The Levelland City Council held a special meeting Monday afternoon to approve a recommendation from Levelland Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) to make a financial commitment to assist the construction and/or operation of a truck driving school to be developed and operated by South Plains College (SPC).
LEDC Director Justin Balderas explained to the Council that the LEDC has collaborated with SPC throughout his threeyear tenure in Levelland and throughout Mr. Rushing’s tenure, making their joint efforts on this project span over six years.
Initially, SPC requested $121,000 as a financial match for an EDA grant and the donation of land for a truck driving school. The total project cost started at around $500,000 (2018-2019) and rose to over $900,000 (2020-2022).
During a joint meeting with the Council and LEDC reviewing the budget, questions arose about SPC’s commitment to the project.
After discussions with SPC President Dr. Robin Satterwhite and his team, SPC confirmed their intent to maintain and operate the facility if LEDC funded the construction.
SPC submitted a proposal on November 18, 2024, estimating construction costs at $2,150,745 (excluding classroom facilities). The LEDC Board and Council approved $950,000 within the FY 2024-2025 budget to address the financial gap, resolving SPC’s funding challenge.
However, the project required a more comprehensive truck driving school design to include classrooms and certification for truck testing. The updated proposal, received on January 27, 2025, estimated the projected cost at $3,331,765.98.
This created a funding shortfall. Balderas stated he met again with SPC to explore costcutting measures, such as reducing classroom sizes and excluding non-essential items like furniture and laptops. This new budget target was at or below $3 million to align with EDA grant funding requirements.
The two groups consulted with the EDA, who stressed that the truck driving school should take priority over the secondary law enforcement training facility.
They recommended submitting the grant application by April 2025. On April 7 Balderas was asked to provide a letter of support confirming $1.5 million in unencumbered funds.
He explained that this required approval from both the Council and the LEDC Board.
Meanwhile, SPC had created a revised proposal on March 24 with a reduced project cost of $3,020,250.
However, Balderas added he did not review an earlier email sent on March 25 which requested his approval for SPC to sponsor items like equipment that had been removed to lower overall cost. While taking responsibility for not addressing the email promptly, Balderas believes SPC should have directly followed up on March 25 to help avoid delays.
Following the introduction of the item, the Council unanimously approved the recommendation.
The mayor along with the Council shared their support for the relocation of the truck driving school while also applauding the work of Balderas and the LEDC Board.
SPC President Dr. Robin Satterwhite and SPC Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Ryan Gibbs were in attendance to answer any additional questions.
Both Satterwhite and Gibbs shared their excitement and thanks for the approval by the Council.
In the SPC Board of Regents monthly meeting, Satterwhite added that the EDA has taken a look at the grant proposal stating they were satisfied with the grant proposal as it stands.
In previous conversations regarding the project, the goal has been to relocate the truck driving school from the Reese Center to Levelland. In addition to the truck driving school, the facility will accommodate the Police Academy in terms of the driver training and additional workforce training. SPARTAN has also shown an interest in the truck driving training with bus drivers in addition to school districts possibly being able to utilize the training as well.