Quitman School Board trustees approved a budget amendment for $500,000 to purchase a lot at 600 N. Winnsboro. The building and lot were originally used as a funeral home and for the past few years have been a child care center.

The purchase of the property is $400,000, and the other $100,000 will be for updates and upgrades on the existing facility.

“The other $100,000 is basically for cosmetics and security. We don’t anticipate spending that much,” Superintendent Rhonda Turner said.

Turner feels the purchase is a positive step into the future for the district.

“The QISD board of trustees has been very forward thinking with facilities design and for the future of our district,” she said. “There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle, and we are moving one piece at a time, but they all help to build the landscape for a district that will be productive and efficient long after I am superintendent, and long after these board members are serving. The purchase of this building will allow for some additional needs to be realized at our elementary school by gaining back classroom space currently being occupied as a board room. The new building will house the district’s board of trustees board room, where all public meetings are held, and the current central office administrators.”

The district has plans for the current board room at Quitman Elementary School.

“Recently, our elementary school had to add some additional early childhood classes as well as the state-mandated full day pre-k classes. With these additions, it has become imperative that the school reclaim classroom space at the elementary,” Turner said. “The purchase of the building, originally the Lybrand Asmussen Funeral Home, will allow us to free the elementary classroom space needed to accommodate the early-childhood expansion, and possibly a Head Start Program.

“Mineola, Winnsboro and Hawkins all currently host Head Start Programs,” Turner said. “The addition of this program would allow us to reach the three and four-year-olds in our community who qualify. The state is placing additional emphasis on early-childhood education, and in certain situations we are already taking three-year-olds. “This was new for our district this year. Head Start is a grant funded program and will bring additional revenue to the district to cover the teacher and paraprofessional cost associated for that program. Currently, we are paying for additional cost out of local funds.”

The future looks bright for QISD. “We are currently researching the enrollment trends at Quitman Junior High. Overall, enrollment is up in our district and certainly if we continue to see significant increases we will look for solutions concerning space on that campus. We know eventually that we will need to look at a gym, a field house and additional space for our growing agriculture/FFA programs as well as innovative ways to continue to increase our career and technology programs,” Turner said.

All QISD administrators were retained for the 2020-21 school year. Those administrators are Athletic Director Bryan Oakes; Dana Hamrick (QHS principal); Justin Cowart (QHS assistant principal); Chrystal Ballard (QJH principal); Todd Shackelford (QJH assistant principal); Mary Ann Nichols (QES principal); Lance Morrow (QES assistant principal); Cayla Mars (director of finance); and Scott Turner (director of technology).

The board approved the purchase of additional security cameras at the elementary school campus for $35,790 to C&R Services with a grant paying $25,000 and the district paying $10,790. That will give the campus 65 cameras inside and outside.

The board also accepted a $35,000 donation from the Wood County Hospital District to help the district pay for a program teachers and staff will experience called “Capturing Kids Hearts.”