dr. joshua starr has been the superintendent of montgomery county schools. but we reported we've always not seen eye to eye when it comes to his relations with board members. >> later today, we could learn if he'll continue in his role or move on. nikki burdine is live in rockville with more. good morning, nikki. we said earlier they have a behind closed doors session scheduled for later this morning, the board. >> reporter: that's correct. that session is scheduled for 10:30. it is behind closed doors. but we'll know one way or another after that session if joshua starr will remain superintendent of montgomery county schools or not. we don't know what that decision will be but this is what we can tell you so far. starr's contract is up coming up in may. we can also tell you that the deadline for him to let the board know his intentions on whether he will stay or go, that deadline passed on sunday. now, members of the school board will be here for a meeting later on this morning. and they have indicated they will actually be making a statement. several board

dr. joshua starr's contract. questions about transparency after the district delayed telling parents about recent sex assault allegations in middle schools in the county. starr has pushed back touting his accomplishments. >>> we've learned a 38-year-old d.c. man died while trying to change a flat tire on the bw parkway. it happened last night just north of route 197. park police say rick warrick and his fiancee were on the shoulder when they were hit. his fiancee is expected to be okay. >>> and president obama just laid out his budget proposal. he just wrapped up his announcement that the department of homeland security in northwest d.c. the president pro-prosed a $4 trillion budget that includes a pay raise for federal employees and for troops. >>> one of the most talked about moments of every super bowl is, of course the halftime show. this year pop star katy perry took center stage and she did not disappoint. ♪ let me work it ♪ >> let's go! >> that's rapper missy elliott. she was the much talked about surprise

dr. joshua starr. ow members of the board of education indicated they will break their silence whether or not starr is going to stay on. scott broom is following the situation and joins us live with more. what have you learned? >> big event today, starr was a no show at a county council committee hearing how neglect cases are held which fueled more speculation that the one contract superintendent may be on his way out. dr. joshua starr came to montgomery county schools in 2011 during a time of exploding growth in low income and nonenglish speaking students at the same time state standards were quickly changing. starr proposed a three year moratorium on standardized testing and focused on the social and emotional needs of kids. according to a recent memo on his accomplishments, graduation rates are up and the achievement gap between minority and white students is slowly closing. starr has crossed wires with some members of the board of education, a series of crisis involving sex charges against teachers

dr. joshua starr talking about his resignation. that will be effective come february 16th. we just heard him talking here live on abc 7 news about the decision that the board and he came to earlier today as we heard them make that announcement within the last hour here in rockville. the board of education said that they talked with dr. starr and they mutually agreed to go in a different direction for the leadership here of montgomery county public schools. now, larry dowers current chief operating officer that has been with the district for 37 years will become the interim superintendent here. now, this agreement allows the board to move forward with a national search for a new superintendent. now, we just heard the president of the board of education and dr. starr speaking out live here on abc 7 news. listen to what they had to say. >> the agreement reached today which has been signed will allow the board to move forward with a national search for a new superintendent and will allow dr. starr to pursue other professional opportunities. >> i recognize and respect that the b

dr. joshua starr will stay or go. the man was a no show at a county council hearing today on how sex charges against school employees have been handled. supporters applaud him for raising graduation rates and slowly closing the achievement gap, but privately some board members are worried about his style. >>> it's been almost a year and a half since a killer stalked the halls of the navy yard's building 197 and murdered 12 people. >> after millions in renovations the first of thousands of workers started to return to thing today, but even -- to the building today, but even among the remodeled offices there are reminders this was where deranged contractor aaron alexis hunted people down hallways and staircases. >> some of my friends who actually went down those stairs could hear the gun shots. >> a memorial of water and light does honor the 12 victims. the vice admiral in charge of naval sea systems command said people went back to work the day after the shootings driven by the mission of building and maintain the navy

dr. joshua starr announced today that he and the school system are parting ways as of february 16th. larry bowers who is currently chief operating officer of the school has been named interim superintendent. the school board did not say why starr is leaving. starr said the board wanted to go in another direction. >>> your commute on metro may take a little longer. the cold weather is forcing metro to restrict the speed of trains in some location because of the potential for cracked rails. metro is using a track geometry vehicle that examines rails to determine where restrictions are needed. the speed is being reduced by one-third. we put out a list earlier on social media where the speed is restricted and you can find it on nbcwashington.com. >>> police in prince george's county moved in today to remove some squatters in another upscale house in the county. that house was abandoned. it had been foreclosed on. residents are asking tonight whether the police should be doing more. robbery suspect and nine others including children were found squatting in the home. the people there say t

