Warren schools chief: No more excuses

By Ed Runyan

runyan@vindy.com

WARREN

Superintendent Bruce Thomas says there is a “cultural shift” going on in the Warren City Schools that is hard on the school district’s 800 employees, but it’s a shift that has to take place if student achievement is going to improve.

First, he’s trying to banish use of the words “can’t” and “but,” — such as, when employees say students can’t succeed because of problems at home.

“I don’t want to hear it anymore,” Thomas said Tuesday to a group of community members who have agreed to sit down with Thomas and his administration periodically to discuss issues.

The 15 people are part of the Superintendent’s Advisory Council. About 10 staff members also attended the lunchtime meeting. Another will be in about six weeks.

“‘Can’t’ and ‘but’ have to disappear from our vocabulary. They can’t use the excuses anymore,” Thomas said of employees. “I don’t want to hear one more time that they didn’t go to preschool. Please don’t tell me what’s wrong. Tell me what you’re going to do about it.”

He added, “If I hear one more time that they [students] are two years behind when they get here, I’m going to vomit.”

“We are responsible,” Thomas said. “It starts yesterday, and these kids deserve better than what they’ve gotten.”

Thomas said the new expectations for employees has made “a great portion of them extremely uncomfortable.”

Thomas, who became superintendent Aug. 1 after former superintendent Kathryn Hellweg resigned last February, has been meeting each week with a handful of students with disciplinary problems because he’s handling expulsion matters personally.

In a hearing Monday, Thomas showed a sixth-grader the discipline form that indicated what he had done wrong. It became clear the young man couldn’t read the words on it.

“If they get to sixth grade and can’t read, that’s a problem,” Thomas said. “It’s no wonder they get into trouble. Who let them get to the sixth grade and couldn’t read?

“Kids need to be loved, liked and taught,” including the ones with blue hair, lots of tattoos and babies at home, Thomas continued.

One of the community members participating Tuesday was the Rev. Robert Stringer, who said he wishes there was a way for the community to re-establish close ties with the schools.

“There’s a lack of communication,” the Rev. Mr. Stringer said.

Melissa Watson, the district’s executive director of teaching and learning, said there are indications that achievement is already improving. Scores on the third-grade achievement test taken by third-graders in all four K-8 buildings in early October showed that 41 percent were proficient, an increase over last year’s number of 24 percent.

Watson attributed the improvement to extra learning programs put into place for the students last year when they were second-graders. She said the score is an encouragement to students, staff and parents “that we’re moving in the right direction.”