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By DANIELLE CAPALBO

Times Staff Writer


STAMFORD -- After six years as the chief of Stamford Public Schools, Joshua P. Starr will resign this summer to become the superintendent of the largest school district in Maryland.

"It's the right job at the right time for me," Starr told The Stamford Times Tuesday, after members of the Montgomery County Board of Education voted unanimously to appoint him to the position.

He will begin work July 1, pending a finalized contract, and will be replacing 12-year Superintendent Jerry D. Weast, according to a press release from Montgomery County Public Schools.

With 114,064 students, 200 schools and an operating budget of more than $2 billion, the district is the largest in Maryland and the 16th largest in the United States.

Yet Starr likened the district to Stamford Public Schools in terms of demographics.

"I've worked with community members, elected officials, the Board of Education, and schools are schools, kids are kids and great instruction is great instruction," he said. "It's a bigger place, but the jobs are not that far apart."

He called the district "one of excellence" that he and his colleagues from Stamford Public Schools have studied in terms of accomplishments, from curriculum and professional development to aligning the immense system.

Before Starr begins his tenure, the Montgomery County Board of Education has scheduled a series of meetings to give community members the opportunity to greet their incoming superintendent, according to a press release from that district.

Starr has made several trips to Maryland to conduct interviews, as well, he said.

"Dr. Starr comes to Montgomery County with impressive credentials and skill sets to lead (our schools) in times of incredible challenges and opportunities," Board of Education Chairman Christopher Barclay said in the press release. "He comes to us with a deep commitment to openness and is eager to work collaboratively in the best interest of all students."

News about the appointment began to circulate Monday evening after The Washington Post reported the Board of Education had made its decision. Starr announced the news, as well, distributing a letter to his colleagues.

"You welcomed me and my family to this community, taught me about the district's culture of caring for all children, and then worked exceptionally hard to implement new programs and initiatives that promote academic achievement," he wrote. "Together, we have improved academic outcomes for our students, in many cases substantially."

The district will finish the school year "without interruption," Starr wrote, and the Board of Education may choose to appoint an interim superintendent as it launches its search process.

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