The new superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools had three days into his new job to prepare for the first school board meeting, one with a heavy agenda.

"You'll have the full breadth in this meeting," Board President Christopher Barclay said, "From swearing in our student member to making decisions that will affect the lives of children."

In addition to welcoming Board Student Member Alan Xie for his second term, Dr. Joshua P. Starr also made three personnel appointments official, including two principals, as well as signed previously negotiated agreements with staff unions represented in MCPS. 

On substantive matters, Starr recommended a vote on one charter school; application be delayed, listened in as the board members rejected another application, as well as discussed the world language curriculum.

Starr said that a transition team, made up of internal staff and external consultants, was preparing an report for him to fully understand the short-term and long-term priorities of the school system. 

"This is not a change to the strategy plan," he said.

Starr thanked the staff at MCPS for helping him during the transition and said he had a summer full of meetings ahead of him.

"I will spend the next couple of months trying to understand the context and culture of the school system," he said.