UPDATED: Trustee accuses Thomas of strong-arm tactics

By EMILY GUEVARA
November 14, 2009
Posted: November 13, 2009, 8:35 PM CST

Last updated: November 13, 2009, 10:30 PM CST



A Beaumont ISD board member said he will not seek to overturn this week's hiring of a middle-school principal despite the fact that he believes the superintendent strong-armed some board members into the decision.

But school board member Terry Williams said it might be time for Superintendent Carrol Thomas to move on.

"Maybe Dr. Thomas has been here too long because he's comfortable," Williams said by phone Friday. "He thinks he can do what he wants to do right now. ... Instead of you walking the dog, the dog is going to walk you. And I think that is what is happening now."

Williams was upset by a decision in which board members voted 5-2 to approve personnel recommendations submitted by Thomas.

A month earlier on Oct. 15, the same board voted 5-2 against Thomas' personnel recommendations. Both times the recommendations included Robert Zingelmann for the position of director of business finance and Ted Stuberfield for the principal position at Smith Middle School.

Thomas would not separate the items so the board had to approve all or none of the recommendations.

Williams said Thursday's meeting brought to a head something that he had heard but never experienced.

"Dr. Thomas wants to strong arm you to make you do what he wants you to do, and there have been employees saying that; I believe it now," Williams said.

Thomas did not respond to two phone messages left with his office staff and an e-mail requesting comment on Friday.

Williams' statements on Friday were unusual for a BISD board member. In recent years, the board has for the most part been unified in its support of Thomas.

Williams represents taxpayers in a portion of Beaumont's North End. Schools under his jurisdiction include Homer Drive, Roy Guess, French, and Eugene Field elementary schools and Smith Middle School.

Other trustees disagreed with Williams view.


Read more in Saturday's Beaumont Enterprise, including:

Beaumont residents can expect to see a bevy of bond-related construction projects in the coming weeks, according to school district officials.

Beaumont ISD will hire 16 employees to reduce overtime.

The legality of having Beaumont electrician Calvin Walker continue to work for the Beaumont school district has been reviewed by the district's attorney, Superintendent Carrol Thomas said late Thursday after a board of trustees meeting.


Comments

ormer yankee wrote:
A.H. I agree with you. This was a stunt plain and simple...Terry is up for re-election once again, and knows his position on this board is in jeopardy, especially when the redistricting comes into play. Living in the District that Terry represents, he has never represented us....He has supported Dr Thomas since 95 and will continue to do so.....The question that needs to be asked, who did Williams and Whitaker want so badly to have this job...It was staged and after the meeting Dr. T and Terry probably went to dinner......
11/14/2009 08:33 AM CST

SETMEDIAMONITOR wrote:
You guys are missing the point here. There is an FBI investigation confirmed by The Examiner and later the Beaumont Enterprise of dirty deals at BISD. This is a way to throw off the scent. If Williams was so fed up with Thomas, why is he going to Indianapolis next week to watch him be sworn-in as the president of the National Association of Black School Educators? Of course, it is a free trip at taxpayers expense. Williams is Thomas' closest ally on the board and I don't see any merit in what was reported about the discourse between the two. If he really wanted to get that message out there he would have gone straight to Jerry Jordan and it would have been on the front page the next day. He talked with the Beaumont Enterprise because he knew Emily Guevara didn't know the history well enough to ask tough questions about his relationship with Thomas. If this is legitimate; however, then I think he is doing it to try and get a deal from the Feds. It worked for Audwin Samuels in the David Moore case, so he may think if he squeals first he can get a deal. If Williams is quoted in The Examiner next week, I will be more inclined to believe that this apparent rift is legitimate. It is overwhelmingly apparent by the email sent to school employees on Friday that Jessie Haynes is nervous about something. He illiterate attack on Jerry Jordan did nothing more than put out a big flashing sign stating, "Here, I am. Come investigate me some more." Not only did that email reveal her illiteracy, it just further backed up the facts reported in The Examiner about her questionable business dealings with BISD's electrical contractor.
11/14/2009 08:00 AM CST

