Who is Mike Durso?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo 360 article on response and reaction to the Durso hire: https://moco360.media/2024/01/10/michael-dursos-long-history-with-mcps-draws-pointed-reactions-to-his-new-role/

Ooh, nice quotes from Starr himself

Nice? Humph. Many system employeees supported the decision to not renew Starr; just sounds like a bitter former employee.

We haven't had true effective leadership since Weast left. The decline in MCPS standing started back then and just continues to plummet.

Durso is a senior, that's a fact. MCPS is in crisis mode and he is willing to step up. He is brutally honest and that is what is needed right now with senior leadership. If not Durso, then who?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo 360 article on response and reaction to the Durso hire: https://moco360.media/2024/01/10/michael-dursos-long-history-with-mcps-draws-pointed-reactions-to-his-new-role/

Ooh, nice quotes from Starr himself

Nice? Humph. Many system employeees supported the decision to not renew Starr; just sounds like a bitter former employee.

We haven't had true effective leadership since Weast left. The decline in MCPS standing started back then and just continues to plummet.

Durso is a senior, that's a fact. MCPS is in crisis mode and he is willing to step up. He is brutally honest and that is what is needed right now with senior leadership. If not Durso, then who?

Nonsense! When Weest was super the demographics of the county were very different. Today things have changed. The school system provides the same quality education as ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The second IG report is coming out soon. That report will help explain why the chief of staff position was open.

Hum, why do you say that? The Chief of Staff does not supervise any of these people.

That new IG report said a whole lot of what? The new allegations were certainly shocking. Who was tipsy and undressing? Which senior leader saw that and what did they or could they do about it? Does everyone put on leave get to keep/return to their jobs now? I have so many more questions than answers at this time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo 360 article on response and reaction to the Durso hire: https://moco360.media/2024/01/10/michael-dursos-long-history-with-mcps-draws-pointed-reactions-to-his-new-role/

Ooh, nice quotes from Starr himself

Nice? Humph. Many system employeees supported the decision to not renew Starr; just sounds like a bitter former employee.

We haven't had true effective leadership since Weast left. The decline in MCPS standing started back then and just continues to plummet.

Durso is a senior, that's a fact. MCPS is in crisis mode and he is willing to step up. He is brutally honest and that is what is needed right now with senior leadership. If not Durso, then who?

Nonsense! When Weest was super the demographics of the county were very different. Today things have changed. The school system provides the same quality education as ever.

Yes, they've changed over time and with each new Super, the system got worse while being in keeping with those current times. It is what it is!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo 360 article on response and reaction to the Durso hire: https://moco360.media/2024/01/10/michael-dursos-long-history-with-mcps-draws-pointed-reactions-to-his-new-role/

Ooh, nice quotes from Starr himself

Nice? Humph. Many system employeees supported the decision to not renew Starr; just sounds like a bitter former employee.

We haven't had true effective leadership since Weast left. The decline in MCPS standing started back then and just continues to plummet.

Durso is a senior, that's a fact. MCPS is in crisis mode and he is willing to step up. He is brutally honest and that is what is needed right now with senior leadership. If not Durso, then who?

Nonsense! When Weest was super the demographics of the county were very different. Today things have changed. The school system provides the same quality education as ever.

This is demonstrably not true. You can start with a simple, straightforward class such as PE.

Kids used to change and be expected to give effort and try a wide variety of sports such as volleyball, badminton, tennis, lacrosse, basketball, fencing and field hockey. Now, kids aren’t required to change clothes or actually exercise. So it ends up being a free period where they hang out with friends and play on their phones.

The only real PE that happens in MCPS these days is for the kids who sign up for an athletics program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo 360 article on response and reaction to the Durso hire: https://moco360.media/2024/01/10/michael-dursos-long-history-with-mcps-draws-pointed-reactions-to-his-new-role/

Ooh, nice quotes from Starr himself

I miss having Dr. Starr as superintendent. So do many of my teacher colleagues. I get that he had detractors, chiefly Durso, but his quotes are exactly why I liked him. He wasn’t a very good politician because he was too honest and ruffled feathers and said what he thought all the time, and I know I probably just summoned that persistent poster who thinks he mishandled situations involving employees accused of misconduct, but I believe he cared about teachers and students and would have been good for the system had he been given half a chance to continue growing in the role. I think he would have handled the pandemic and current mental health crisis better, and I think teacher morale wouldn’t be as in the toilet had he stayed. I wonder how many of the principals who signed off on his firing have second thoughts now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo 360 article on response and reaction to the Durso hire: https://moco360.media/2024/01/10/michael-dursos-long-history-with-mcps-draws-pointed-reactions-to-his-new-role/

