Lessons for the school board to learn

The Wharton Independent School District is getting a lesson in public information.

The bold, banner headline on the front of Saturday’s paper, “School board votes behind closed doors,” should serve notice to the district that it is continuing to screw up and should alarm residents about the monumental mistakes the board is making.

At the May 15 special meeting to canvass the May 6 election results and to reorganize the board, the trustees committed at least two breaches of the state’s open meetings law. The first was to go into executive session (closed door) to debate selection of the board’s president, vice president, and secretary. The second – and most egregious – violation was to vote on the positions while in the closed-door session.

In going into executive session, the board cited Texas Government Code Section 551.074, which allows the board to go behind closed doors to discuss personnel matters. The problem is that statute relates to employees, not elected officials. Elected officials are held to a different standard than district employees. They are elected by the people and are thus accountable to the public, meaning actions such as this must be conducted in the open.

As far as I know, the state’s open meetings law does not allow an elected board to vote on anything while behind closed doors. There are several legitimate reasons for a board or council to hold closed door meetings, but any formal action must be taken in open session. How the board of trustees did not know this is beyond me.

At the time of the vote, the board was under the leadership of then-president Curtis Evans. I’ve written before about his leadership gaffs, but this takes the cake. Since the president is responsible for setting the agenda and running the meeting, I have to assume this was his blunder. I don’t know if it was done out of ignorance of the law or to intentionally hide the deliberations, but someone on the board should have known that what they were doing was wrong and spoken up about it.

In looking at the district’s website, I see that a special meeting has been called for Thursday, June 8, at 6 p.m. to vote for officers. Not to be arrogant, but I assume this is in response to my story. It is the right thing for the board to do. With the district facing so many problems, it’s vital that its leadership not make any more missteps and lead from a position of openness and integrity.

In the column I wrote earlier about Evans’ leadership problems, I also addressed an issue with the district providing me public information. I had requested the filing papers from each candidate for election to the school board so I had their contact information to do pre-election profiles. I was denied and forced to go through the Texas Public Information Act to make my request, followed by the district sending my request to the attorney general’s office for an opinion.

That process took us well beyond the election date and made my request moot. But there is a lesson for the district to learn here and I renewed my request last week and finally got the papers on Monday. By sticking to the principle of the matter, the district now knows that those papers are public information and not to be withheld.

I want to be clear that I’ve held this hard line on the district not to belittle it or its leadership, but to hold it accountable and hopefully coach it on openness and transparency. I really do want to see Wharton ISD succeed, as should every person that lives in the district. We don’t want failing schools and we don’t want to let our children down. But we can’t right this ship if we’re steering in the wrong direction.

Since this is my last column (again) and I will be moving away next week, I leave in the hopes that the district will strive for excellence, rise above the din, and take the high road of openness, honesty, and integrity. I also hope that the editor who replaces me will continue to hold not just the district, but all public officials to a higher standard.

Wharton is a great place with great people, and great potential. I hope someday to come back and see the shine on this diamond in the rough.

P.S. Once more for old times’ sake

If you thought you heard the last of me, think again.

When I left the Wharton Journal-Spectator and the East Bernard Express three weeks ago, I thought I left not only the newspapers but journalism for good. Yet here I am.

Trust me, this is only a brief encore. I really am moving away, just not in the timeframe I anticipated.

My last day with the newspapers was May 12. Over that weekend my family and I packed our house and on Monday, May 15, movers helped us load a rental truck to prepare for life in Bryan. The truck was loaded by noon. At 1 p.m., our plans were torn apart. Three days away from closing on the sale of our house and four days from the purchase of our new one, our real estate agent called and told us our buyer lost their loan – the deal was gone.

We planned to be out of the house early and stay with relatives for a few days so that we could have the house professionally cleaned and final repairs made. We forged ahead with those plans but by the end of the week we backed the moving truck up to the house and unloaded most everything into the garage. We brought just a few things back into the house and are living out of boxes and suitcases – essentially camping in our own home.

We extended the closing date on our new home and in less than a week were under contract again to sell our house in Rosenberg to new buyers. We are currently in the waiting period for the closing, so with time on my hands and money gone from my wallet, I offered to come back and help out here for a while. My new last day will be Thursday, June 8.

The next day I will fly back to Colorado for the weekend to attend my 40th high school reunion. The Niwot High School Class of 1983 is getting together again, and after having missed the 30th reunion I am anxious to see old friends (with more emphasis on “old” than I care to admit). I looked over the guest list and noticed that I have not seen some of them since our 20th reunion and many of them since the day we graduated.

