Those D*mn Baptists......Yes Buna, it is About You.....

 I know in the past there were people just scared to death of what was referred to when I was in a Baptist seminary, well, 40+ years ago now, the "Baptist Mafia." 

Years ago, I knew Buna was different when I was invited to church when I interviewed at Buna ISD, A specific church, and then the "invitation" was followed by, XYZ Baptist church is also " pretty good." I was a little taken aback and at the same time not surprised.  

Again, I have been on staff at Southern Baptist Churches, served as a missionary for the old  Home Missions( Now North American Missions, think Annie Armstrong fund raising at Easter....Lottie Moon at Christmas for Foreign Missions) of the SBC. Far South Texas( Harlingen, I still have a place in my heart for Harlingen.)  and Idaho. 

I know Baptists. It is why I no longer consider myself one. It is why I am ordained in a church with ties to the old Church of Scotland, and trust me, they have troubles too. All this said, the last time I actually attended church was at Church of Wales ( Anglican) Cathedral in Cardiff in the UK. For Easter. Heck, it was the last time I took communion....That was 2023......

Traditionally, and this is a history lesson, the Baptist were staunch believers in the separation of 
 "Church and State." 

As a matter of fact at one time Baylor a longtime Baptist university offered a PhD in " Church State Relations" in which they emphasized the separation. 

The degree no longer is offered at Baylor. 

I do not understand the church getting involved in business that well, isn't any of their business, especially interfering in the  justice side of government. 

I know the Baptist were " called out" by both the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio News in a lengthy investigative piece concerning the number of sexual abusers in the Southern Baptist Convention.   

I will use SBC to represent the Southern Baptist Convention.  

The SBC set-up a commission in which they said " There "might" have been a cover-up."

" Might" 

Heck one of the so-called leaders of the SBC conservative resurgence Texas Judge Paul Pressler was sued and paid for sexually abusing teen males from his Bible classes he held. 

Paige Patterson former president of the SBC seminary in Fort Worth, the other half of the conservative resurgence in the SBC was sued for covering up sexual abuse while he was a president at another seminary.   

But in typical SBC fashion, they tried and shove both of the stories under the rug.  

Baptists, your hands ain't that clean. There is stuff going on by your own membership that you need to take care of yourself.  

I remember in high school when our RA ( Royal Ambassadors....It is a male youth missions program that plays basketball, gotta get kid to come somehow) leader ran off with another woman from the church. And yes, both were married to other people. And how poorly the church handled it then.....It was like " Well, just one of those things...."

If you were old school Baptists, your main goal would be the " Great Commission" not politics. Get out in the mission field. You are losing membership in America. Millions are leaving the SBC. 

And I say this seriously. 

Preach Jesus first.......Not politics.  

Baptists, I know you. You got your own sins. Take care of them first before you look at someone else's troubles.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buna You Got a Mess.......

 I step away for a couple of days and I am inundated with messages and calls. 

I may be back sooner than planned, at least for a while.  

 I got a phone call from a friend who lives North of Fort Worth who has heard about Buna troubles.  

It is like the entire district is about to collapse. 

I hear of police investigations for several reasons, including one that somewhat surprised me. 

I hear of resignations. 

I hear of people possibly being fired. 

I hear threats of firings. For speaking about what is going on.....

I hear Buna losing so many teachers this year, finding enough for the First Day next year might be difficult, and one person, telling me...." Who in their right mine would want to teach here?" Much less have all teachers with certificates. 

How read stories of churches putting their 2 cent in and almost wrote on that this morning...I have a blog about 1/3rd done.......

I heard of parents pulling their kids and home-schooling.....Telling everyone who'll listen " Not to send their children to Buna ISD." 

It's getting so bad, I am thinking I need to tell people I retired from Dayton ISD.....I wonder if they will give me a one day contract like ballplayers get when they retire...

Man, y'all got a royal mess..... 

 

Cougars Win!.....Cougars Lose!!!!!!!!!

 I come out of my sabbatical to write this morning. 

I am close to being done....Just done....

Somehow along the road the plot has been lost and I do not see how we can get back on the road.....

I am saddened by Buna Schools.

Maybe I just should not give a care anymore. I am many years retired. I have traveled the world. 

The thing is, when we leave this earth, we should want to leave it a little better, and right now, I do not see people wanting to do that anymore. It is all me, me me.....

Gen Z, Gen Alpha especially see that.  The latest polls are saying that to achieve what was the American Dream, well, it is near impossible for them to achieve. And they blame the older generations. And yes, we are to blame.