Ooh, nice quotes from Starr himself

I miss having Dr. Starr as superintendent. So do many of my teacher colleagues. I get that he had detractors, chiefly Durso, but his quotes are exactly why I liked him. He wasn’t a very good politician because he was too honest and ruffled feathers and said what he thought all the time, and I know I probably just summoned that persistent poster who thinks he mishandled situations involving employees accused of misconduct, but I believe he cared about teachers and students and would have been good for the system had he been given half a chance to continue growing in the role. I think he would have handled the pandemic and current mental health crisis better, and I think teacher morale wouldn’t be as in the toilet had he stayed. I wonder how many of the principals who signed off on his firing have second thoughts now.

I stand by what I said. He may have appeared to care but his "theory of action " was all Harvard theory and literally NO ACTION. So his performative caring doesn't matter when he didn't really do anything to get things done. There were no crisis during his time but there was still no action,! So no, I am not buying your theory that he would've acting when hard times come a calling! Coulda, shoulda, woulda but did not every single time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo 360 article on response and reaction to the Durso hire: https://moco360.media/2024/01/10/michael-dursos-long-history-with-mcps-draws-pointed-reactions-to-his-new-role/

Ooh, nice quotes from Starr himself

I miss having Dr. Starr as superintendent. So do many of my teacher colleagues. I get that he had detractors, chiefly Durso, but his quotes are exactly why I liked him. He wasn’t a very good politician because he was too honest and ruffled feathers and said what he thought all the time, and I know I probably just summoned that persistent poster who thinks he mishandled situations involving employees accused of misconduct, but I believe he cared about teachers and students and would have been good for the system had he been given half a chance to continue growing in the role. I think he would have handled the pandemic and current mental health crisis better, and I think teacher morale wouldn’t be as in the toilet had he stayed. I wonder how many of the principals who signed off on his firing have second thoughts now.

I stand by what I said. He may have appeared to care but his "theory of action " was all Harvard theory and literally NO ACTION. So his performative caring doesn't matter when he didn't really do anything to get things done. There were no crisis during his time but there was still no action,! So no, I am not buying your theory that he would've acting when hard times come a calling! Coulda, shoulda, woulda but did not every single time.

No crisis? Just children being sexually abused by known predators that he kept inclassrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo 360 article on response and reaction to the Durso hire: https://moco360.media/2024/01/10/michael-dursos-long-history-with-mcps-draws-pointed-reactions-to-his-new-role/

Ooh, nice quotes from Starr himself

I miss having Dr. Starr as superintendent. So do many of my teacher colleagues. I get that he had detractors, chiefly Durso, but his quotes are exactly why I liked him. He wasn’t a very good politician because he was too honest and ruffled feathers and said what he thought all the time, and I know I probably just summoned that persistent poster who thinks he mishandled situations involving employees accused of misconduct, but I believe he cared about teachers and students and would have been good for the system had he been given half a chance to continue growing in the role. I think he would have handled the pandemic and current mental health crisis better, and I think teacher morale wouldn’t be as in the toilet had he stayed. I wonder how many of the principals who signed off on his firing have second thoughts now.

I stand by what I said. He may have appeared to care but his "theory of action " was all Harvard theory and literally NO ACTION. So his performative caring doesn't matter when he didn't really do anything to get things done. There were no crisis during his time but there was still no action,! So no, I am not buying your theory that he would've acting when hard times come a calling! Coulda, shoulda, woulda but did not every single time.

No crisis? Just children being sexually abused by known predators that he kept inclassrooms.

Okay, so then - still no action.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo 360 article on response and reaction to the Durso hire: https://moco360.media/2024/01/10/michael-dursos-long-history-with-mcps-draws-pointed-reactions-to-his-new-role/

Ooh, nice quotes from Starr himself

I miss having Dr. Starr as superintendent. So do many of my teacher colleagues. I get that he had detractors, chiefly Durso, but his quotes are exactly why I liked him. He wasn’t a very good politician because he was too honest and ruffled feathers and said what he thought all the time, and I know I probably just summoned that persistent poster who thinks he mishandled situations involving employees accused of misconduct, but I believe he cared about teachers and students and would have been good for the system had he been given half a chance to continue growing in the role. I think he would have handled the pandemic and current mental health crisis better, and I think teacher morale wouldn’t be as in the toilet had he stayed. I wonder how many of the principals who signed off on his firing have second thoughts now.