It’s disheartening to see only about 40 people registered out of a class of 202. Still, it will be fun to catch up on old times. It’s interesting to look back at high school after four decades and see where life has taken us. Back then I wanted to be a newspaper photographer. Not much has changed in that regard. Only I’m doing much more than taking pictures. And once I leave again it is my intention to retire from journalism and step into a second career.

I do not know yet what that career will be but I do know I will not be following the career path I envisioned back in high school. It was my desire back then to get established in newspapers and then to move up to magazines. There were four magazines that caught my eye for having the best photography in the world.

The one I most wanted to work for was Sports Illustrated. Although I never had a picture published in their glossy pages, I did have a nice stint photographing pro sports and I’m happy with that.

The next was National Geographic. Only the best of the best work for them and their work is impeccable! Again, I never made it there, but I have done a lot of nature photography and I’m happy with that.

In my opinion, the best photojournalism is done by photographers for Time. I have never been published in that magazine but I have done a lot of news and feature photography and I’m happy with that.

That last was Playboy. My reasons extended beyond photography, but I still felt they did exquisite portraits. Alas, I never did photograph any naked women and my wife is happy with that.

Today photography has become so advanced with new technology and artificial intelligence programs that it is hard to know what is an actual photograph and what is fake or so enhanced that it is no longer real.

It is my intention to step away from the madness and confusion of modern journalism and do some farming with my wife; growing some crops and raising small animals. We both did that as children and we’ve always had a desire to do it again. Instead of talking about it, we’re making it happen. At least we’re trying to. Sometimes I wonder if all the snafus buying and selling homes isn’t God’s way of redirecting our steps. We’ll see!

I did it because I could

When I first arrived at the Wharton Journal-Spectator and the East Bernard Express, I came with the expectation that I would finish my journalism career here.

I just didn’t expect it to end so quickly. I thought I’d be here for years, not 18 months. As the saying goes, if you want to make God laugh, try telling him your plans.

On Friday, May 12, I ended my journalism career after 36 years (42 if you count my years on my high school and college newspapers). It’s hard to do, but I make this move of my own volition before the decision is made for me.

It’s no secret that newspapers are struggling. I’ve been playing “Survivor: Newspaper Edition” for many years as I’ve gone through closures, layoffs, and job hopping without really getting ahead. Although it’s never been about the money, I can’t help but think that I’m making about the same income now as I was in 2002.

What I am keenly grateful for is the amazing life this career has given me. It’s been surreal and I’ve had opportunities and access that most people can’t fathom. That’s the part that is hard to let go. It’s the part that has kept me going when the money certainly wasn’t worth it.

Every day on this job is different. I continually meet interesting people with compelling stories to tell. Most of my time is wrapped up at the community level, reporting on local governments, civic organizations, law enforcement, and various community movers and shakers.

What has really fueled my ego and my motivation to keep going are all the side gigs I’ve done in the name of journalism. They are the things I’ve done not because I had to but because I wanted to. I did them because I could and nobody told me no.

They include things like covering concerts and plays, taking media flights in all kinds of aircraft from ultralights and hot air balloons to micro jets and vintage airplanes, photographing a space shuttle launch, going skydiving, covering rodeos, fairs, festivals, political gatherings, book signings, and photographing professional sports.

The other day Sandy and I were talking about a question on Facebook asking who is the most famous person you’ve ever met. That was tough to answer because fame is subjective. I have met hundreds of famous people. How famous depends on your perception of fame.

To me, the most famous person I’ve interviewed is Buzz Aldrin, the second person to walk on the moon. I’ve met many other astronauts and even a few other moonwalkers. I’ve also met former President George H.W. Bush, Garth Brooks, Micky Dolenz of the Monkees, numerous actors and actresses, scores of professional athletes, and countless federal, state, and local politicians.

And then there is a question of how do you define “meet.” I have photographed many more celebrities and other notables than I have actually had a conversation with, and there have been many famous people I’ve interviewed over the phone without actually seeing them in person.

Many people in the Houston area know me as a photographer who wears a cowboy hat on the sidelines of sporting events. One of the highlights of my career has been as a credentialed photographer with the Houston Texans, Houston Astros, Houston SaberCats, and the Sugar Land Skeeters (now Space Cowboys). I love football and prowling the sidelines of Texans games since 2016 has been one of my biggest thrills. Photographing the Astros in the 2019 World Series was a pinnacle moment.

Aside from all these major highlights, some of the most meaningful work I’ve done has helped draw attention and funding for various causes, be them medical, social, or educational. There has been no way to keep tabs, but I estimate my stories have helped raise well over $2 million for various causes, and that’s probably a conservative estimate.

I enjoy helping people, and sometimes telling their stories in the paper is the best thing I can do for them. That’s where the real power of the press comes to play. You can’t put a price on a story that touches people in way to get them to respond with their dollars and acts of service. The ability to change lives for the better is a powerful thing and it’s something journalists do every day.

