Teachers at Buna Schools

 I hear fairly often from Buna teachers. Many times through back channels. 

Often, they are afraid that the administration will know it is them talking to me, and sometimes, all information they send me is deleted by the sender. 

And I can't say that I blame them. 

Trust me, I understand. 

It is the old phrase as one told me....

"Too many chiefs and not enough Indians." There are people who have been advanced so much, they are looking for things to do. 

So, we get micromanagement. 

If you are a teacher worth anything, you are looking for another school to work. Or, in many cases, some of the best and brightest have, " Gotten the Hell out of Dodge> " As one person who is looking to leave told me. 

Of course, this is not everyone on staff, but it is enough that people are wondering what they are doing even in education. 

I know Kerry Don Thomas would be out of Buna in 2026. The district has changed so much that I could not stand the micromanagement. I could not be the Mr. Thomas many of you had in class.

Old Kerry had a hard enough time hanging around when I reached retirement eligibility. I almost quit.....Several times my last semester.  Including me calling Teacher Retirement the Friday during Spring Break and almost pulled the trigger and retired in March. 

I'm afraid I would be teaching certain people new  combinations of adjectives, nouns, adverbs....As I walked out the door. 

But, I could not do it. Mostly because I liked the seniors I had that year.  

As I have told many times before, I was in a meeting with several teachers, administrators when one teacher's cell phone buzzes and the instructor gets up and says, " I must take this call." And they step into the hallway. About 5 minutes later, the teacher sticks their head back into the room, and says, " That was Teacher Retirement, they said I can retire." They leave, don't even go back to their classroom and gather their personal items, instead, they go, get into their car, and go home.  

True story. 

Teachers, I don't know what your situation is, but if you can change districts, and you are miserable, look for that change of scenery. I know I have in the past.  

I couldn't work in Buna ISD today.  

 

 

If You Plan to Vote

 No, I DO NOT openly support any political candidate, except for my brother........And even then I question it....

But this is serious. 

Double check and make sure you are still registered to vote in Texas. 1.2 million people were purged off the rolls this year. 

It is the top left button.  

If you find you have been purged, click on the middle top button to register to vote. 

The last day to register to vote in this year's November elections. Is, October 5th.  

And We Have Stories from Buna ISD.....Broke? Quitting? " Runt Off?" Going Down?

 I had not planned to blog today, but you never know what might happen?

Again, I appreciate the information that I receive.  

The first story coming from people deciding that they are not going to put up with the school not following the rules. 

For years now teachers have had free lunch time. It is state law. I can remember when we faculty members had to do it. I even remember the time when I did lunch duty and well, you really can't sit down and eat. You generally have to stand and watch what was going on. And even then, there is some commotion that occurs and you have to handle it, and well, at the end of the lunch, you still have half a sandwich, all your Cheetos and a drink still unfinished. 

I've tossed more sandwiches than you know, and just saved the unopened bag of Cheetos for Tuesday. And it probably remained unopened then. 

It is alleged one of the coaches was given permanent lunch duty,  and was told to eat their lunch during the class. 

They resigned and went home. 

I can't say I blame them. 

I remember two years before I retired, I was assigned lunch duty, for all year, but I was given an extra conference period for doing so. And that's the way it should be. 

My understand is parents are upset with him leaving. Not with him, but the higher ups. It seems the man knew what he was doing and previously had gone to state. 

Then, there is the rumor of a number of coach, faculty, administration, others planning to leave at the Christmas semester break. Several others are wondering if they can make it to the end of May?

One person told me, " I can't believe I came here......" 

As one person at the school called it....." It's a shit show." 

- Second story comes from the Culinary Class. 

It seems that there was not enough funding for the kids to be able to practice cooking and supposedly, the kids were working on a computer Monday through Thursday, and were being allowed to actually cook on Friday, if they brought in the food themselves. 

The district was allegedly too poor to fund the program.   

