On Tuesday, Feb. 3, Superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools Joshua Starr announced his resignation. Starr needed five of the eight school board members to vote in favor of him renewing his contract, and this number was not reached. The superintendent’s departure will go into effect on Feb. 16, and the board has decided to seek out a replacement immediately.

According to a Washington Post article, Starr was eagerly welcomed to the position in 2011, and was characterized as having ambitious ideas and a great personality. No reason was given by school officials as to why Starr would not return to his prestigious position in Maryland’s largest and most populous county.

According to NBC News, Starr made the decision to leave his position with the help of the school board over the weekend. Starr was supposedly struggling with the difficult position, and rumors say the board may have lost faith in the superintendent’s abilities during his term. Four of eight board members also felt that Starr had not done enough to close the achievement gap between white and minority students in Montgomery County.

According to President of the Board of Education Patricia O’Neill, the board discussed the future of Starr’s position for weeks before reaching the decision to appoint a new superintendent.

It’s in “the best interests of the district to appoint a new leader to carry forward the board’s vision,” O’Neill said.

O’Neill said she supported Starr during his term, but is only one member of a team of eight who makes the decision together.

The school board had previously expressed concern over communication issues with the superintendent.

“The Board needs to work on ways… that provide more opportunities to communicate with the superintendent and offer both parties more clarity in expectations and improve upon relationships,” a memo from the board stated.

Nancy Navarro, a member of the Montgomery County Council, stated there was an expectation of Starr to take the school system to the next level, which many feel he did not accomplish.

According to an NBC Washington article, Starr said he made positive change in his three years as superintendent. He released a memo describing his accomplishments over his four-year term, including increased graduation rates, improved teacher relations and higher test scores in Montgomery County. Despite this, Starr accepted his agreement with the board to go in a new direction.

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett expressed disappointment in Starr’s failure to seek reappointment, stating that he believes Starr was a great asset to the county, yet respects the Board of Education’s decision to elect a new superintendent. According to a Washington Post article, Leggett privately lobbied members of the board to rethink their resistance towards Starr.

“While I am not happy certainly at the way things have turned out… it is absolutely the board’s authority to move in a direction that they see fit… I hold no illusions about longevity in the job,” Starr stated in a busy news conference. “Being superintendent of Montgomery County Schools is the best job in the country…even today, I still feel that way.”