Montgomery Notebook

Morrison started his career as a middle school social studies teacher in Waldorf in 1990. He rose to principal in 1997. He was named Maryland state principal of the year in 2004. In 2005, he took the job of director of school performance in Montgomery. The next year he was named community superintendent, overseeing the Down County Consortium of 34 schools and 23,000 students in greater Silver Spring.

As Superintendent Jerry D. Weast's chief administrator in the southeastern region of the county, Morrison oversaw an era of auspicious achievement: three of his high schools, Blair, Einstein and Kennedy, have been ranked consistently among the top in the nation on the Challenge Index, a measure of Advanced Placement testing created by The Washington Post's Jay Mathews, even though the three campuses serve large numbers of disadvantaged students. The fourth high school, Northwood, is not ranked because it is relatively new.

Morrison's elementary schools consistently outperformed other affected schools throughout Maryland on annual tests of reading and math.

In Reno, Morrison will replace Paul Dugan, a 26-year Washoe schools employee who will retire Aug. 1.

Morrison said he had not expected to become a superintendent so soon. But the Washoe job presented the chance to work in "a district that is committed to eliminating achievement gaps between races, like what we're doing here in Montgomery County." He said meetings with the Washoe school board convinced him that the panel is serious about narrowing the disparities.

Steve Simon, a veteran public relations man in Montgomery, is relinquishing the public information director job for the Montgomery school system after a single year. Simon, 48, who started July 21, will leave July 3 to become an independent media, public relations and communications consultant.

Simon's is a familiar name to county leaders and gadflies. He served under three county executives as public information officer for the county government, then as director of communications for Montgomery College before crossing Hungerford Drive to take the schools position. People with long memories will recall that Simon served in the late 1980s as managing editor of the former Chronicle Express newspapers, once chief competition to the Gazette.

The schools job thrust Simon into the limelight in a busy year, punctuated with swine flu fears, budget politics and a handful of school security incidents. He also served as the public voice of the school system against increasingly bold attacks from the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, a group of loosely allied parent activists who have assailed school leaders on everything from curricular fees to taxpayer-funded lunches at Il Pizzico restaurant.

Why the short tenure? Simon said it was just time to move on. "Going out on my own is something I've been wanting to do for a long time," he said.

County Fire Spokesman Takes Position in D.C.

The voice of the county's fire and rescue agency is moving to a job in the District.

Pete Piringer, who has served for eight years as spokesman for the county's emergency services, will join the District's fire and rescue agency as director of the communications office, working closely, he said, with spokesman and former radio reporter Alan Etter. Piringer, who turns 56 next Thursday, formerly was a spokesman for the Maryland State Police and the top spokesman for the fire and rescue service in Prince George's County. He grew up in College Park and keeps ties there as president of the College Park Volunteer Fire Department. He and his wife, Pat, who live in the Fallsmead area of Potomac, plan to move to the District.

Piringer begins his new job soon, probably around July 1, he said, after a long-planned trip to Greece.

He said it will be tough to leave Montgomery, where he thinks he has held "the best job in the world. We have done a lot of good things here." And he had only kind words for the department's new fire chief, Richard R. Bowers Jr., saying his departure has nothing to do with Bowers's recent appointment.

Piringer said it's a good time to leave because he's "not bailing out on a sinking ship." He added, however, "It's a bad time to leave because things are pretty good."

But the job in the District, he said, poses new challenges, and he is eager for that, as well as the "lifestyle change" of city living. "I know this sounds corny, but I am a public servant, and I take that seriously," he said.

Berliner to Conduct Senior Housing Forum

Montgomery County Council member Roger Berliner (D-Potomac-Bethesda) is hosting a forum tomorrow titled "Housing Choices for Seniors: The Right Option for You."

The gathering will be from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad, 5020 Battery Lane, at Battery and Old Georgetown Road.

Participants will include speakers and representatives of organizations that provide services to seniors.

For information about the forum, call 240-777-7828.

Growth Policy Hearing Scheduled for Monday

Montgomery County's future growth, with a population projected to increase by 195,000 by 2030, should occur near transit and on surface parking lots, planners say in a draft 2009-11 growth policy report.

With less than 4 percent of the county left to develop, planners have drafted a growth policy that they say sets forth strategic and sustainable strategies to accommodate the growth.

The Planning Board has scheduled a public hearing at 7:30 p.m. Monday to solicit input on the report. It will be at Park and Planning Headquarters, 8787 Georgia Ave., in Silver Spring.

The board will review the growth policy draft in summer work sessions and then send it to the County Council for consideration. The policy document is accessible through links on the Planning Board's Web site, http://www.montgomeryplanning.org.