I stand by what I said. He may have appeared to care but his "theory of action " was all Harvard theory and literally NO ACTION. So his performative caring doesn't matter when he didn't really do anything to get things done. There were no crisis during his time but there was still no action,! So no, I am not buying your theory that he would've acting when hard times come a calling! Coulda, shoulda, woulda but did not every single time.

No crisis? Just children being sexually abused by known predators that he kept inclassrooms.

Okay, so then - still no action.

+1. Remember Starr's first-year listening tour? He was in over his head from the start.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo 360 article on response and reaction to the Durso hire: https://moco360.media/2024/01/10/michael-dursos-long-history-with-mcps-draws-pointed-reactions-to-his-new-role/

Ooh, nice quotes from Starr himself

I miss having Dr. Starr as superintendent. So do many of my teacher colleagues. I get that he had detractors, chiefly Durso, but his quotes are exactly why I liked him. He wasn’t a very good politician because he was too honest and ruffled feathers and said what he thought all the time, and I know I probably just summoned that persistent poster who thinks he mishandled situations involving employees accused of misconduct, but I believe he cared about teachers and students and would have been good for the system had he been given half a chance to continue growing in the role. I think he would have handled the pandemic and current mental health crisis better, and I think teacher morale wouldn’t be as in the toilet had he stayed. I wonder how many of the principals who signed off on his firing have second thoughts now.

I stand by what I said. He may have appeared to care but his "theory of action " was all Harvard theory and literally NO ACTION. So his performative caring doesn't matter when he didn't really do anything to get things done. There were no crisis during his time but there was still no action,! So no, I am not buying your theory that he would've acting when hard times come a calling! Coulda, shoulda, woulda but did not every single time.

No crisis? Just children being sexually abused by known predators that he kept inclassrooms.

Okay, so then - still no action.

+1. Remember Starr's first-year listening tour? He was in over his head from the start.

My kids were in MCPS, but too young for me to really pay attention to the politicking around Starr. However, this specific critique stands out to me as someone who works with senior leadership across my sector. Someone being over their head on Day One is not a bad thing, in terms of long-term executive performance. The ideal recruit at that level might make mistakes in the early days, because it demonstrates that they still have the capacity to grow and learn.

I have no idea whether Starr was one of those people, but I have noticed that the complaints about him on this board seem kind of...petty compared to the absolute leadership dumpster fire currently on display on Hungerford Drive. I would take someone who makes some mistakes but has the intelligence to learn on his/her feet over the what we have now, which is a bunch of cronies more loyal to one another than to the students that they serve, lurching from one poorly-thought-out decision to another, and incapable of answering basic questions about their decision-making without a team of PR experts to workshop the response.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo 360 article on response and reaction to the Durso hire: https://moco360.media/2024/01/10/michael-dursos-long-history-with-mcps-draws-pointed-reactions-to-his-new-role/

Ooh, nice quotes from Starr himself

I miss having Dr. Starr as superintendent. So do many of my teacher colleagues. I get that he had detractors, chiefly Durso, but his quotes are exactly why I liked him. He wasn’t a very good politician because he was too honest and ruffled feathers and said what he thought all the time, and I know I probably just summoned that persistent poster who thinks he mishandled situations involving employees accused of misconduct, but I believe he cared about teachers and students and would have been good for the system had he been given half a chance to continue growing in the role. I think he would have handled the pandemic and current mental health crisis better, and I think teacher morale wouldn’t be as in the toilet had he stayed. I wonder how many of the principals who signed off on his firing have second thoughts now.

I stand by what I said. He may have appeared to care but his "theory of action " was all Harvard theory and literally NO ACTION. So his performative caring doesn't matter when he didn't really do anything to get things done. There were no crisis during his time but there was still no action,! So no, I am not buying your theory that he would've acting when hard times come a calling! Coulda, shoulda, woulda but did not every single time.

No crisis? Just children being sexually abused by known predators that he kept inclassrooms.