Please select a reason for reporting this comment: Select from below Offensive Image or Picture Spamming or Advertising Vulgarity or Profanity Personal Attack Invasion of Privacy Impersonating another Member Other tracegallagher wrote:
Carrol " i'm da king"Thomas is a card carring member of the ObamaNazis .To be a member you have to be extremely prejudice and deceiving . These are the basic requirements but there are other sub - qualifications such as : the ability to be uber arrogant as well as small minded . Dr. Thomas has a special skill set that makes him a high ranking member of the Obamanazis he can speak in jibberish which many of his drones interpret as intelligence due to the fact that they have the mental capacity of a young adolecent who is only concerned with whats in it for them..."Change" has now replaced my other favorite misnomer " Empower"
11/14/2009 07:35 AM CST

HillebrandtHoney wrote:
Really? You think? Did the lightbulb just go out in this board members head? DUH!
11/14/2009 06:49 AM CST

fredsaid wrote:
"I have no idea," Thomas said. "I don't know about all of this. It is something that we didn't know about. I can't make any comments about it whatsoever when I don't know about it. So, I would rather find out about it before I made any comments about it."
11/14/2009 06:30 AM CST

Sneeky wrote:
AH - don't think that these reporters are swift enough to think - had one of these reporters yesterday making an erroneous statement and once called on the floor she had to go change it. As for Thomas - I've been saying for a long time - before he bankrupts or taxes us over the brink - he should look good gone. For all those who kissed up to him - I hope that you are starting to get a real bad smell -
11/14/2009 06:26 AM CST

5 of Cats wrote:
that dog has been doing the walking for some time now. Maybe it's finally going to get neutered!!
11/14/2009 05:45 AM CST

bigmomma wrote:
A.H....that is what I thought when I first read the headline but no amount of butt kissing is going to make up for the statements Williams made of "time to go" and my favorite "Dr. Thomas wants to strong arm you to make you do what he wants you to do, and there have been employees saying that; I believe it now". I do believe in part that the rats are starting to leave the sinking ship. I think the board has realized that the public outcry from the community is going to start investigations into where, why, who and how all the bond monies have been spent and how the rest will be allocated. Mr. Williams may be distancing himself from this lying turd before the indictment start coming. Wouldn't it be great to get up one morning and read that someone came forward with evidence of King Thomas and his cronies hands in the cookie jar? Wait for it...it's coming.
11/14/2009 05:39 AM CST

A.H. wrote:
Whatever... Terry Williams is still C.T.'s b_tch. They all are, except Tommy Nield. This was nothing more than a publicity stunt to make it look like Williams has grown a set and is standing up to Thomas. They'll all take a turn "standing up" to C.T. before elections roll around. They're worried about their precious little BISD trustee seats, nothing more. Ms. Guevara might have inquired as to why Williams was opposed to C.T.'s staffing recommendations.
11/14/2009 12:04 AM CST

GALATIONS 4:16 wrote:
Go Terry Williams. Tell the emperor he is naked.
11/13/2009 10:51 PM CST

the rat chaser wrote:
Who would have thunk someone on the board would finally have a revelation and figure out that the tail (Thomas) has been wagging the dog (the board) for way too long? I can't believe Terry Williams actually said it might be time for Superintendent Carrol Thomas to move on. Do we dare hope for change? Now, Mr. Williams, that the curtain has been pulled back and you can see the great puppet master who's been pulling the strings for over 13 years, what are you prepared to do about it? If the members of the board want to show some real black power, they should TAKE BACK THEIR SCHOOL DISTRICT from that self-serving ego-maniac Thomas and help get OUR TOWN back to where it should be.....Now that would truly be CHANGE WE COULD BELIEVE IN.
11/13/2009 09:54 PM CST

timwopel wrote:
welly welly well...
11/13/2009 08:53 PM CST