Alas, a local church has come to the rescue and has given food to the class, so they can actually take the class. 

My question is this, did the food donated take away from the local food pantry? I know a person involved with a pantry at their church and people coming to it has increased 40% in the last 5 months. That is here in Orange County. Again, a sign of inflation and the economy. Some folks are just barely making it. 

- Finally, someone wondered if Buna athletics, academic team, with kids leaving, might go down to UIL 3A Division II next realignment cycle.  It would be hard pressed to do so, but I did not think both Vidor and Little Cypress-Mauriceville would move down either, and they did. ( Harvey contributed to both)

Realignment is in 2028, and that is a long time......Just think, that means you'd get a good old fashion ass-whopping from Newton every year if you were to move down..... 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, Buna, We Are Going There....

 Again, we want to welcome the readers at the Buna ISD Administration Building.......Or any Buna ISD administrator. 

And please, do not act like you are not reading. We know you are slipping around and are taking a peek......

It seems like every quarter I have to write this blog. 

I've had a number of people subscribe to the Substack.....And to be honest, I have not a clue who they might be. Most, I know, but others, not a clue, and I can't place them.  

So, we go over the blog, as some people still do not understand what I am doing here.  

Once again, I have a special concern with the Buna Independent School District, as I was the government/economics teacher at the high school for many years, now retired, and when I started the blog right at 16 years ago now,  and the blog while it started as a general, whatever blog, has more and more emerged into a blog concerning local issues. Especially the school.... 

 That said, I may write on anything and everything......Economics, politics, British Politics( British Politics is somewhat a hobby and pride myself as being able to discuss politics of their nation in a pub in the UK with old guys, after a pint or 5 of good British ale. And have done so....) history, religion, heck, I may write one on men's haberdashery.  

Welcome to the blog. 

Be careful, I have gotten better, but I can get a bit " salty" at times. I now have 3 clergy reading the blog regularly, that I know of. And even though I am an alumni of the Baptist seminary in Ft. Worth, and am still in good standing with a denomination with ties to Presbyterianism and the Church of Scotland, I have a hard time with organized religion. But, I try not to cuss too much and run them totally off.  

If at any time you would like to look at a story concerning local politics, especially the school, let me know. Send me the particulars, and I will look into the situation and well, probably will blog on the situation. 

Any information I receive will remain confidential. I never name names and often try to write the blog as to not implicate my sources. 

Thank you for reading and please subscribe to my Substack.  

 

 

 

The Clique and Buna Schools? Part 2

 I sometimes get information from people, well, I never suspect or expect to contact me. And this happened yesterday while I was trying to watch both the Texans and the Cowboys prove once again, neither is going to the Super Bowl this season./ 

I guess I need to go ahead and switch and quit American football, and switch to watching the football(Soccer for the uneducated) leagues out of the UK. I am pretty much there now, and on Sunday afternoon, catch a little nap....

But, that's neither here nor there.....

Yesterday, minding my own business, I receive a phone call during the game. And normally with strange phone numbers, I assume it is SPAM and ignore. This one had a 994 exchange, what is or was a landline in Buna, TX. 

My first thought was, " In 2026, who still has a landline?" ( My 95 year old mom has a cell phone.) 

And I answer.

This person is someone I would consider, well, " close to be in the clique." At least, they know some people. 

I thought I was going to get jumped on and chewed out......No, they did not.....

They were basically confirming something that I had heard earlier.  

It seems a number of individuals within the "Clique" are not happy with what is going on with Buna ISD leadership. 

The problems, they are stuck. Be it to save face, or economics( Everything boils down to money, more than you know.) or just what, they are saying, and is according to yesterday's source, " We have to figure out a way to ride this out." 

They are upset with the number of people leaving the school, and they know that the district is hemorrhaging kids.  

And here is a kicker, some in the clique are happy kids are leaving, " get rid of undesirables"  " keep the district small." 

