After 10 years in the superintendent’s chair of Quitman ISD, and over three decades in public education, Rhonda Harrison Turner is ready to move into retirement.

Topping her agenda, Turner is looking forward to spending more time with her family and traveling the country with her husband, Scott, who retired last year from QISD where he had served as the information technology director. The Turners will be taking the road in their recreational vehicle.

Her decade of leadership at QISD has seen many accomplishments. She has been at the forefront of changes and facility upgrades for QISD.

She said there are many challenges in public education.

“School finance continues to be one of the biggest challenges for school districts across Texas,” she said. “That has been a challenge for as long as I can remember. We have consistently met that challenge for the kids. One of the biggest challenges is the perception of the public of what public education is and isn’t. The impact of social media and the digital world our kids live in has certainly created new challenges for educators and for parents we have never seen before.”

Then COVID-19 pandemic became a major event for school districts.

“Covid was definitely one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences for all of us,” Turner said. “We tackled it the best we could from whatever seat we were sitting in. After a meeting with health officials in Winnsboro, Mr. Mason (Chris), Ms. Stacy Vander Schaaf (school nurse) and I began to make plans immediately. The main thing we knew was that we wanted to be proactive.”

Turner talked about the importance of having a mentor.

“It’s imperative to have good mentors who have been through the things you have to face as a superintendent,” she said. “For me it was Dr. Donald Coker and Ms. Donna Varnado. Dr. Coker has been a constant source of encouragement to me. Ms. Vernado was an elementary principal I had the honor to work with at Big Sandy. She taught me about being a leader and loving people through the tough times.”

Being superintendent is not always easy.

“Public school administration is not for the faint of heart. People will get mad at you and sometimes hate you. You still have to show up, put on a smile and do the job you were hired to do,” Turner added. “It is important to know who can fill your cup up. This may be your spouse, your kids, your friends or your church family, but find them, you will need them.”

Turner credits past school boards with her success as a superintendent. “My success is directly related to the committed and stable school board members who have served during my tenure with the district. Their support of the faculty and staff has been incredible and unmatched in my opinion,” Turner said. “Every single school board member I have worked with has a heart for our kids and a heart for the district. They have been truly an amazing group to work with.”

Turner is proud of the district’s accomplishments during her years at the helm. Facility upgrades all paid for from the fund balance include a new softball field complex on campus; six new tennis courts; the ag show barn; purchasing the new administrative building at 600 N. Winnsboro; converting the old administration building into an employee daycare center; renovation to the IT department and the construction of a new animal barn; purchasing the old Texas Highway Dept. building on E. Goode St. to house transportation and maintenance; and upgrades to Bud Moody Field.

Turner led the charge for a $10.5 million bond which passed easily and brought much needed improvements to the district. 

Turner also is proud of the assistant superintendents she has hired who are now superintendents including Dr. James Young, Dr. Greg Bowe, and Chris Mason. Mason will be taking over for Turner in January.

Angela Brown is also a former assistant. She has gone back to the classroom and is an English and dual credit teacher in the district. Former high school principals Cody Mize is now superintendent at Mineola and Justin Cowart is an assistant superintendent in Sulphur Springs. 

“I hope I was a mentor to all these wonderful people,” Turner remarked.

In her time in education Turner has received several honors. She has been awarded the Maribeau B. Lamar Award for excellence and personal achievement, the Quitman Chamber of Commerce Community Spirit Award and the Agriculture Teacher’s Association of Texas Outstanding Administrator. 

Turner emphasized the importance of the reasons of why you take on a job of the magnitude of being a superintendent. “Always know your ‘why.’ You need to name it, own it, and make leadership decisions based on it. My why has always been the kids. Would my decision, no matter how hard on the adults or the pocket book, be what is best for the kids?” Turner observed. “I asked that question 100% of the time when faced with big decisions. Sometimes I still didn’t sleep well, but I absolutely know I made decisions that were right for our kids.”

Turner is a graduate of Quitman High School and earned her bachelor’s degree and superintendent’s certification from Texas A&M Commerce and a master’s in business administration from LeTourneau University.

In the near future, the Turners are going to travel Texas in their new RV.

“There is so much of it we have not seen and want to explore,” Turner said.

Turner left this final remark, ”Serving as superintendent of QISD has been one of my greatest honors. There is something very special about serving in the district and community where you grew up.”