Former MCPS Superintendent Starr Lands New Job

Joshua Starr has taken a position as the new chief of a professional educators' association

May 19, 2015 12:05 a.m.

The former superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools is set to become the next CEO of an international association of educators.

PDK International, based in Arlington, announced Tuesday that Joshua Starr will replace William Bushaw, who served as the organization’s CEO for the past 11 years.

The announcement comes about three months after the Montgomery County Board of Education declined to renew Starr’s contract for another four years and the two parted ways. Starr officially resigned Feb. 16 from MCPS. He had served as the leader of the school system since 2011.

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PDK, which stands for Phi Delta Kappa, provides learning opportunities, networking and research to education professionals. The organization has recently undertaken an effort to recruit future educators through its “Educators Rising” program, which is scheduled to launch later this year.

“There's a similar desire on the part of the [Board of Directors] that's consistent with my proclivity to be part of the national conversation," Starr said. "I think I can bring my experience in public education and perspective on policy to bear on what do teachers need to be successful and how do you organize systems to do that."

PDK also publishes Kappan, a magazine for educators, and an annual poll in partnership with Gallup about American public opinion on public schools.

Starr, 45, served for six years as superintendent of Stamford Public Schools in Connecticut prior to joining MCPS. Recently, he spoke of his enthusiasm at launching a new phase of his career.

“This will be brand-new work for me,” he said.

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While Starr “loved being a school superintendent,” he hasn’t missed the stress generated by the high-pressure job of running a district serving 154,000 students. “I didn’t realize how much being a superintendent took a toll on you,” he said. “It’s been 10 years. I will not be a superintendent again. I knew this [post] would be the last one.”

With reporting by Julie Rasicot

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