The Quitman ISD school board approved a bid from Triple Crown Roofing for a roof at the new maintenance and transportation building Monday. 

The bid was the lowest of three and for $105,315 to roof what was formerly the Dimock building and prior to that the Texas Dept. of Transportation for several years. The board approved a $110,000 budget amendment to pay for the work.

Band Director Michael Barron was seeking to purchase new instruments for his growing band program. “This program is built from the high school down. We are trying hard to not have to share the bigger instruments,” Barron said. “There were 92 sixth graders last year and we retained 86 of them.”

Barron noted he had spent $23,000 from his budget on new instruments but needed a budget amendment for additional instruments. The board accepted the bid of $43,061 from the Band House Company and approved the amendment.

Superintendent Chris Mason reported student enrollment was staying steady at 1,223 and attendance was at 97%. Mason said the Quitman attendance numbers are better than most of the other area districts.

Mason also said the new agriculture barn was nearing completion with the punch list scheduled March 8. “We do have a tentative date of March 7 for a grand opening. We will cook some hot dogs and hamburgers and let folks come to check it out,” Mason added. “Everything looks good to go.”

The board approved Saturday, May 6 as the date for the QISD school board election. Vanessa Simpkins and Jane Herring are the incumbents. Simpkins and former board member James Hicks have signed up.

The board approved the school calendar for 2023-24 as presented by Assistant Superintendent Dana Hamrick which she said was the choice of 65% of the staff.

The board also added Mason to replace former Superintendent Rhonda Turner on the Texpool and the Lone Star investment account access.

In the student showcase, members of the K-Kids, sponsored by the Quitman-Lake Fork Kiwanis Club, made a presentation explaining their purpose and some of the projects already completed.

Board members Simpkins, Michael Hipp, Dr. Jeremy Smith, and Royce Patterson made up Monday night’s quorum. Raymond Peek, Todd Williams and Herring were not in attendance.