SOUTH OF THE BORDER Chile uses local students to close achievement gap. A-6
The Gazette
BUSINESS: Co-founders of Food Recovery Network, Delta Produce honored. A-7
GAITHERSBURG | MONTGOMERY VILLAGE
SPORTS: Magruder captain leads Colonels to the division title in wrestling. B-1
DA I LY U P DAT E S AT G A Z E T T E . N E T
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
25 cents
Starr steps down as head of county schools O’Neill says board, superintendent agree a new leader is needed n
BY
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
Joshua P. Starr is stepping down on Feb. 16 as Montgomery County Public Schools superintendent, four months before his four-year contract would have ended. The county school board unanimously approved on Tuesday an agreement that leads to Starr’s departure following public uncertainty of whether the superintendent had enough board support to renew his contract. School board president Patricia O’Neill said Tuesday during a press conference that board members and
Starr agreed that a new leader was needed to “carry forward the board’s vision.” “While I’m not happy certainly at the way things have turned out, at the same time it is absolutely the board’s authority to move in a direction that they see fit,” Starr said at the press conference. Starr said he is “very proud” of the work done in the district during his tenure, but sees more to be done. “It was my hope that I would be here to continue that work with our staff, our students, our families and our community,” he said. “However, I recognize and respect that the board has the right to choose the leader and the direction of the school system.” O’Neill and Starr didn’t elaborate on the reasoning behind his departure. O’Neill said the board “deeply appreciates” Starr’s work in the system.
Starr told The Gazette in January that he wanted a second term and that he was “in it for the long haul.” He said at the time that he had done what the school board has asked him to do. Tuesday’s news came two days after what was Starr’s deadline to formally ask for a second term. The board would have had until March 1 to make a decision. Starr replaced Jerry D. Weast as superintendent in Montgomery County in 2011 after leading the public school system in Stamford, Conn. His current salary is $264,002. The Gazette, after interviewing six of the eight school board members, reported on Jan. 21 that two were ready to support another term for Starr. Others didn’t commit to one side or the other. A week later, a Washington Post
Dr. Joshua Starr in his first Board of Education meeting as superintendent of Montgomery County Schools. Starr is leaving his position at the head of county schools early. GAZETTE FILE PHOTO
See STARR, Page A-8
Flipping pinball back to the spotlight Airpark safety n
spurs debate
Derwood, Potomac residents qualify for pinball state championships BY
SAMANTHA SCHMIEDER
n
STAFF WRITER
In a world dominated by realistic, digital video games, a dedicated group of old-school gamers have kept the pinball world alive. On Saturday , two of those pinball aficionados from Montgomery County will join 14 other contestants from across Maryland to compete for the title of state champion and a chance to compete nationally in Las Vegas. State and national championships are presented by the International Flipper Pinball Association, whose website describes itself as an “organization eager to provide assistance, direction and proven methodologies to insure the success of competitive pinball” as well as increase its visibility. The IFPA ranking system, called the World Pinball Player Rankings, is used to determine which 16 players qualify. Rob Wintler-Cox, of Derwood, is ranked sixth and Shawn Hillman, of Potomac, is ranked ninth in the state. They will compete in a bracket against other individuals at a private residence in Nottingham, Md. Both Wintler-Cox and Hillman played pinball growing up and sporadically into adulthood, but neither got involved in leagues, tournaments or IFPA’s ranking until relatively recently.
BY
Monument construction, M-83 extension among hot topics BY
SAMANTHA SCHMIEDER STAFF WRITER
The Montgomery Village Foundation Board hosted its annual candidates’ forum Jan. 27 for the three positions open for election, with two incumbents trying to hold their seat and two other residents working to gain a spot. There are nine board members who each serve three-year, staggered terms, allowing for three spots to be open each year. This year current board members Pamela Bort,
INDEX Automotive Business Calendar Classified Entertainment Opinion Sports
1934194
B-12 A-7 A-2 B-7 A-12 A-10 B-1
DANIEL LEADERMAN STAFF WRITER
The federal investigation into the cause of the fatal jet crash in Gaithersburg Dec. 8 is expected to take six to 12 months, but members of the community surrounding the county’s airport want to see something done sooner. What action to take remained the subject of debate at a meeting of the Montgomery County Airpark Liaison Committee in Rockville Wednesday with some members calling for a reduction of jet traffic to the county airpark and others arguing that such a reduction wasn’t feasible and would make no difference in safety. Six people died when a small jet crashed into a residential neighborhood while on approach to land at the airport, including three people on the plane and a mother and two small children who hid in a second-floor
See AIRPARK, Page A-9
BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
Rob Wintler-Cox of Derwood and Shawn Hillman of Potomac practice before Saturday’s pinball competition. “I got started with arcade stuff when I was a really little kid,” Wintler-Cox said. Wintler-Cox explained that when he was in high school, video games were becoming popular, but pinball really stuck with him. “When I got my first apartment, I bought
a pinball machine because, ‘Why not?’” Wintler-Cox said. But Wintler-Cox explained that just like potato chips, “once you have one, you must
See PINBALL, Page A-9
Election set for Montgomery Village board n
Investigation results expected later this year
Bob Hydorn and president John Driscoll’s spots are up for election. Bort and Driscoll are running again and Glen Gargan and former board member Neville Levi will be running, as well. A third candidate, Michael Robinson, has since withdrawn from the election. Residents have from Feb. 6 to March 6 to vote for three candidates. Each candidate started the night off with a little bit about themselves and what their hopes are for Montgomery Village. Bort has lived in Montgomery Village for 19 years and has been a homeowner for the last 10 years. This was her second term on the board, though they were not served consecutively. Bort hopes to maintain the financial well-being of the town and work out the mas-
Volume 28, No. 5 Two sections, 28 Pages Copyright © 2015 The Gazette
Please
RECYCLE
Geo Bee yields state potentials Competition brings tough questions to Montgomery Village Middle School
n
ter plan. Driscoll has been a resident of the village for 10 years and is the current president of the board, which is a position he was voted into by fellow board members. While he approves of Monument Realty’s development on the golf course, he opposed the Midcounty Highway, or M-83, extension. Gargan began his introduction by explaining why he is running for the board. “I think our board is doing a wonderful job. I wouldn’t run if Bob [Hydorn] wasn’t retiring,” Gargan said. Gargan agreed with Driscoll for the need for revitalization and development in the
The National Geographic Bee at Montgomery Village Middle School started out Jan. 28 with a question about colleges. “Bethlehem, Scranton and State College are home to universities in which state?” the moderator, Giacomo Sciuto, asked the first contestant. Contestant number one was stumped. Sciuto let everyone know the answer was Pennsylvania and led the room in a round of applause for the student’s effort. Students and staff gathered in the media center to watch their peers answer questions pertaining to geography both nearby and around the world. The winner of
See ELECTION, Page A-9
See GEOBEE, Page A-9
ENTERTAINMENT
HAPPY B-DAY, NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC
BY
SAMANTHA SCHMIEDER STAFF WRITER
WINTERIZE YOUR HOME
Organization celebrates 10th year with weekend of music.
A-12
SEE HOME IMPROVEMENT SERVICES INSIDE ADVERTISING INSIDE A SECTION