The internet for what is brings is creating a society that is all insular and  all about again....Me....Me....Me.....

Our schools are failing. Don't give me some bullshit that they are doing great.....They are not. 

College degrees once the gold standard to the American Dream only leave young people in a form of long term debt slavery and no hopes of getting out of the debt. Much less getting a decent job.

Even STEM degrees no longer pay off like they once did. 

Young men have in many cases given up hope. No decent job, no girlfriend, no hope of either, why keep trying, I am better off smoking dope, drinking beer, playing video games....  

No one is happy. We don't trust most people. 

Don't blame the Democrats.....Don't blame the Republicans..... Blame them both. They work for the highest bidder. And in many cases the bidder wants American tax dollars to go overseas.

 28 members of congress are being investigated for sexual misconduct. ( I thought it might have been more, but 28 is a pretty large number.)

We are on the verge of a civil war in this country and it will be a war you, nor I will want, nor really understand when it comes.  

America is in a war we do not understand and right now, we can't get out of. No, Iran is not a wonderful place, as I see they have started executing dissidents at a rapid rate, but for the last 40 years I have heard Iran is building a nuclear bomb, and well, India and Pakistan, North Korea have built one in that time frame and we aren't blown up.....  

The fallout from the war in the Persian Gulf isn't here yet. The rising gas price is just an economic taste of what is to come.  

So.....What does this have to do with Buna Schools?

If you can, get out of the district. Sell out, I know it maybe hard to do, but the ISD is not it once was. I worked like a dog to make it a decent district. Something that I am sorry, no long exists.  I somehow am shocked by the number of people who home-school or have their kids in a church or private school. I had one tell me sports are not that important anymore and both their mom and dad who I taught were All-District in various sports. ( I remember...And yes, I still try to keep up with what you do for a living...Your kids, your spouse....But, I don't always get it right....Sometimes I miss, badly...)

( My nephew thinks I need to go on YouTube with a flat cap, a cigar, and an Irish Whisky and cuss, just twist off on world events....) 

I love you Buna, I truly do, but you know, for 16 years I have been fighting this fight, writing this blog, many times alone. On that "point" alone.....

Oh man, Dolly just came on the computer.....She's singing " I will Always Love You. "

It is time to step aside for a while.....Maybe forever..... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay Buna.....Okay

 Let me remind everyone that this blog is an opinion piece. 

In the longstanding tradition of newspapers, these( opinions) would be inside the paper newspapers. They would be with the political cartoons. I know many of you do not remember those days. 

I am not a reporter. 

I am certainly not an investigative reporter. 

Yes, I may break news about stories of interest, but this is not the main goal of this publication.  

I am a one man staff. 

I have no team. ( I used to joke and say I had an editorial staff that included an old woman wearing a 1940s hats, who had been drinking gin & tonics all day.....The old Baltimore Sun had one of those when Jack Germond was writing for the Sun...)

I have no financial backing. 

Here is my profit from the last 10 years. 

$0.00

Yesterday, I had 40+ people contact me. I say 40+ because I stopped counting at 40. Most leaving a phone number wanting me to call them. 

I had 2 people call my personal cellular device after 11PM. last evening.  

I am old school Southern concerning the phone. 

A phone call past 9PM means two things. 

1. Someone is in the hospital/some form of emergency. 

2. A death. 

I had huge reads on the blog yesterday, and they are still adding to the number this morning. 

I appreciate every one of them. 

But so few people comment or even like well, I wonder if it is worth it.  

However, I was literally was overloaded yesterday. 

I had a couple of people contact me yesterday to gripe about Buna sports teams.  I really do not care or give a good flip about youth sports. I see them as part of a modern " Bread and Circuses." Then again, in high school, those " Fightin' Vidor Pirates" football went 0-40  when I was there. And I was at every dadgum ballgame.....Those "Peckin' Lamar Cardinals" were no better when I was there. They were peckers alright. They won 2 games each of my 4 years I played in the marching band. 

I already take " Happy Pills" and after yesterday, I may need even more. I had a bout of depression thinking about Buna ISD last evening. Believe it or not, I actually love the place. I love the people of Buna. I seriously do. It's why I write the blog. I know some of you do not not understand this, but the school is not the same for everyone. For more than you know, for their children, it is a place of horror. Seriously....

As I have said, I was rough on you your senior year, and most of you understand why I did what I did. 

I wanted Buna kids to be the best. 

