Buna is Now Nepotism on Steroids?

 “Everybody is against nepotism until it is their turn.” 

-  Shon Mehta

I will confess, Buna ISD hired me, not because of my qualification, but because I was an alumni of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary......

In reality, I think they were getting someone else, and well, they got me, and say what you want, I am bit of a " Different type of Cat" as the jazz musicians would say.....My family will tell you that Kerry Don is " Different." 

And, I am not going to lie, at times, I feel sort of funny, like I had misrepresented myself, but then again, once again, I feel that certain things are foreordained. 

I have been told by multiple sources that Buna Schools is allegedly about to go through a " Fruit Basket Turn Over" at the building administrator level.   

Already, at the elementary school, the asst. principal is leaving the position at the end of the year.  The principal has been reassigned to a K-2 Literary Expert position, as I have said, I need me one of them expert jobs....Victorian Literature, Tudor-Stuart/Stewart History, something like that..... 

So, I was told, and again, this is supposedly to occur, the high school principal is to be moved to the elementary position of principal. 

So, this then leaves an opening at the high school and again, I was told they are planning to move the junior high principal into that position....If that occurs, I plan to write a blog specifically to that new high school administrator. 

There is also a rumor that there will be an outside the district person move into the elementary principal's position. 

One of my sources said, " I would not mind if all the administrators went away and we just started over."  " And I am not the only one." As I have said previously, morale at the Buna Schools, well, it could be better. 

Another said, " We just recycle friends and friends of friends."

The old adage : "It's not what you know, it is who you know."  

As one person said, " Things are about to get interesting."  

 

Tuesday Thoughts, and I Wish I Had Some Breakfast Tacos....

 "You Cannot find Peace by Avoiding Life....."

-Virginia Woolfe 

My back was screaming at me, so, I got up and started researching real estate in Scotland. Dad-gum almost called a real estate agent at 3am concerning a 2 bedroom freehold flat for sale on the east to northeast coast of Scotland. ( 3am here is 9am there, so they should be open..)  But do I want to leave this house, and actually move to Scotland? ( I then found a converted church to a residence,and started doing the math on if we could afford it....It's in the Border Counties, and I literally could see Deb and myself there. )

I'd love to move there, but I am no longer a " Spring Chicken."( And I do like where I live right now. I'm an Orange County boy, and only someone like me loves living here, and I do love it.)

I am just avoiding the obvious this morning. 

The last month-plus, I have watched several hours each day of the war. Me, trying to figure out how the US is going to get out of " another fine mess we've gotten ourselves into" if I may quote Oliver Hardy. 

And I wonder if we will attack the Iranian's infrastructure after today's 8pm ET deadline, or if the target time will somehow be pushed back once again?  

I am worried about our boys and girls that are in the military over there. At some point, somebody is going to be taken as a Prisoner of War, if there has not already been one, but they are not telling us. 

I also wonder what type of fresh hell the economy will hold for us, once the true effects of the Persian Gulf being closed will have? $5 gasoline here in SETX?  

What shortages will there be? 

Will there be panic shopping at the stores? 

How many people will lose their jobs?

I wonder if we are due a depression, not just a recession? We are coming up on 100 years since we went into a depression in 1929, so, we in economic time-frames, we are due.  Past due....

Then, and I hold my breath, will Israel or the US decide to use tactical nukes? If that happens, all bets are off....And that got me looking at real estate in the UK, and the Daily Star a British newspaper is saying Kent in England is the safest place for a nuclear war...... I looked at a map and decided it  was too close to London, what are they considering? 

I'll write a better blog later this week. Sometimes, I hop the rails and let my mind worry too much.... 

 

Panic at Buna ISD?

 For those of you who either do not have kids in school, or your kids have not said a word, the STAAR Exams occur all over the State of Texas for the next 3 weeks. 

-April 5-17 

Grades 3-8 Reading Language Arts

English I 

English II

-April 13-24

Grade 5 Science

Grade 8 Science

Grade 8 Social Studies

Biology

US History

-April 20-May1

Grades 3-8 Math

Algebra I

After the last year's scores, you can rest assure the pressure is on the teachers who teach these subjects, and really on the administration, especially after the "Letter Grade" the school district received from the state.  

