THE SPECTATOR: SCHOOL BOARD INVESTIGATION
First, I want to say that I am not a fan of Jerry Homan’s actions and tactics in dealing with the Brenham School Board. I believe there are better ways to bring about needed changes in the Brenham School District.
However, I have been afforded copies of some of the emails between board members which Homan has sent to the Texas Education Agency for review. It is chilling and alarming to read those emails as they discuss Superintendent Sam Bell and others in the Central Office of BISD. These are supposedly leaders of our community whom we expect to be of high moral character and to act professionally. The rants in these emails sound more like those coming from vindictive, junior high kids. Even more alarming is that one board member contacts a Central Office employee and pressures her into giving his company School District business.
Here are some excerpts from those emails between BISD Board Members:
“I told him (Sam Bell) that not a single word had better be said to the principals about giving me the info. He said he would not say anything. At that point I told him that there were some vindictive women working in the Central Office and they needed to keep their mouths shut also. I told him there would be hell to pay if I find out anything was said. That is the only language Sam understands – direct and forward”.
And later in the same email, “He (Sam Bell) seemed uncomfortable while we were talking which is fine with me. He definitely is not a “good fit” for BISD. The sooner he quietly goes the better. That being said, (name redacted) IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IN CENTRAL OFFICE WITH (name redacted) A CLOSE 2ND!”
In another email concerning Central Office personnel, “We just need to ride out the storm for a little while longer. Then, the tidal wave hits. Going to be fun to watch. The whole (expletive deleted) bunch of them is disgusting to me. We are supposed to be about educating kids and all they worry about is cutting teachers, covering their (expletive deleted) from criticism and second guessing, and protecting their individual kingdoms. That (expletive deleted) is going to change. Stay the course.”
Another BISD Board Member sent an email to the Central Office which reads, “Just wanted to let ya’ll know that I am passing on info when I get emails that seem to target you guys. Hang in there. The bullets are flying but I have a gun too.”
While the majority of the emails I have read are between two board members, the overwhelming cloud of drama and anger between board members, and between board members and administrative personnel, has been very evident during meetings. Homan hasn’t been the only one calling for resignations of board members….a current board member has also done so.
So where does this leave BISD? I have heard that over 60 teachers have resigned this summer and are now employed with other school districts in the area. I have been told by teachers that the overall mood in the district is very bad, and getting worse. Test scores of Brenham students have been declining. Obviously, change is needed. But making disparaging remarks behind the backs of board members and administrators is not the way to accomplish it. Brenham ISD needs its board members and administrators to work together to improve teacher morale, improve student test scores, and to regain the confidence of this community. The infighting has got to stop. If not, Brenham could see its entire School Board and Superintendent replaced by the Texas Education Agency. That’s just what happened this spring to Beaumont ISD.
We’re the first public school district in Texas. Let’s started acting professional and working together to make much needed improvements.
And that’s the way it looks to this Spectator.
I also happen to be one of the 60 teachers that left BISD this year also. Being a Brenham native, it weighed hard on my heart because I felt bad to leave my community and the children behind. Unfortunately, enough is enough. And one teacher can ou take so much. I wish I could agree with the comments about the begrudged teachers being a problem with our school board, however the problems causing teachers to leave have been problems since before their elected terms. I am proud that they are members of our school board because there is finally a voice for the teachers who are treated with no respect. If you want to point fingers at board members, I would suggest pointing at the former members. But they are only a small portion. The huge problem comes from the top all the way down to campus administrators. There is no consistency and the discipline issue is outrageous. But I am willing to believe that the community really doesn’t know about this because Administration keeps their secrets under lock and key.
Yes, money is a big factor for leaving, but it’s not the only factor. If I felt appreciated in the district, I wouldn’t care about the money. No teacher went into the profession looking to get rich. But when you look at the big picture, why would you stay somewhere you are unhappy when you can make $15,000 more right down the road?
Many changes need to come. Sam Bell and the creation of the position for Byron McAdams changed the morale of the district and it has only gotten worse over time. It’s NOT the arguing from the board.
I look forward to positive change, as I believe we can overcome this and be the small town I grew up in. Hopefully without the help of TEA.
I am a former teacher/coach in Brenham ISD and all of my children are BISD graduates. When we moved to Brenham, the atmosphere was positive, it was an enjoyable place to teach, kids were excited about learning, parents were involved (for the right reasons) and the pay was only slightly behind other districts. After David Yeager retired, the district focus changed entirely. Everything became focused on saving taxpayer dollars at the expense of the school district mission, education. As a teacher I watched the following things occur: class size at BHS skyrocketed, conference periods were shortened, meaningful teacher inservices were replaced by inservices with no value to the vast majority of teachers and salaries lagged further and further behind. My final year at Brenham HS, I had to be both head coach of my sport and also coach my third team because we could not get anyone to apply to BISD due to the low pay. When I left, only one person showed interest in my job, despite the outstanding success of the program over the years, and that was a current BHS employee. One person that was interested opted not to apply when he found out that he would take a $12,000 pay cut to move from being an assistant in Katy ISD to head coach in Brenham ISD. The new coach now also coaches the third team for the same reason that I did. This year my wife left. Between the two of us we received a combined $30,000 raise to go to nearby districts. This year 60 teachers left for better pay elsewhere, including some Brenham natives. There are still people there that are doing a great job, Glen West, Mike Watts and Jon Forsythe to name a few. There are also still a number of fantastic teachers at all levels but Brenham ISD is in a downward spiral. However, it is not terminal. BISD has to stop the bleeding of teaching talent to districts that are willing to pay a reasonable salary to its employees. Leaving Brenham was a very emotional decision for me. My wife and I both love Brenham, have many friends there and may very well return when we retire and I know that the district will turn itself around and become the place that it was from 2000-2009, but it won’t happen without either changes in personnel or changes in direction at the very top of central office.