joshua starr to say whether he plans to renew his job. school officials will meet tomorrow to weigh their options. >> reporter: he was missing in action. dr. joshua starr was scheduled to appear before this panel on protecting children from child abuse and neglect. with his future in doubt, they let others support this issue. >> do you support dr. starr? >> dr. starr has done good things for our school system. there is a large component of people who believe consistency matters in our school system. >> reporter: dr. starr was expected to inform the school board if he wanted his contract renewed by the deadline of february 1st which was yesterday but the board hasn't heard from him. >> i'm not sure what to make of that. that's dr. starr's call. >> reporter: discussions between dr. starr and the eight members of the school board continue. to renew dr. starr as superintendent will take five vote fors him. >> i support dr. starr and look forward to raising my hand for him. >> i'm in support of dr. starr. >> reporter: opponents of dr. starr say he has not done enough to close the education gap between white and minority students. others wonder

dr. joshua starr has not told the school board whether he wants his contract renewed. they meet tomorrow in closed session to talk about its options and what to do next. even if he wants to keep his job, he may not have enough support. right now they seem to be equally split which needs a majority to keep him on. >>> the zoo announced today it will do bag checks among forms of visitor screening during big events and restrict the number of people allowed inside the zoo. the moves come in response to several incidents including a shooting just outside the zoo last april. 17 vehicle owners in arlington are dealing with damaged vehicles and lost property for the weekend. their vehicles were broke swoon while in a parking garage on north lynn street. they say it happened saturday morning and sunday evening. they took loose change and ipods out of those vehicles. >>> governor chris christie has opened a new chapter over vaccination debate with news he made overseas. now, his office is taking back those remarks. brian, tell us what he said and what he's now saying. >> governo

weighing in on the search for a new superintendent now that joshua starr is ou >> reporter: the school board emerged from a closed-door meeting with dr. joshua starr and then voted to accept a mutual agreement terminating his tenure as montgomery county school superintendent. >> it's unanimous. >> reporter: dr. starr's resignation is e if i can tifffective as of february 16th but he'll be paid through the end of his contract which expires june 30th. >> we're going to be changing quarterbacks. you know we've had a great relationship. >> reporter: dr. starr lost the support of the eight-member board of education with four members reportedly feeling he had not closed the achievement gap between white and minority students and were not going to offer him a contract renewal. reporters asked starr why he's leaving in two weeks rather than at the end of the school semester. >> the message is not one of quitting all right, the message i hope would be one that don't get into a fight you know you're not going to win, right. and when the board made it clear that it wanted to go a different direction, i'm not going to fight that. why would i, ri

dr. joshua starr made a recommendation that costs virtually th >> i am recommending that the board adopt the model where all high sch middle schools start 20 minutes later. elementar schools start ten minutes later. and all schools end 20 minutes later. >> report: the board considered anotr option to start elementary schools earlier than high schools, but that plan cost $3.9 million. >> i think there is fairly compelli evidence that we should be doing something. >> reportbu oth board members favored doing nothing to change s stt times. >> so i think option five where we do not change anything is where i cast my vote. >> repor ta voted 5-3 in favor of the superintendent's plan to start high schools and middle schools 20 minutes later elementar schools ten minutes later. so parents are pleased with the outcome. >> i'm glad that the high school kids are go more minutes o sleep, so i'm pleased at the extra 20 minutes. i wish they would have an extra hour of sleep, but right now the 20 minutes will hel >> report: others think 20 minutes itoh ext time for students. >> i don't ihat the decision

dr. joshua starr as of february 16th and agrees to pay him through the end of his contract which is june 30th. >> we will make sure that we continue to the work that dr. starr and his staff and the staff that on goes in our schools. >> reporter: so why did the board feel that it was time for a change? there were reports that dr. starr lost the support of four of the eight board members who thought the superintendent did not do enough to close the achievement gap between white and minority students. >> we want to work -- >> not going to tell us why? >> reporter: but today there were few answers for reporters asking why starr had to go. >> the message is not one of quitting all right. the message i hope would be one that don't get into a fight that you know you're not going to win, right. and then the board made it clear that it wanted to go a different direction, i'm not going to fight that. why would i? right? they have the right to do that. >> reporter: the union that represents 12,000 teachers has worked closely with dr. starr during his 3 1/2 years as superintendent. >> i think it's a