I could have slopped around and gave you xeroxed papers every day. Made the class simple. Gave everyone As and Bs. But doing what I did, well, it was rough on me. I remember taking your essay exams with me on the deer stand and one year, got deer blood on them. I told you a pen exploded that I was using for grading...Some of you knew better. 

The ole Govteach is going to step-back and take a little time away from the blog. See how the " story at hand" takes shape. 

We love you, but I need time to love myself.  

I am going to talk to many of you later, but right now. I need some "mental health" time. The Govteach is worn down concerning Buna. It is like I am fighting that "Lost Cause." And unlike most of you have been fighting years and years.   I want to call and talk to my nephew in Ft. Stockton this afternoon. ( Like we will talk about something better, Israel and the Middle East will be on the topic. )

Yesterday just pushed me to the limit. I am not going away, just giving my brain a break.  

 

There are Times I Dread Writing About the Buna ISD

 Rome wasn't Built in a Day- 

-  12th-century French phrase and popularized in English in the 1550s

This story is just in its infancy. In the last 48 hours there has been so much added, by the time I publish this,  there will be no items added to " what's going on."

The way it started, it appeared as Kevin Steele the former Channel 12 newsreader posted on his site that the Buna ISD was " Slow Rolling" the story, like they were trying to handle what was going on " In house." And in typical governmental fashion, seemed to blame someone else for what allegedly looks like occurred under their watch.  

Threats to our youth today only could be seen by someone like Aldous Huxley....And that world is rapidly becoming more and more easily understood and becoming more a reality. 

This is one of those circumstances in which I am so glad I do not have a daughter involved. I am afraid I would spend the remainder of my life as a resident of Huntsville, and I certainly do not recommend people taking the law into their own hands. 

I have been warning you and telling you for years that school districts are not your friend. 

ISDs are government entities, often high taxing structures that only exist for themselves. Not for your children.  

Sure, of course, there are people within the institution that want to do right by your children, but many are there for a paycheck. And the further they get up the bureaucracy ladder, the more money they make. Get away from seeing an actual child, as the kids say today, " the bigger your bag." 

I have been told that warrants have been issued for electronic devices.   The situation now lies with the District Attorney. I hope he understand how many people are watching I hope he understand how important this is about to become. 

Mr. DA, I strongly suggest you get all the help you can. I know a DA in the Hill Country. Not sure if this area is his expertise, but he can steer you in the right direction to someone who does. He has been a DA or Asst. DA for almost 40 years now.  

- Buna ISD, no matter the outcome, this is going to be an ugly situation for the district. 

If you have the points, I strongly suggest retirement for many of you in leadership. I am hearing from people concerning this story that, well, I never knew they were reading the blog, and they are upset, to the point of French Revolutionary pitchforks and torches storming the Bastille. 

Even if you recover from the situation, there will be a fire burning in the background. Always there, ready to explode in a moments notice.  

Call it for your health.

Call it for family reasons. 

Call it you that, you want to travel before you get too old. Vermont and New Hampshire both are gorgeous during the prime Fall leaf season........ Paris is lovely in Spring.......Or perhaps you want to follow Claudio Monteverdi  and listen to  Zefiro Torna actually while in Italy. 

Or......

You may want to do what is right by the kids. 

End the distraction, and trust me, at the high school right now, during the End of Course Exams, it is.....And for this testing period, too late. 

While we need the money the position provides, we also must remember that we are in the school business for the kids. 

And school, I know this sounds political and in a way it is, if you've not ale ready done so,  I would provide actual counseling services to those young ladies victimized. Call in actual PhD counselors with access to sending those affected, if needed, to MDs/DOs licensed to practice psychiatry.  

I will talk more about this at length, as information becomes available.  Right now, this situation is in its opening stages. 

 

 

 

 

  

 

I Got to Get the Hell Outta Dodge City....Or in This Case Buna Schools....

Side Note- For the fans of the TV Show Outlander-  Today is the 380th anniversary of the Battle of Culloden in Scotland-

It took place April 16, 1646 near the city of Inverness, Scotland.  Jacobite forces under Prince Charles Edward Stuart/Stewart ( Bonnie Prince Charles) fought again the English army-  Taking place on Drummossie Moor near Inverness, the battle lasted less than an hour but resulted in a decisive victory for the British/English government forces over the Jacobite army. This defeat effectively ended the Stuart claim to the British throne and led to the permanent decline of the Scottish clan system.

