GISD trustees approve contract for $150K gift

An anonymous donor aims to inject $150,000 into Gladewater ISD after trustees officially approved a contract Friday afternoon.
Details on the agreement are limited at the moment in light of the anonymity of the gift and ongoing discussion of how the funds will be used.
“It’s an anonymous donation, that’s all I can tell you,” board president Chris Thompson confirmed Friday after the board’s unanimous approval of the sole item on their special called meeting agenda.
The group spent about 25 minutes in their closed door, lunchtime discussion of the contribution Feb. 28, gathering insight from Gladewater High School Principal Derrick Floyd in addition to Superintendent Rae Ann Patty. They returned to open session for about a minute for a 7-0 vote on Thompson’s recommended “Motion to approve the contract regarding the $150,000 from an anonymous donor” before adjourning.
Good news, but nothing can be disclosed right now due to the contract with the donor, Patty echoed. Elements are still being ironed out – donations large and small are handled carefully in any circumstances.
“Anything that is for a specific purpose over a certain amount requires board approval,” Patty added, relying on the district’s elected officials for vetting. “There may be a time when there is a press release on that. Now that the board has said that they’re OK with entering into that, we’ve got to get down to the nitty gritty.”