Not really a testing fan and always with these exams, follow the money.....I also question some of the accuracy. I know I found a discrepancy on the old World History state exam, concerning Chinese History, checked with my China expert and she told me that 3 of the answers were correct. And of course on the test, there was only one correct answer. 

And of course, as I have written about previously, I almost called it a career and retired rather than have to deal with the testing. 

I hope the kids do well. I really do for their sakes. 

That said, I wonder if the kids actually learned anything, other than how to take a test in many of the courses? 

I am interested to see if the district letter grade improves..... I wonder how much panic there is in the administration?

 

 

 

ISIS Going to Blow up my Church Here in Buna???????

 So, there has been a threat by ISIS to blow-up, attack, shoot up East Texas churches. 

As a matter of fact several sheriff's offices have issued warnings about the threats made by ISIS. 

Do I think ISIS will attack a church? 

No. 

I would be more afraid of other people attacking churches rather than ISIS.

ISIS is a Sunni jihadist organization, specifically following an extreme interpretation of the Salafi branch of Sunni Islam....(Salafism is very conservative, that seeks to return to the practices of the first three generations of Muslims ("pious ancestors"). It emphasizes strict monotheism, rejects religious innovations (bid'ah), and rejects traditional legal school (madhhab) adherence in favor of direct scriptural interpretation. 

. They are not Shia Muslims and view Shiites as apostates, heretics, targeting them for violence, while also attacking Sunni Muslims who do not share their extremist ideology

 Iran is of Shia faith. I would be more afraid of a Shia Iran lead group than a Sunni group. We are bombing the Shias in Iran, not the Sunnis. 

I would  be more afraid of some local nut-job either a racist or a person with a bone to pick with the Baptists, or Methodists, Catholics, etc and that sadly, in 2026, it is a concern for every Sunday, Wednesday night " Prayer Meeting." 

Then again....I watch my surrounding in the hardware store, grocery, dollar stores....Then again, I generally carry a revolver wherever I go. ( Spies and assassins always carry revolvers, think about why?)

Do a little research people, learn the different branches of Islam. 

Don't panic, go to church this morning. Talk to Jesus, just be aware of your surroundings....If something doesn't look right, you might consider leaving....

 

5 Worst Cities I Have Visited.....And 5 Best....

 Okay, I am bored. Had a cat in my lap for about 90 minutes, he's now in a chair sitting by me asleep.....I have lost my damn mind....After having dogs literally all my life, I have an orange cat I am quite fond of....

Worse Cities I have Visited......

5. New Orleans- At one time I enjoyed visiting New Orleans. But the French Quarter I find boring and I have no want or need to " Party" at this stage in my life. The food is good, but there is better Cajun food in restaurants west of New Orleans in the Cajun Country. New Orleans is a place that holds no excitement for me.....

4. Brussels, Belgium- Might be the worst capital city in Europe. Food is okay. Lots of pickpockets and bums asking for hand outs, especially in the train station. The tourist attractions are over rated.  The piss boy statue is not worth walking a mile to see it. 

3. San Francisco- It might be #1, but our hotel was across the highway from SFO Airport and I can watch planes all day. The city itself is well, just another city. Too expensive, the town has a lot of toursits, it also has a large number of addicts roaming the street just pissing and crapping wherever they want to. I did not have a decent meal while there. 

2. Tel Aviv, Israel- I certainly would not want to be there today. The Iranians are blowing the hell out of the place. If God is good to me, I'll never have to go back to Israel. Bad food, they really did not want tourists there. Yes, they wanted our dollars, but not us.  Going through the airport was a nightmare. Just another big city. 

1. London- Massive city. Yes, Mr. Thomas is still an Anglophile. Yes, I loved the museums, the palace, seeing the parliament, Whitehall, the War Museum, etc.....But VERY Expensive and yes, I can navigate the tube( subway) all day. But just an enormous city. Just too damn busy. I know Cousin Andy who now holds a British Passport would disagree, as he LOVES London, but unless we need to pick him up for a trip, I will pass. 

