A Message from Superintendent Joshua P. Starr

Welcome to the 2013–2014 school year!

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the 2013–2014 school year! I hope that everyone had a fun, relaxing summer and is ready for another outstanding year in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). As I begin my third year as superintendent, I want to thank all of you who have shared your thoughts, ideas, and dreams about the future of our school district and how we can best prepare our students for success.

MCPS has a well-earned reputation as one of the nation’s best school districts and that is due to the unwavering commitment and determination of our staff. MCPS students achieve outstanding results and many go on to great success in college and the workplace. But we know there is much work left to do if we are going to prepare all students to thrive in their future—our core purpose. The 21st century requires our students to have a very different set of skills than in the past, and we are going to have to adapt the way we approach our work every day in order to prepare them to meet those demands.

That’s why I am so excited about our new Strategic Planning Framework—Building Our Future Together: Students, Staff, and Community. The Framework, approved by the Montgomery County Board of Education in June, is built upon five core values that really define what it means to be a public school system—Learning, Relationships, Respect, Excellence, and Equity.

The Framework focuses on three core competencies that encompass the knowledge and skills our students will need for success in the 21st century: Academic Excellence, Creative Problem Solving, and Social Emotional Learning. It also continues our strong commitment to Organizational Effectiveness, an area where MCPS is already widely recognized as a national leader.

This Framework was created with input from staff, students, and community members and lays out a clear direction for MCPS now and in the future. But how we get there is, in great part, up to you. In the coming year, all of our schools and offices will align their strategic plans to the Framework and adjust their work around these core competencies.

Each of you will receive a copy of the Strategic Planning Framework and I urge you to study it and begin to think about the critically important role you play in fulfilling our vision and mission. Please take a few minutes and watch the overview video about the Framework and visit the MCPS website for more information.  

Thank you for your continued commitment to excellence and for the tremendous work you do every day. Here’s to a great year at MCPS!

Sincerely,
Josh