dr. joshua starr, who was seated here. he signed the agreement, which who provides this he will serve until february 16th and be paid until the end of his contract june 30th. he felt it was too dpiflt to do his job with rumors circulating the board would not offer him a renewal for another four years. the reason reported was that dr. starr failed to close the achievement gap between white and minority students. i asked him if he thought that was the real reason. >> the board and i have been in conversation over the last couple weeks about this. i wish them the best. >> reporter: all new at 5:00 parents of students in the montgomery county public schools react ooh the resignation. >> i think surprise would probably sum it up pretty well. >> chris gordon, news4. >>> now to a raid with an exclusive neighborhood that has million-dollar mansions. >> for the second time in six months police are cracking down on squatters. a convoy of police cars tore into the community in prince george's county this morning. tracee wilkins found

dr. joshua starr. questions remain about whether or not his contract will be renewed.oard members recently said they were prepared to vote against him. that's one short of the votes needed to get a majority of eight on the board. the board president patricia o'neill says discussions about his future are still continuing today. >>> super bowl xlix delivered what every fan hoped would catch them on the edge of their feet thanks to a dog fight. >> in the end the new england patriots came out on top beating the seattle seahawks. final score 28-24. terry okita in glendale, arizona. >> reporter: the new england patriots denied seattle back-to- back championships beating the seahawks in super bowl xlix. >> i've been a seahawks fan since 1976. i thought for sure we were going to repeat. >> a great game, one of the best super bowls ever. our team came out on top. >> reporter: new england struck first when tom brady threw an 1- yard touchdown pass to brandon in the second quarter. his td pass set a new record. then the seahawks responded. then the patriots. then the seahawks. th

indicated they will break their silence tomorrow as to whether or not school superintendent joshua dr. starr will stay or go. starr has led montgomery county schools since 2011. a recent memo is out highlighting his accomplishments pointing to higher graduation rates and closing the achievement gap between white and minority students. however, starr has not seen eye to eye with some board members. his handling of sexual assault cases involving team offers and employees has raised -- teachers and employees has raised questions and he was criticized on a decision pushing out school start times. his contract is up in may. he had until yesterday to notify the board of his intentions but no word from either side. >>> tv basketball analyst greg anthony pleaded not guilty to charges he tried to arrange a rendezvous with a prostitute in d.c. police say last month the married father of four arranged to meet a prostitute at the doubletree hotel in northwest. the woman was an undercover cop. the officer told anthony intercourse would cost 80 bucks. when asked if he wanted her to dress up, police say an

joshua starr to reach an agreement. but abc 7 has learned that the board of education and dr. starr are still talking. those conversations are expected to continue tomorrow. and we expect to get a full statement from the board of education sometime then. >> coming up on abc 7 news at 4:00, how you can avoid wasting your money on a couch that won't sit well with your wallet. >> first she missed out on a rose and now she's home. we'll talk with a local contestant from "the bachelor" about the whole experience. >> we have an update on whitney houston's daughter. tmz is reporting that bobbi kristina is doing better in the hospital but she remains in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator. police say they found bobbi kristina unresponsive face down in a bathtub at her georgia home on saturday. doctors say the swelling on her brain has gone down. her father singer bobby brown released a statement allowing -- or asking the public to allow his family privacy. moving on to this now. if you're watching "the bachelor," then you know the name jillian. that arlington resident has made a name for herself on t

dr. joshua starrr is stepping down. the mutual agreement comes four months before his contract expires. neither starr nor the board gave a specific reason for his departure. however, starr said he wouldn't quote, fight a fight he couldn't win. >> joe madison, there's a lot of mixed reaction to this. many surprised he's leaving. theye asking questions. why so sudden and who is to blame? >> i don't know who is to blame when it comes to a situation like this. let's just be clear, he doesn't have the votes. and that's how they operate. he goes before the board. he gives justification why he should stay on as superintendent. the board then takes a straw vote and you don't have the votes there. that's exactly what he means, look i'm not going to fight this fight. i can't change the minds of those who are opposed to me. it's a different montgomery county than from when my children went there. it's more diverse there, very complex demographics to deal with. so who knows? i believe you have new board members, so you don't know what they ran on in terms of their campaign. >> bremante do you need to know why? d