At the regular meeting of the Gainesville ISD Board of Trustees on July 18, 2022, the Board was asked to consider the approval of a contract of sale, relating to the purchase of real property located at 900 N. Grand.  The Board voted 6-0 to approve the purchase of the building. Board member Phil Neelley was absent.

The property was previously owned by GISD and served as Robert E. Lee campus.  Following the construction and opening of the current Gainesville Intermediate campus in 1997, the building was sold.

The structure, originally built in 1929, is 17,803 square feet. The two-story building consists of 800 sf on the first floor and 1400 sf on the top floor.

The building will be utilized as a central administration office building and professional learning center.  Due to the age and current layout of the building, renovations will be required to make the space suitable for district use.  Prior to the execution of the contract to buy, walk-throughs and extensive research with contractors took place to determine the potential cost of these renovations.  All central administration offices and special education offices will be moved to this location. In addition, the district will have adequate space for all staff professional development training. 

The reacquisition of the property will be instrumental in providing additional space for student growth in GISD.  The current administration building, located at 800 S. Morris, will return to a classroom setting.  The building was previously McMurray Elementary when GISD had neighborhood K-5 schools. 

The vision for the use of 800 S. Morris is for a GISD Early Childhood Learning Center for all qualifying 3- and 4-year-old Head Start and Pre-K students.  The current Head Start buildings are located at 912 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave and Pre-K is at Edison Elementary. The additional space for early childhood learners will allow for expansion of both of these programs. In addition, the transition of Pre-K to another building will allow for anticipated student growth at Edison.

The planning will now begin for the renovation of the new property at 900 S. Grand.  The project could take anywhere from 1-2 years to complete.  Once the 800 S. Morris location is vacated, the renovations will begin for the Early Childhood Learning Center.