery County police ask potential victims to come forward in sex abuse case

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — A former teacher whom a jury convicted for the sexual abuse of children and later had his prison sentence vacated faces accusations from other people.

A hearing regarding the re-trial of John Vigna, who taught at Cloverly Elementary School, took place Friday. At the hearing, prosecutors said new claims of abuse by Vigna surfaced.

Montgomery County Public Schools placed Vigna on leave in February 2016 after accusations were made that he touched a student inappropriately.

Montgomery County police ask potential victims to come forward in sex abuse case | DC News Now

New Trial Granted to Former MCPS Teacher Previously Convicted for Sexually Abusing Students

 

A new trial has been granted for a former Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) elementary school teacher previously convicted of sexually abusing several students.

In 2017, John Vigna, of Silver Spring was found guilty on nine counts involving four victims. Vigna was serving 48 years in prison, but on July 12 was released ahead of a new trial.

Vigna’s conviction was tossed out by Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge David Lease earlier this month after new attorneys for Vigna argued during his first trial, he had “ineffective assistance of counsel.” This was reached after a series of trials from November to March.

Vigna was a 5th and 6th grade teacher at Cloverly Elementary School for 20 years. A 2016 class on “body safety” triggered the investigation that led to his arrest and conviction. the class teaches students how to identify sexual abuse and teachers noted the physical reaction of one student. The investigation led police to ask any potential victims to come forward and five victims named in the 15-count indictment identifying Vigna...

New Trial Granted to Former MCPS Teacher Previously Convicted for Sexually Abusing Students - Montgomery Community Media (mymcmedia.org)

Former Montgomery County teacher convicted of sexually abusing minors had convictions vacated ahead of new trial

John Vigna had been sentenced to 48 years in prison.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — A former Montgomery County teacher who was convicted of sexual abuse of minors had his convictions vacated on July 7 ahead of his new trial.

John Vigna worked at Cloverly Elementary School and was placed on leave in February 2016 following allegations that he inappropriately touched a student.

Vigna was charged with five counts of sexual abuse of a minor and four counts of third-degree sex offense involving two juvenile female victims. He was sentenced to 48 years in prison...

Former Montgomery County teacher convicted of sexually abusing minors had convictions vacated ahead of new trial | DC News Now

Ex-Montgomery County elementary school teacher released and granted new trial in sexual abuse case

Controversy surrounding Kid Museum’s contract with MCPS

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — MCPS recently awarded the KID Museum with a nearly $2.4 million contract to continue their partnership providing STEM-based learning activities for students.

The Parents’ Coalition of Montgomery County raised concerns about the extension of this agreement because the KID Museum’s founder is board member Dr. Scott Joftus’s wife. The advocacy group also says due to this conflict of interest no other companies were able to bid on this opportunity.

“It’s not a new issue that the board of education is not diligent in dealing with the public procurement, and following the public procurement laws,” said Janis Sartucci from the Parents’ Coalition of Montgomery County. “And really keeping everything aboveboard and as transparent as possible.”..

Controversy surrounding Kid Museum’s contract with MCPS | DC News Now

Breaking: Former Broad Acres Elem. @mcps SCHOOL TEACHER PLEADS GUILTY TO POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY [@mcps Personnel File Exposed by FBI]

Remember when this former MCPS Broad Acres Elementary School teacher was arrested in August of 2021 by the FBI in Buffalo, New York? 

As part of Richard Scherer's arrest the FBI RELEASED information from this former MCPS teacher's personnel file.

The Parents' Coalition reported on that information in a series of blog posts that can be read at this link. 

Richard Scherer has now plead guilty to a child pornography charge. The FBI press release is below. 

Part 5 in our series is linked below.  Was any of the information in Richard Scherer's personnel file ever reported to Montgomery County Police? 

Were the victims of these acts ever counseled or advised of their rights?  Some of these students could still be in Montgomery County Public Schools. They were elementary school students when Richard Scherer was their teacher. 

Are "students first" in Montgomery County Public Schools or is that just a public relations line used by Superintendent Monifa McKnight? 

Thursday, August 5, 2021

PART 5 - WHAT @mcps @mocoboe KNEW in 2011: MCPS substantiated that SCHERER rubbed the girls’ backs to see if they were wearing a bra, touched the girls’ thighs, commented on their breasts and periods, and asked the girls if they loved him.  

Scherer (Richard) Plea by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd

Maryland Senate Confirms Education Accountability Board Members. 4 out of 9 reside in Montgomery Co. including Ike Leggett and Joshua Starr. .

...But Hershey took issue with the fact that the nominating committee did not reconsider the nominees following letters from various groups — including the Maryland Latino Caucus and Prince George’s County Executive — asking them to do so. “It wasn’t just a few pissed-off rural county legislators,” Hershey said.

“What was the hurry that this could not be addressed?” he continued. “When letters go to the nominating committee about the makeup of this board, and they did absolutely nothing about it, they’re doing that because they say — we are not accountable to the General Assembly.”..

https://www.marylandmatters.org/2022/02/15/maryland-senate-confirms-education-accountability-board-members-approves-mail-ballot-reforms/

• Mara Doss, the associate vice president for teaching, learning and student success at Prince George’s Community College.
  
• Fagan Harris, chief executive officer of Baltimore Corps, a nonprofit that recruits talented professionals and connects them to leadership opportunities.
  
• William “Brit” Kirwan, the chair of the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, whose policy recommendations make up the foundation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.
  
• Isiah “Ike” Leggett, former Montgomery County executive and currently a member of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents.
  
• Jennifer Lynch, the director of educational partnerships for Baltimore County Executive John A. Olszewski Jr. (D) and previously an elementary school principal in Baltimore City Public Schools for five years.
  