While others are upset wanting Buna to grow, hoping to make a profit from it. 

Yeah, you are getting a Waffle House and I am not lying, I want to go about 3AM  on Saturday to WH, get some Pecan Waffles, some bacon, perhaps sausage,  and hope for a show. 

But people do not move to a community because you now have a Waffle House.  

Believe it or not, people sometimes move in due to the school district and if it is any good. 

And while there is disagreement, they actually are upset, both sides, pro-growth, anti-growth with the school district.....As the caller yesterday said.....

" The district just isn't the same place it was not that long ago...." 

 

This Made me Sad.....

 Very brief blog this morning.

I make no secret that I am attended seminary back in the day. Thought at one time I was supposed to go that way, but I keep going back to the Pauline statement....

 "  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing."

                                                                                                        Romans 7:19

I was sent this in my news.

The University of Edinburgh will stop offering Bachelors and Master's degrees in Divinity.  In the UK, those are the tradition degrees needed for becoming clergy.  

No one in the UK are going into the ministry.  

Edinburgh was the major divinity school for the Church of Scotland( In America, they would be called  Presbyterians and yes, just like here, there are different denominations of Presbyterians)

Just not enough students. 

I know in this country, there are churches having a difficult time finding qualified ministers. ( Had a church even approach me, I told them " I am trying to stay out of Hell now, I will pass.")

No, the divinity school remains open at the University of Glasgow, but that city is awful. You can get your throat cut there. 

443 years of offering these courses, and now no longer offering divinity degrees.  And that is why universities were first started, to train clergy. 

It makes me sad...... 

 

Buna ISD and " The Clique" ...And the Process.....Part 1

 Brief couple of paragraphs before I go into the blog.....

Here is the process of writing, and you remember, I almost write every day. It feel funny when I do not. Most blogs are written early morning, even before " Matins" or Morning Prayer as the Anglican Church would say.... 

Second, and I suspected this already.........They read the blog in the local school administration.....To which, I say, welcome, please subscribe to the new Substack page. You may as well, we all know you're reading the blog. I got a couple of Buna ISD stories I am working on, you may not want to miss... ( I knew that there are board members who read the blog, I hear their displeasure through secondary sources.)

And get ready, or actually I should  say, I should steady myself for the blowback, as the people in Buna would have you believe that their " Clique" is as mythical as Greek gods, Aliens from Outer Space, and Bigfoot...... 

But, many of you reading this know it exists, including the writer of this blog, and once employed by the Buna ISD, it took a year, but it often rose its head for things, often imagined that I had done. 

In the last fortnight, I have heard from 4 different faculty members, different campuses, all talking about the " Clique" at Buna, especially those who have infiltrated the Buna ISD. 

I understand, at least once a semester, often more, I got in trouble with a member of the " Clique."   As a " World Famous" scientist once told me, "we are jumping from one pile of manure to another." But if you ever teach school, you'll understand trouble finds you, and it doesn't take long to find. Even when you are trying to behave yourself. 

As a former Buna ISD employee said, " I know how hurtful it can be to work hard, care for the students, and still feel that you are being judged or treated differently for reasons that have nothing to do with your work." 

Another, " I worry if my 'spouse' and I can make it without my salary, but I am done, we are not to October, and I may quit at Christmas. I may get my certificate pulled, but I can no long stand the other teachers. All from Buna, who think that they are from the community, go to XYZ Church and somehow they are special." 

And my favourite. " They are from Buna, it's not like they are a bunch of Yale or Princeton grads running around here. " 

The last one, I laughed at last one, it's Buna. I make the analogy, " It is Vidor North." I know, I grew up in Vidor, you are not any better, and in someways you are worse. You still have a place called the " Quarters." 

Again, as I have said for years, Buna in many ways is stuck in 1952. 

More stories in Part 2.  

End- Part 1  

Please subscribe to Substack..... https://thegovteachpartdeaux.substack.com/publish/post/217362671