Thank you for your editorial! Finally, the truth is revealed! I am one of the 60 employees who resigned and went to a better district. There was a huge pay increase in doing so; however, that is not what inspired me to leave. The veteran teachers in Brenham ISD are not treated with the respect that they deserve and are not paid the salary for their expertise. That is the bottom line. I was faithful to Brenham ISD for over 25 years. I was put through the fire once I reached “the rule of 80”, which is when i could retire. There are other districts out there who respect and value the knowledge of experience, and I am so glad I found the courage to apply elsewhere. Wake up Brenham ISD, you are loosing your most valuable assets!
I have had my day in the sun with this group as well. There is an epidemic in this country where by, upon becoming elected to any position, amnesia sets in as to whom you serve and why.Regardless what you think about Mr. Homan, I can tell you that no one relishes taking to task a seemingly deaf, dumb and blind school board, having 3 minutes to do it, knowing all the while that your concerns will be summarily dismissed. The fractures in this faction cannot be fixed,and it bleeds all the way down to individual school leadership as well. This is why my child goes to Brenham Christian, where decisions are prayerfully considered. It makes a huge difference.
Mr. Whitehead,
I completely agree with everything printed in this article. Mr. Homan can at time be a bit of an instigator, but without someone that’s willing to stoke the embers, many issues in this community fly under the radar. Many of our public officials, both elected and appointed, rule through the power of intimidation. For the most part people are unwilling to speak up in the fear that when they do so, they will receive the scarlet A and be marked for termination. Usually, the so-called leaders in our community don’t even have to fire the “troublemaker” the person is usually made so uncomfortable, and put in so much fear of retaliation, that they leave on their own to go somewhere they feel less threatened. This school district business is a fire burning at two ends of a fuse, a bomb sitting in the middle. Until our leadership on both the elected and the administrative sides can come together and work to the top priority THE EDUCATION OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS, the problem will surely get worse. I for one would like to see every member of the board replaced. It is never good for tax-payers when people with no business/managerial experience are running a tax district, especially when they are begrudged teachers that feel that they weren’t making enough money during their career. No doubt our teachers deserve better pay, and no doubt our students deserve better education. But this foolishness is not only making our teachers and students suffer, it’s muddying the reputation of our fine community. I hope if the TEA doesn’t come in a remove the board, that we do it ourselves next time the polls are opened.
Outstanding article Mr. Whitehead
You said it Josh Vandever! People, especially teachers, are afraid to speak up! Of that I am certain! I did so, and left the distict after teaching two generations of many families in Brenham! There has to be change in the school board and the administration to truly make a difference. I pray that the education of our students will once again become a top priority in our schools, as it once was under better leadership!
the former teacher/coach again
“It is never good for tax-payers when people with no business/managerial experience are running a tax district, especially when they are begrudged teachers that feel that they weren’t making enough money during their career”
Actually Josh, it is against the law for BISD employees to serve on the school board. Of the current group of BISD board members, there are three people with education backgrounds, a retired principal, a retired teacher and a former teacher who left education after several years to pursue other career interests. The other four members include a physician and three business leaders. The three former educators do not always vote as a block if you have noticed, nor do the four non-educators. I would think that having at least one person with experience in the education profession on the school board would help broaden the spectrum of information that a board would find useful in making the best decisions for a school district.
This year I taught economics for the first time. Even though I am certified to teach economics and just because I know how to spend money and how to budget and understand the simple concepts of supply and demand didn’t give me all the background and tools that I felt needed to be as successful as I could be so I used the experience and input of the other experienced economics teachers to shape my lessons so that the students could best be served. Having a school board member who has a background in education can help the rest of the board have better insight and can serve as a foil to a superintendent who may feel that he could otherwise bend the board to his will.
Coach Lane,
I apologize for my ambiguity, my statement should have read “begrudged, former teachers,” as I am quite aware of this law.
I agree that educational experience can be extremely helpful in discharging the duties of a board member. I also would like to clarify that not every former teacher on the school board is who that comment was directed toward. However, the items seen in the open records request show exactly what the ones that I was referring to are all about.
Also, nothing you said disputes the main point of my post. Elected officials are put in place to lead organizations for the public’s (specifically our youth) interest. It is QUITE clear that what is going on here is not the leadership that an electorate would expect. I further believe that this will be very evident in the next round of elections. But speculation is useless, what I wish to convey is that our leaders should be leading. NOT COERCING/THREATENING/BULLYING their way to what they want.
Thank you to The Spectator for FINALLY commenting on this hot topic. What warrants an understanding is the examination of characteristics expected in leaders of the educational process in our community. Unfortunately when you mentioned the following, “These are supposedly leaders of our community whom we expect to be of high moral character and to act professionally”, you made an assumption that this board member would have a moral compass. The long history of lacking moral character, intimidation tactics and refusal to be wrong are finally surfacing. When will this board come together and work to fulfill the obligations to which they were elected and stop pushing their personal vindictive agendas? There is much to be done to make improvements to the district overall. What a shame that the arrogant, indignant behavior of the board president is monopolizing what should be productive time.
I am so glad The Spectator finally weighed in on this. You are correct that members of the Board should be those that are of “high moral character” and those that can “act professionally”. However, these are not the traits of all of the Board members.These emails are the least of the reasons that a certain member should resign.
Jerry Homans tactics are direct results of the refusal of the people you are talking about to do the right thing.
Brandon Coghlan