Okay, so then - still no action.

+1. Remember Starr's first-year listening tour? He was in over his head from the start.

My kids were in MCPS, but too young for me to really pay attention to the politicking around Starr. However, this specific critique stands out to me as someone who works with senior leadership across my sector. Someone being over their head on Day One is not a bad thing, in terms of long-term executive performance. The ideal recruit at that level might make mistakes in the early days, because it demonstrates that they still have the capacity to grow and learn.

I have no idea whether Starr was one of those people, but I have noticed that the complaints about him on this board seem kind of...petty compared to the absolute leadership dumpster fire currently on display on Hungerford Drive. I would take someone who makes some mistakes but has the intelligence to learn on his/her feet over the what we have now, which is a bunch of cronies more loyal to one another than to the students that they serve, lurching from one poorly-thought-out decision to another, and incapable of answering basic questions about their decision-making without a team of PR experts to workshop the response.

Agree 100%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo 360 article on response and reaction to the Durso hire: https://moco360.media/2024/01/10/michael-dursos-long-history-with-mcps-draws-pointed-reactions-to-his-new-role/

Ooh, nice quotes from Starr himself

Nice? Humph. Many system employeees supported the decision to not renew Starr; just sounds like a bitter former employee.

We haven't had true effective leadership since Weast left. The decline in MCPS standing started back then and just continues to plummet.

Durso is a senior, that's a fact. MCPS is in crisis mode and he is willing to step up. He is brutally honest and that is what is needed right now with senior leadership. If not Durso, then who?

Nonsense! When Weest was super the demographics of the county were very different. Today things have changed. The school system provides the same quality education as ever.

Yes, they've changed over time and with each new Super, the system got worse while being in keeping with those current times. It is what it is!

Test averages have gone down corresponding with changing demographic trends that are more of a national issue than the county. The quality of education available as vastly better than when I was in MCPS 30 years ago even if overall averages are lower.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo 360 article on response and reaction to the Durso hire: https://moco360.media/2024/01/10/michael-dursos-long-history-with-mcps-draws-pointed-reactions-to-his-new-role/

Ooh, nice quotes from Starr himself

Nice? Humph. Many system employeees supported the decision to not renew Starr; just sounds like a bitter former employee.

We haven't had true effective leadership since Weast left. The decline in MCPS standing started back then and just continues to plummet.

Durso is a senior, that's a fact. MCPS is in crisis mode and he is willing to step up. He is brutally honest and that is what is needed right now with senior leadership. If not Durso, then who?

Nonsense! When Weest was super the demographics of the county were very different. Today things have changed. The school system provides the same quality education as ever.

Yes, they've changed over time and with each new Super, the system got worse while being in keeping with those current times. It is what it is!

Test averages have gone down corresponding with changing demographic trends that are more of a national issue than the county. The quality of education available as vastly better than when I was in MCPS 30 years ago even if overall averages are lower.

Yes. 40 to 30 years ago (back in the 80s and 90s) Montgomery County was mostly universally middle and upper middle class. Most of Langley Park and half of Tacoma Park were still in Prince George’s County, and so not yet absorbed into MCPS. Demographics started changing and trending towards increased free and reduced lunch students in the 90s. It does reflect national trends as well. Only affluent, small town school systems that restrict zoning have been largely insulated from national demographic trends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo 360 article on response and reaction to the Durso hire: https://moco360.media/2024/01/10/michael-dursos-long-history-with-mcps-draws-pointed-reactions-to-his-new-role/

Ooh, nice quotes from Starr himself

Nice? Humph. Many system employeees supported the decision to not renew Starr; just sounds like a bitter former employee.

We haven't had true effective leadership since Weast left. The decline in MCPS standing started back then and just continues to plummet.

Durso is a senior, that's a fact. MCPS is in crisis mode and he is willing to step up. He is brutally honest and that is what is needed right now with senior leadership. If not Durso, then who?

Nonsense! When Weest was super the demographics of the county were very different. Today things have changed. The school system provides the same quality education as ever.

Yes, they've changed over time and with each new Super, the system got worse while being in keeping with those current times. It is what it is!

Test averages have gone down corresponding with changing demographic trends that are more of a national issue than the county. The quality of education available as vastly better than when I was in MCPS 30 years ago even if overall averages are lower.

Bizarre statement