 Honorable Mention Bad Cities-

Jerusalem.....Manchester, England........Torquey, England.......Miami....Boston...Dublin, Ireland....

 Best Cities I have visited....

 5. Seattle- Yes, my kids live there, but it would have made the top 5 before they moved. Yes it is liberal, yes it is expensive, but I like the Pacific Northwest. Not everyone does, but I enjoy the fish dinners from that region. I like the town, heck, I even enjoyed talking to the bums downtown. We considered moving to the area outside of Seattle about 40 years ago, but the Washington State Teacher's certification was a nightmare at the time. But we have now been to Seattle 5 times that is how much we like the city. 

4. Hong Kong- Amazing city. A true wonderment. Still has a big British influence, like driving on the left of the roadways. Amazing Chinese food( go figure). One of those cities if you asked me to go to this afternoon, I'd go. 

3. Quebec City, Quebec, Canada- We stayed in an Air B&B literally on the " Plains of Abraham." Possibly the most European city in North America. Yes, no one speaks English, but you learn to make do and use apps.  I enjoyed just walking around the city. 

2. Edinburgh, Scotland- What can I say, we are wanting to go back next to Scotland. The " Happiest Place on Earth" isn't Disney World, it is Scotland.  Massive castle in the middle of the city, on a hill, you look for the castle if you get lost. It will get you back where you need to be. The most haunted cemetery on earth, Greyfriars, great pubs, I enjoyed the food. It is the first place I tried haggis, boudin's Scottish cousin. We plan to travel there our next overseas trip. 

1. York, England.....Come on, it is what an English city should look like. A Medieval section called " The Shambles" A massive Medieval Anglican Cathedral we stayed in hotel across the street from. We did Evensong ( Evening prayer) while we were there. I know I still hold a History Certificate in the state of Texas, but I literally " Geeked Out" there/ Especially when we found out we were about 50 feet from Guy Fawkes birthplace.  Also found a " Local" full of people from York, and they turned me onto, an Italian beer. ( Yes, Italian)....If you go to England, you must visit York....

 Honorable Mention

Washington DC( Yes, the " Belly of the Beast" but its is full of history), Montreal... St. John, New Brunswick... Nuremberg, Germany... Cork, Ireland... Kunming, China.....

What city will you never visit again?

What city do you want to re-visit?  

Thursday's Thoughts......And Future Buna ISD Blogs....

 Because in many ways I am still stuck in the 1970s....I am listening to what I listened to when I was still in school....Led Zeppelin.....It makes writing well, a lot easier.....

3 weeks of war? If we are lucky. I can see us in the Persian Gulf for years. This is so similar to Vietnam. Trouble is, Iran in 3 times bigger than Vietnam and in the war in Southeast Asia, the US ground forces were only in half of the country.  Iran is mostly all mountains and desert. A population of 92 million. 

I am scared to death we are going to put ground forces on some of the islands, or in a port in Iran. 

War is different than Vietnam or any other war, see the the Russian-Ukraine conflict. Watch the drone warfare. It is a game changer in its use against infantry.  

Man, the Vietnam conflict is still remembered by many of us.....

Then, sort of pay attention. I still think there will be terrorist attack here in the states directly related  to Iran. If it does not look right, I would not hang around. 

-Oracle laid off 30,000 people yesterday. Sent them an email at 6am and told them their services were no longer needed.  

I am telling you, there will be more lay-offs in this country. 

- Already people are starting to re-think vacations. I know some people were were about to travel to Europe this Summer and have decided that well, we might need to go another time.  Part of it was they had planned to rent a car and the thought of paying around $9-10 a gallon for gas was one of the things that changed their mind, plus the thought of airfare which has gone up by a quarter to a third in recent days, and how will they treat Americans as this economic crisis gets worse? 

I know Debbie and Kerry are still looking at Scotland for Fall, but nothing is set in stone and we can dress, act like we are supposed to be there. Of course our East Texas accent gives us away, so we try and say as little as we can in public. ( That said, we were in Dundee, Scotland and I got a yelling at a street preacher for misquoting the Bible.  I got some chuckles from the Scots.)( In Germany, we knew we had fit in when at first they spoke to us in German and thought we were such....)