We visited the battle site a few years ago. The Scottish Trust has done the battlefield up right. A well done museum, and a well done restored, large area, where the battle took place. 

If you ever find yourself in Inverness, ( a great airport, wonderful people) you must visit the battle site.  

But I once again digress. ( I love me some English/Scottish History)

- Well, it seems that once again, Buna is having a difficult time keeping faculty/ staff employed by the district. 

As I eluded to in a previous publication on this blog, it seems there is a number of employees within the maintenance department at Buna ISD either resigning, or actively looking for employment elsewhere.  Including supposedly the director. 

Word is, lack of money, and loss of overtime, school leadership is driving the employees to quit and find work elsewhere.  

And as I have said, maintenance, cafeteria, janitorial are the backbone of any school district.  Without them, the whole thing collapses. 

And, then, there is the story going around that the district KNOWS OF 21 members of faculty leaving at the end of the year. 

21. 

That they know of. 

How many will either resign at the end of the year, or during that grace period in the Summer Break? 

Note to teachers thinking about resigning, wait until the last minute. I worked at a school district who dropped our health insurance as soon as we resigned. And it was several months before the new district, employer picked up their/our insurance.  I worked with a teacher who resigned from a district near Corpus Christi whose ISD dropped him as soon as he resigned the last day of school, in May, and before his new school district coverage started in September. In June, his son broke his leg requiring several surgeries to repair. I know Magnolia ISD did that to me when I resigned at the end of the school year. 

Remember, it is a job folks. They are are NOT family.  

That number according to rumors might increase up to between 35 to 50. 

Perhaps even more? 

For a a small 3A school district, that is a lot of folks hitting the road. 

Several have been ruined by teaching in the Buna Independent School District and are totally leaving the school business. As one has been telling anyone who will listen, " If any are anywhere near like the Buna ISD, I cannot do this for 30+ years." 

And the Buna community needs to start asking......" Why???"

- Next blog- Teacher certification in the Buna ISD, or lack there or, those who ARE certified teaching outside of their certification.... Is there " fudging" going on?

 

 

Is It Time Buna ISD?

 When, I was hired by the Buna ISD back in the day, I knew very little about the school. 

I needed a job, and I was offered what was back in the day, a " Plum Position." The Gov/Eco job. And either you are cut out, made if you will to teach seniors, or you are not. 

I made sure, it was where I was supposed to be. 

I literally and I've said this many times before, expect Buna to be a short stop on my career. I literally did not expect to remain there most of my teaching profession. 

Buna should have let me go more than once.....I should have left Buna on my own, more than once. 

There were a number of us who worked hard to make Buna a good high school. 

I wanted you to be able to be the best wherever you went next in your life. 

When I retired, I felt good about what I left at Buna High School. I felt good about all the district K-12. I bragged about the school. Recommended it to people. 

As I have said recently, I no longer do. 

It is and I clean up my language here, it is a mess. 

Old names from the community are leaving, or they are moving their children to other school districts. Heck, I even tell people to homeschool their kids. 

There will be people who will send me ugly notes saying that I am too negative about the district. 

But, from where I sit, I see and hear nothing but negativity. 

Unless you are from here, teachers do not want to teach in Buna ISD. And say what you will, and this may sound ugly, it limits the intellectual ability of the district. It limits the talent of the school district. I am sorry, if just does. 

I did a count of the number of people teaching in the district that I taught and I was somewhat shocked at how many teachers I taught....And while it is good they want to teach in their home school, well, sometimes you need new blood. And part of it is, if you suck as a teacher, and you are from the community, well, it is harder to get rid of you. 

Now, I am not saying you need to get rid of everyone from here, but this hiring friends of friends, especially those without the correct certification, well, it has to end.  I know people who have applied with the correct certification, who were passed over for friends, without certification. 

I am going to writing this and take a few days off. 

It could be time to just " burn it all down" and start over. 

New administration. New school board. Get rid of teachers who either don't have a certification or can't get the correct certification. 

My understanding is maintenance is losing leaders, workers, and those still there are looking to get out. I do not think many of you understand how important maintenance, cafeteria, janitorial  are to a school district. Without them, the whole place will fall apart. In more ways than you know....

I don't know what it will cost Buna ISD, but you may need to bite the bullet and just "clean house." Already there are serious patron questioning where the money is going. What do some of these people hired actually do? If so, BISD had a $2.5 million surplus last year, are you making sure that you are burning any surplus this year? 

Unless the community gets serious, I am afraid it is going to get worse.......