The next Montgomery County schools chief has grown into a strong communicator and collaborator in his six years as a Connecticut superintendent, educators and parents say. And while “nobody’s going to be universally liked,” members of the Stamford, Conn., community agree that Joshua Starr improved the small, diverse school system.
Starr, 41, was appointed by the Montgomery County school board Monday to replace Superintendent Jerry Weast, who is retiring after 12 years. The decision is contingent on a contract negotiation and state approval.
Starr presides over schools in Stamford, a system roughly one-tenth the size of Montgomery County Public Schools.
“We were his first superintendency,” said Julia Wade, a Stamford school board member for four years.
When Starr took over, “he was young, very bright, a highly educated big-picture manager,” Wade said. “But he had never been in the role where he had to be the public face of everything — he learned that change is painful, and he learned to break it down into bite-sized components and make it palatable.”
Starr’s biggest change was to “de-track” the system’s five middle schools; low-income and minority students were overrepresented in the lower tracks, then locked out of rigorous high school courses.
Stamford’s affluent citizens, believing tracking better served their children, elected school board members who sparred with Starr.
Wendy Lecker, co-president of Stamford’s Parent-Teacher Council, said parents believe the board’s “petty politics” were part of the reason Starr was willing to leave.
The community found the married father of three accessible, she said.
“Parents — whether they like him or not — when they send an email to him, he will answer back,” Lecker said. “Sometimes his manner is a little brusque — nobody’s going to be universally liked. But he’s very smart and he’s really had our district’s best interests at heart.”
Teachers union President Lori Rossomando said Starr collaborates “in some areas, excellently, and in some areas needs work,” specifically teacher input on the budget.
“A lot of things go on in a small district, and sometimes small isn’t always better. I think you guys will like him.”
