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When he took control of Fairfax County Public Schools in 1997, Daniel Domenech faced a situation similar to what Montgomery County's incoming superintendent Joshua P. Starr will confront: Replacing a longtime and prominent superintendent. One thought weighed especially heavily on his mind.

"I didn't want to be the guy that screwed it up," said Domenech, now executive director of the American Association of School Administrators in Arlington, Va.

To that end, a mass exodus of the top lieutenants to Superintendent of Schools Jerry D. Weast is unlikely. Although Starr does appear to have brought along a key official when he moved from New York City schools to Stamford, Conn., where he is superintendent of schools, that position recently has been filled in Montgomery County schools.

Despite Weast's long tenure, his top two deputies, Chief Operating Officer Larry Bowers and Deputy Superintendent of Schools Frieda K. Lacey, have worked at the school system for 33 and 40 years, respectively. Bowers and Lacey did not respond to requests for comment.

"Jerry Weast did not bring a cadre of people from North Carolina with him to MCPS," said Patricia B. O'Neill (Dist. 3) of Bethesda, a member of the school board since 1998 who hired Weast.

O'Neill said it would be bad for the school system if there were a huge exodus of school leadership after July 1, when Starr takes the reins.

Because new superintendents like Starr generally "don't know where the bodies are buried," Domenech noted, especially in large school system such as Montgomery's, the superintendent likely will rely on stability at the top of the system's power structure to help him early on.

The absence of political appointees found in mayors' and governors' offices also ensures stability, he added.

No agreements have been reached with Starr regarding people he might bring with him from Stamford Public Schools to serve in school system leadership, O'Neill said. Starr has not announced any plans to hire top deputies from Stamford, said Sarah Arnold, a spokeswoman for the Connecticut school system.

But at least one prominent member of his cabinet, Amy Karwan, also worked with Starr at New York City public schools. Karwan began working as Stamford's executive director for performance management and accountability in 2005, the same year Starr started as superintendent. Like Starr, she worked on accountability issues in New York City.

Karwan was in charge of implementing the Strategic District Improvement Program, designed to boost scores on statewide tests, eliminate ability grouping among students — organizing students in some way based on academic ability or achievement — and increase participation in Advance Placement courses.

The Montgomery school system's website lists 14 departments whose top officials report to either Lacey or Bowers — from Curriculum and Instruction to School Safety and Security.

Only one of those department heads, Renee Foose, has left or announced intentions to leave this year, Tofig said. Foose, the former associate superintendent for shared accountability — the equivalent of Karwan's position at Stamford — left to become deputy superintendent for Baltimore County Public Schools. Her replacement, Adrian Talley, will begin July 1 after taking over for acting associate superintendent Donald Kress.

O'Neill said she has not seen an unusual amount of turnover among the ranks of principals this year.

Starr and the school board have said they don't want major changes to the system. But for the school board, giving Starr freedom to explore his stated interest in using social media in the schools is important, said Richard Halverson, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who specializes in education technology issues. Starr's ideas about technology could change the culture of schools in a positive way without adding significantly to the system's budget.

"A lot of what you hire a superintendent for is their practical wisdom," Halverson said. "You want some flexibility so that they can read the situation and call for what's appropriate."

If there is significant improvement or decline under Starr's leadership, Domenech argued, it won't appear immediately.

"Nobody can come in and make a huge change one way or the other in a year's time," he said.

aujifusa@gazette.net