The way things are looking we may go to South Padre, or Hill Country, the Smoky Mountains, or the Farm and call it good for this year.  

- Today is Maundy  Thursday. It commemorates the Lord's Supper/Communion... marking the institution of the Eucharist and the washing of feet. "Maundy" originates from the Latin mandatum (commandment), reflecting Jesus' command to love and serve others. It is characterized by communion services, foot-washing ceremonies, and the stripping of altars.( Wrote a paper on this in seminary concerning Medieval/Reformation England....It was during this time I realized I was no longer Baptist.)( I know many of you in Evangelical churches do not know this day, but traditionally it was a big day during Holy Week.)

- I really need to write about Buna ISD....But you know, at this point I am so damn disgusted with leadership, be it  admin or the politicians, if I think about it much, I will puke on my keyboard....Will write next week....

We may throw caution to the wind and go off next week. Or not......I do not think the average  patron in the district realizes what they have on their hands? And I seriously wonder/worry about the STAAR  Exams will come out? Is Buna getting  a takeover? If it is, can you imagine who they'd put on the Board of Governors? Maybe I should get my brother top pull some strings, he does know Abbott a little....No, there is not enough Bushmill's Irish Whiskey to get me to get me " Likkered Up" to do the job.....In truth, I hope the kids, for their sake, do well on the tests. 

- I am going to take several days off for Easter. I doubt I write the next 3 days.

Have a good Easter. If you can, see your folks. Tell them you love them. You really do not know what our future holds for us.  

 

Evadale, Buna, Two School Districts.....

 “We'll start to forget a place once we left it” 

― Charles Dickens," A Tale of Two Cities" 

First, before I start the blog, I was told that members of the Evadale ISD faculty/staff, are reading " The Govteach Part Deaux." I thank you for reading.  If there is something in Evadale, that I need to research and write on, let me know, but to be honest, I get a lot of positivity from the school district, and I know everyplace isn't all " Peaches and Cream."  

I taught in districts before I spent most of my career at Buna High School, Dayton ISD and Magnolia ISD. 

I loved my time at Dayton ISD.......I hated Magnolia ISD.....

Not all district are the same, and most of you know this.....We looked hard at real estate between Beaumont in Dayton, Nome, Devers, etc, but in the early 1990s, finding a house for sale in that area was difficult if not impossible. It's more of that foreordination belief of mine that I was supposed to wind up in Buna, hell, this blog would have never existed....

I am just amazed at the number of people who want to get their kids out of the Buna Independent School District. 

In the last 24 hours, I have heard from several either former students I had at Buna, or people who have their kids in the Buna Schools who want their kids out.  It was like they all at once decided " Enough is enough." 

And the majority of them are looking at Evadale ISD for their kiddos.  

And as I have said in the past, I would put my kid in Orangefield, Bridge City, LCM in that order. And my child went to LCM, partly because it offered classes that a 2A or 3A district just can't afford to offer like he wanted to take French. ( If we knew what we knew today, we would have found a school that taught Mandarin Chinese...Especially after he lived in China for 5 years....) Hell, LCM had a 40 piece jazz band at that time he played trombone is....Buna's total band is about 40.....

I know many of you reading are just wondering as I was asked by a former student who called me in tears concerning their child who is attending Buna......." Mr. Thomas, what has happened to Buna Schools???"

And there are more people than you know asking that question......And many who tell me that for whatever reason cannot move their children out of the Buna District.  They are mostly afraid letting people know their true feelings. They are literally scared to death of retribution against their kids. 

It shouldn't be that way. 

I know this isn't everyone  unhappy with Buna ISD, but it is more people than even I realized.  

No, so far, everyone who has moved their kids to Evadale ISD  has been thrilled. 

I don't know, already Buna High has the smallest population of any school in the 3A football district. Buna is stagnant. Yeah, you're getting a " Waffle House" but is that the cultural defining moment?  

I don't know, perhaps it now signals the pinnacle of civilization in 2026?