School district making bold steps to improve discipline

Let’s address some of the most common complaints and concerns I hear about the Wharton Independent School District.

There is a discipline problem in the district. Numerous teachers and administrators are either leaving or being let go and the district is having a hard time replacing them. None of these things are unique to Wharton. They are indicative of a much more systemic problem statewide and nationwide.

Most people want to blame Superintendent Michael O’Guin. They forget that he inherited these problems when he was hired two years ago. Discipline, however, is a problem everywhere. From everything I’ve read to educators I’ve communicated with in the area and in other states, discipline is an enormous problem that is causing teachers to leave the profession in droves.  A relative of mine retired early because she was tired of dealing with rude and disrespectful kindergartners and first graders.

When children that young are undisciplined, it tells me that the problem begins in the home and the schools are left to cope with the fallout. But people want to blame the schools because that is where the disciplinary issues manifest themselves. Administrators (principals, superintendents, etc.) are hamstrung by laws that prohibit them from taking what many of us older people would consider appropriate action.

When administrators fail to act, teachers feel unsupported and unsafe and they leave. When the unruly child gets away with bad behavior the other children see it. Respect for authority becomes diminished and discipline gets worse.

The onus is on parents to raise their kids right. That is at the heart of the problem. Failing that, it’s up to the schools to teach what their parents are neglecting to instill in the students – basic civility. This evolutionary digression is evident in how much time children spend in front of a screen versus interacting with their parents and other human beings.

In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve seen O’Guin and the Wharton ISD Board of Trustees take the issue of discipline head-on. They are making a difference. They did not back down to incredible pressure to be lenient on the students accused of assaulting a teacher/coach during halftime of a football game last October. They held their ground.

At the last school board meeting, the board approved participating in the Lone Star Governance Initiative. The program focuses on improving student outcomes by improving leadership and adult behavior. At the same meeting, they received a presentation about the Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) program and restorative practices. This is a program that teaches students, staff, and administrators how to prevent disciplinary problems and how to resolve them with positive, restorative methods.

I feel confident that the board will consider participating in it. Those are two initiatives from the Texas Education Agency’s Region 3 Education Service Center that are sure to make a difference in the district and in the classrooms. They are further proof that the Wharton ISD is doing something about the discipline problem.

Discipline, however, is just one of the reasons there is so much turnover in the district. Low test scores are another reason. Like I said, when O’Guin got here, he inherited a mess. When you get new leadership, there is bound to be change. When you have to make tough choices as O’Guin is having to do, things can get messy. Toes are getting stepped on.

The bottom line is there was a lot of deadwood that needed to be cleaned out. When test scores decline or only marginally improve, something has to give. Every single campus principal has been replaced in the last two years. Three of the four principals are new this year. A lot of good, dedicated teachers have departed. A lot of good, dedicated teachers have been hired. There’s more work to do.

The thing is, I see O’Guin and the school board making the tough calls and taking positive action to right this ship. Yes, it’s going to ruffle some feathers and there will be a lot of people who are unhappy. I’m betting, however, that the picture looks a lot different a few short years from now. The kind of improvement we want and need won’t happen overnight. It’s a slow process but the district is taking those first steps in stride.

Growing pains are ugly and they hurt. Keeping to the course we were on, however, is far more consequential and damaging than what we’re doing now. There have been five superintendents in the last 12 years. O’Guin isn’t perfect, but he’s what we’ve got and we can’t expect him to make the changes we need if we keep calling for his head. We need to come to his side and help guide him on this journey. Maybe then we can catch his vision for a better tomorrow for the school district and its students.

Joe Southern in managing editor of the Wharton Journal-Spectator and the East Bernard Express. He can be reached at news@journal-spectator.com.