MISD campus first in 40 years

By Phil Major
publisher@wood.cm
Posted 6/1/23

Even as construction activity continued apace in the background, a broad spectrum of Mineola residents, including some of the future students, gathered Thursday morning to break ground for the new …

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MISD campus first in 40 years

Posted

Even as construction activity continued apace in the background, a broad spectrum of Mineola residents, including some of the future students, gathered Thursday morning to break ground for the new Mineola Primary School campus.

Dirt work on the site is well underway, with driveways and parking areas beginning to take shape along NE Loop 564.

As School Board President Rodney Watkins pointed out, it has been almost 40 years since the district last built a campus, and it is long overdue.

He paused to acknowledge the contributions of John Abbott, who passed away recently after serving as board president, including the past two years as a plan was developed and school bonds passed to construct the campus.

“We wouldn’t be here today without his leadership,” he said.

Superintendent Cody Mize said the school will be a part of Abbott’s legacy.

“He would be so honored to see this taking place,” he said.

County Judge Kevin White recounted the generations of Mineola students who had attended various facilities, each developed through the foresight of others.

He recalled Socrates’ quote that society grows when old men plant trees under whose shade they will never sit.

Referencing Romans 12 about overcoming evil with good, Mize noted the coming together of people and doing something good for the future generations of the community.

Pastor Demetrius Boyd, who served on the school facility committee, offered the opening prayer.

“This is an incredible day for Mineola ISD, the city of Mineola and Wood County,” he said.

Among those participating were all the students of the month from the primary school for the past school year.

The school is slated to open in about 14 months and will house from third grade down through the pre-kindergarten and Head Start classes.

Once they move in, the primary will be converted into a campus for the 4th and 5th grades, followed by conversion of the elementary building into a high school career and technical education center.

A $29.855 million bond approved in May 2022 is funding the construction.