I can’t go without expressing my heartfelt gratitude to more people than I can name here. The crew at the El Campo Leader-News has been fantastic. Thanks to former publisher Bill Wallace for hiring me. Thanks to my co-workers here who have been so encouraging and supportive. Thank you to all the columnists and correspondents who help fill our pages with pertinent information (with a special nod to the guys and gals who help with football in the fall). Huge thanks go to all the community movers, shakers, and leaders who so warmly welcomed me and helped make covering this community a real joy. Mostly I want to thank the readers, because without you this job is meaningless.

So, as I wind this down, you may be wondering what’s next for me. Sandy and I are moving to the Bryan/College Station area where we bought a few acres and will return to our childhood lives as hobby farmers. I’m still seeking full-time employment and have some solid leads in the area, but not with newspapers. It is with a heavy heart that I leave you now, but know that I go with you in my heart and my best wishes for love, health, and prosperity.

Joe Southern is no longer the managing editor of the Wharton Journal-Spectator and the East Bernard Express. You can email his replacement at news@journal-spectator.com.

Experimenting with ChatGPT reveals concerns

I did not write this.

What follows is an experiment. I wanted to explore the artificial intelligence application called ChatGPT. I gave it instructions to, “Write 800 words in the style of Joe Southern about the pros and cons of Wharton ISD using ChatGPT.” This is the unedited version of what I got:

“Wharton Independent School District (ISD) is a public school district located in Wharton, Texas. As with any educational institution, Wharton ISD is constantly looking for ways to improve and provide the best possible education for its students. One possible solution that Wharton ISD is exploring is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of ChatGPT, a large language model trained by OpenAI. While there are certainly potential benefits to using ChatGPT, there are also several concerns that need to be addressed.

One potential benefit of using ChatGPT is that it could provide a more personalized and efficient learning experience for students. ChatGPT is designed to understand and respond to natural language, which means that it could potentially serve as a virtual assistant for students who have questions or need help with a particular topic. This could be especially helpful for students who may not feel comfortable asking questions in a traditional classroom setting or who may need additional support outside of regular class hours.

Another potential benefit is that ChatGPT could help teachers and administrators identify patterns in student learning and adjust their teaching methods accordingly. By analyzing student responses to prompts and questions, ChatGPT could provide valuable insights into areas where students are struggling and where additional support is needed. This could help teachers create more effective lesson plans and interventions to support student learning.

However, there are also several concerns that need to be addressed before implementing ChatGPT in Wharton ISD. One of the biggest concerns is the potential for bias in the model. ChatGPT is only as unbiased as the data it is trained on, and there is always a risk that the model could perpetuate existing biases and inequalities. This is especially concerning in the context of education, where biases could impact the learning experiences and outcomes of students from marginalized communities.

Another concern is the potential for ChatGPT to replace human teachers and devalue the important role that teachers play in the classroom. While ChatGPT could certainly serve as a helpful tool for teachers and students, it should not be seen as a replacement for human interaction and support. It is important to remember that education is not just about acquiring knowledge; it is also about developing social and emotional skills, and building relationships with teachers and peers.

Finally, there is also the question of privacy and data security. ChatGPT collects and stores data on the interactions it has with users, which could include sensitive information about students and teachers. It is important to ensure that this data is kept secure and used responsibly, and that students and teachers are fully informed about how their data is being collected and used.

In conclusion, while there are certainly potential benefits to using ChatGPT in Wharton ISD, there are also several concerns that need to be addressed. It is important to carefully consider these pros and cons before making any decisions about implementing this technology in the classroom. Ultimately, the goal of education should be to provide the best possible learning experience for students, and any tools or technologies that can support that goal should be carefully evaluated and implemented with caution.”

For the record, not only isn’t this my style of writing, but it was just 527 words. My big concern about ChatGPT is that it will be used by students to cheat in both doing research and writing essays and other assigned works. I wouldn’t be surprise if it has already happened.

This technology is in its infancy, but it learns and adapts quickly. I bet if I repeat this experiment a year from now I’ll get something very different and alarmingly more accurate. I’ve seen online examples of how OpenAI apps are writing, painting, and doing photo-real images. When you look at this combined with deep-fake technology, it is exciting and frightening to think of the implications this will have.

The ability to hide or manipulate the truth so easily should raise a lot of red flags. The use and abuse of this technology could seriously sway public opinion and policy in alarming directions. It used to be that all a maniacal madman needed to take over the world was an atom bomb. Now all he needs is an app and a devious plot.

OK, maybe things aren’t that dire yet, but it is definitely something to keep an eye on.

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