• Joseph Manko, the education program officer for the Abell Foundation and previously an elementary school principal in Baltimore City Public Schools for ten years.
  
• Harry Preston V, a Baltimore City Public Schools teacher for the last 16 years.
  
• Laura Stapleton, the interim dean of the University of Maryland, College Park College of Education and a professor in human development and quantitative methodology.
  
• Joshua Starr, the chief executive officer of Phi Delta Kappa International, a nonprofit membership organization for K-12 educators, and previously the superintendent of Montgomery County Schools from 2011 to 2015

https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/09/01/nominees-to-education-reform-oversight-panel-named/

BOE Member's Wife's Company Gets $2.1M in COVID Relief $$$ from MCPS @mcps @mocoboe @ScottJoftus

Montgomery County Public Schools' Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund funding memo reveals that new Board of Education member Scott Joftus' wife's private company MoCo Kids Co, Inc., also known as KID Museum, was given $2.1 Million dollars in COVID-19 relief funding  that was directed to public schools through the ESSER funding. 

New Montgomery County Board of Education member Scott Joftus has yet to address this conflict of interest.

Scott Joftus' own company lists his wife's company, KID Museum, as a client.

KID Museum also shows former MCPS Superintendent Joshua Starr as a member of their Board of Directors and lists Scott Joftus and former Board of Education member Shirley Brandman under "advisors and corporate supporters."

Jack R. Smith Now Works for Same Search Firm Handling @mocoboe Superintendent Search #SmallWorld

Whenever the Montgomery County Board of Education needs a new superintendent they hire the same search firm.

Hazard, Young and Attea has been the search for for the Board of Education since at least 1999.  

Former Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Jack R. Smith now works for Hazard, Young, and Attea as a consultant.  

From Smith's bio: 

...He then served as Superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland for the next five years, overseeing a multi-billion-dollar budget, and guiding the school system through the COVID-19 pandemic as well as other complex and difficult situations. Additionally, he worked with staff to develop the Be Well 365 system to support student well being. He also designed and implemented an equity and achievement framework to increase access and opportunity and support learning for historically underserved populations...

https://hyasearch.com/profile/jack-smith/

Joftus Unanimously Chosen as new Board of Education Member - The Parents Coalition sent a message to MyMCM questioning “Will he be recusing himself from discussions and votes concerning this company, contracts and future payments?”

Scott Joftus was named the newest member of the Montgomery County Public Schools Board of Education Thursday. He will fill the District 3 seat left vacant when long-serving member Patricia O’Neill died in September...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/scott-joftus-unanimously-chosen-as-mcps-board-member/

@lizziejohnsonnn · Kirk Shipley, the rowing coach at Walt Whitman High in Bethesda, Md., held onto his job through two investigations into his behavior. Then he was arrested for sexual abuse.

Kirk Shipley, the rowing coach at Walt Whitman High in Bethesda, Md., held onto his job through two investigations into his behavior. Then he was arrested for sexual abuse.

My latest for the @washingtonpost:

https://t.co/IvUPk73vV8

— Lizzie Johnson (@lizziejohnsonnn) November 30, 2021

Ike Leggett and Joshua Starr on List of Nominees to Accountability Board for Maryland Education Reforms

A nominating committee announced nine nominees to an accountability board tasked with ensuring the success of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reforms on Wednesday, but one lawmaker contends that they do not fully represent the state of Maryland...

...Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) will have until Oct. 1., to appoint seven of the nine candidates, who are also subject to Senate confirmation. The governor, Senate president and House speaker will jointly appoint a chair of the panel...

Each of the nine nominees were unanimously selected, Sauls said. They are: 

• Mara Doss, the associate vice president for teaching, learning and student success at Prince George’s Community College.
  
• Fagan Harris, chief executive officer of Baltimore Corps, a nonprofit that recruits talented professionals and connects them to leadership opportunities.
  
• William “Brit” Kirwan, the chair of the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, whose policy recommendations make up the foundation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.
  
• Isiah “Ike” Leggett, former Montgomery County executive and currently a member of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents.
  
• Jennifer Lynch, the director of educational partnerships for Baltimore County Executive John A. Olszewski Jr. (D) and previously an elementary school principal in Baltimore City Public Schools for five years.
  
• Joseph Manko, the education program officer for the Abell Foundation and previously an elementary school principal in Baltimore City Public Schools for ten years.
  
• Harry Preston V, a Baltimore City Public Schools teacher for the last 16 years.
  
• Laura Stapleton, the interim dean of the University of Maryland, College Park College of Education and a professor in human development and quantitative methodology.
  
• Joshua Starr, the chief executive officer of Phi Delta Kappa International, a nonprofit membership organization for K-12 educators, and previously the superintendent of Montgomery County Schools from 2011 to 2015

https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/09/01/nominees-to-education-reform-oversight-panel-named/

MCPS, CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES TOLD OF SEXUAL ALLEGATIONS AGAINST WALT WHITMAN TEACHER, CREW COACH

In a detailed letter, to the Whitman Crew Community, the Whitman Crew Boosters Board of Directors acknowledged it knew its coach may have had a sexual relationship in 2018 with a former crew member. They were also aware the relationship allegedly began following her graduation, and that the parent involved had reported it to both Montgomery County Public Schools and Child Protective Services.

Kirkland Shipley, a former social studies teacher and rowing coach at Walt Whitman High School, was arrested this week and charged with first and second-degree child sexual abuse of a secondary school student, according to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.

He currently is on paid administrative leave from Montgomery County Public Schools, according to an MCPS spokesperson.

In light of the allegations, the fall crew program, including Learn-to-Row, has been suspended, according to the letter, which My MCM received from the Parents’ Coalition of Montgomery County, MD...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/mcps-child-protective-services-told-of-sexual-allegations-against-walt-whitman-teacher-crew-coach/