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

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

[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

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

How so?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He is a truly wonderful, competent, capable educator who genuinely cares about students, staff, and the community as a whole. Many years ago, he was an assistant principal at FKA Wilson HS. He had the respect and the affection of the students— a rare skill that speaks well of him. The more I’ve worked in education, the more I respect “Durso” as I’ve learned more about his career. So, yeah, my opinions are based on very dated first hand experiences, and less dated secondhand information, but as a Montgomery County resident, I’m happy to have my tax dollars spent to hire people with his expertise and experience.

I’d rather have my tax dollars go to paying a competent superintendent who can fulfill her job description rather than needing to spend more money to fill the gaps in her performance

THIS.

Brian Stockton was chief of staff for only 18 months. His "reason" for leaving - a brand-new, long-distance marriage with a spouse who suddenly seemed too far away? Gotta wonder about this. How many executive staff has McKnight gone through in her reign of error? This system can't gain traction if she can't hold onto leadership staff, which she can't do because she terrorizes people. We have way more "acting" management than we should have.

When if the BOE going to say enough?

Is Arlington Virginia too far away??

https://www.apsva.us/arlington-school-board/school-board-meetings/watch-school-board-meetings/ (https://www.apsva.us/arlington-school-board/school-board-meetings/watch-school-board-meetings/)
 
watch 24:00 – 25:24

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He is a truly wonderful, competent, capable educator who genuinely cares about students, staff, and the community as a whole. Many years ago, he was an assistant principal at FKA Wilson HS. He had the respect and the affection of the students— a rare skill that speaks well of him. The more I’ve worked in education, the more I respect “Durso” as I’ve learned more about his career. So, yeah, my opinions are based on very dated first hand experiences, and less dated secondhand information, but as a Montgomery County resident, I’m happy to have my tax dollars spent to hire people with his expertise and experience.

I’d rather have my tax dollars go to paying a competent superintendent who can fulfill her job description rather than needing to spend more money to fill the gaps in her performance

THIS.

Brian Stockton was chief of staff for only 18 months. His "reason" for leaving - a brand-new, long-distance marriage with a spouse who suddenly seemed too far away? Gotta wonder about this. How many executive staff has McKnight gone through in her reign of error? This system can't gain traction if she can't hold onto leadership staff, which she can't do because she terrorizes people. We have way more "acting" management than we should have.

When if the BOE going to say enough?

Is Arlington Virginia too far away??

https://www.apsva.us/arlington-school-board/school-board-meetings/watch-school-board-meetings/ (https://www.apsva.us/arlington-school-board/school-board-meetings/watch-school-board-meetings/)
 
watch 24:00 – 25:24

So much for moving away to be with a wife who lived a long distance away. But good for him, Stockton was with Arlington Public Schools before moving to MCPS, and they loved him in Arlington. He moved for the much higher salary that he received with MCPS (same job, in a larger district).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He is a truly wonderful, competent, capable educator who genuinely cares about students, staff, and the community as a whole. Many years ago, he was an assistant principal at FKA Wilson HS. He had the respect and the affection of the students— a rare skill that speaks well of him. The more I’ve worked in education, the more I respect “Durso” as I’ve learned more about his career. So, yeah, my opinions are based on very dated first hand experiences, and less dated secondhand information, but as a Montgomery County resident, I’m happy to have my tax dollars spent to hire people with his expertise and experience.

I’d rather have my tax dollars go to paying a competent superintendent who can fulfill her job description rather than needing to spend more money to fill the gaps in her performance

THIS.

Brian Stockton was chief of staff for only 18 months. His "reason" for leaving - a brand-new, long-distance marriage with a spouse who suddenly seemed too far away? Gotta wonder about this. How many executive staff has McKnight gone through in her reign of error? This system can't gain traction if she can't hold onto leadership staff, which she can't do because she terrorizes people. We have way more "acting" management than we should have.

When if the BOE going to say enough?

Is Arlington Virginia too far away??

https://www.apsva.us/arlington-school-board/school-board-meetings/watch-school-board-meetings/ (https://www.apsva.us/arlington-school-board/school-board-meetings/watch-school-board-meetings/)
 
watch 24:00 – 25:24

LMAO Chris Cram and MCPS caught in another lie. How pathetic.

[Anonymous]

Mike Durso has left the chief of staff position. New acting chief is Henry Johnson, who had the same job under Jack Smith.

https://moco360.media/2024/02/13/acting-mcps-chief-of-staff-michael-durso-departs-amid-leadership-changes/