Area superintendents discuss 'State of the Schools' at chamber event

The heads of three Fort Bend County school districts participated in a wide-ranging discussion of issues facing the education world in the annual "State of the Programs" luncheon program hosted by the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce at Richmond's Safari Texas Ranch last week.

Jim Rice, chair of the chamber's education division and moderator of the event, noted at the outset that there are many changes going on in the nation's capital and in the Texas Legislature.

"But our public schools have remained constant, because the kids are coming every day that school is in session. And our teachers are there. They're there to stand and deliver and educate all the children that walk through the door of their classroom, and they're doing a good job of it."

Fort Bend Independent School District Superintendent Christie Whitbeck began by referencing the district's proposed voter-approved tax election, or VATRE, which voters in the district will decide on Nov. 7. If approved, the election would add 4 cents per $100 to the ad valorum tax rate for maintenance and operations. It comes after an earlier VATRE was rejected by voters last November, but also after voters approved a $1.26 billion bond election, the largest in the district's history, in May.

Similarly, Stafford Municipal School District Superintendent Robert Bostic referenced that district's VATRE election, which the district says is necessary after it has "increased operating costs due to inflation, recapture due to increased property value, and unexpected expenses as a result of COVID 19. It's the first VATRE that the district has called.

"Stafford is only seven-and-a-half square miles, but the size is not as important as the same message," Bostic said. During this year's regular session of the legislature, he said, "there was no money for public education, except for dollars that were added for safety."

"VATRE will help us keep money back in the district," adding 12 cents to the tax rate. "That wouldn't give us any great amenities, that would really kind of help keep us afloat."

And Lamar Consolidated Independent School District Superintendent Roosevelt Nivens discussed that district's proposed $15 million bond election for capital improvements, which is targeted at making renovations and improvements to Guy K. Traylor Stadium.

The stadium has foundational problems and issues with its lighting and turf that make it unsafe, so much so that Nivens said he has had to close a section of the student section, which is supported by wooden beams.

Sports programs are fundamental for creating a sense of community at schools, Nivens said.

"We want students to be connected, to each other, to our school system, we want them to be connected to something that's bigger than themselves," he said.

"Our job in the school system is to help people. Our job is to help our young people be better adults. When they leave us, they can be professional, they can be successful. And what can we do in the school system to make that happen?" he said.

Rice noted that Fort Bend County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, with a projected population of one million in the next few years. "People are moving here because we have a great quality of life, and we have great schools for their children to attend. That's why they're coming," he said.

Rice brought up the growing issue of bullying at schools, which now extends to the world of social media.

Bostic said Stafford MSD has "technical tools" in place that helps the district identify social media bullying, which allows personnel to intercede ahead of time.

"The other part is the preventative piece of this, which is equipping our counselors and social workers - which we don't have enough of because we don't have enough money to pay for those staff members - to actually go out and interact with kids," he said. "It requires real people. You can't use technology to solve bullying. You actually have to use people."

Whitbeck said "I think it starts with a very clear message from the top." She referenced the district's recently adopted new Student Code of Conduct, which she said makes it clear that bullying is not tolerated. "You have to make it clear that there are strong consequences, and we will carry those out."

Whitbeck said parents need to be receptive to their children who might indicate that they are suffering from bullying.

Nivens, standing up to make his point more strongly, said bullying at school is reflective of wider issues in the culture.

"Our students are bullying each other because the adults bully each other. They see their parents doing it," he said. Students see their parents yelling at school bus drivers for being late, or "cursing out the principal," or spreading misinformation on social media.

"Until we as a society say enough is enough from the adults, we can't expect our kids to do it," he said to the applause of the audience.

Rice asked the superintendents how they are going about hiring new teachers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the "Great Resignation" that followed; that is, people leaving their jobs or even their professions.

"I was that kid who really needed a teacher," Nivens, an Oklahoma native, said. "I became a superintendent so I could micromanage who gets in front of my kids." The quality of the person who is a good teammate is more important than how well they may know the particular subject matter.

"I have to make sure that this adult is taking care of my kids," he said.

Rice asked Bostic about the award-winning robotics program he instituted at Stafford shortly after he arrived a decade ago.

"I have a passion for making sure that every child has the same opportunity to get the same education that I did," Bostic said. "Part of my job is to level the playing field. I believe that every one of those kids deserves a chance to be successful."

Rice asked Whitbeck about her journey from being a teacher and a principal -- who opened three separate schools in her career -- to becoming a superintendent.

"Teaching is the most important profession in the world, I think. Every career starts with good teachers that taught the children and the teenagers along the way, and then in higher ed," she said. "I am still a teacher, but I just have a really big classroom," she said, as she works to communicate within the district and with the public.

"I think our moral imperative right now is we need to elevate this profession," she said, so that new teachers feel as excited about their role as she did when she was teaching. She noted that teachers in Texas are leaving the profession faster than new ones are being certified.

"If we don't work collectively together, we will not have the teachers we need," Whitbeck said.

Rice asked the superintendents how they felt the state STARR assessment exam does at measuring the academic progress of pupils. The STARR exam is the primary school accountability measure in Texas.

"None of us shy away from accountability," Nivens said. "My concern is that the STARR exam is 'the way' and it's not 'a way'," noting that he himself was a "horrible test taker" when he was a student.

"We can have other ways to make sure the students are mastering the content. Because at the end of the day, we just want to make sure that you know what you need to know so you can be successful in life," he said.

Whitbeck said that schools and school districts should be judged on how well they are providing a "balanced" education to students, such as the range of programs they offer and whether they are "creating good citizens."

"We just need to make sure that we're balancing STARR with everything else that matters," she said.

Bostic expanded on Whitbeck's comments.

"We really do have to remember who we're serving first. We're serving children. They're people, they're not robots, they're not test-takers, they're human being," he said. "And so, if we don't lose sight of who they are, and what they are, then we won't be defined by the things that are assessing them."