Recently, I’ve had the misfortune of dealing with Levelland I.S.D.’s superintendent and school board members.
In March of 2024, Levelland I.S.D. offered a sealed bid packet for the sell of Carver School, located on the north side of Levelland. It’s an old school that the district has tried to sell on several occasions in the last few years. Upon learning that an organization that I thought would be interested in acquiring the old Carver building was not interested, I decided to step out on a leap of faith and submitted a small bid.
Levelland I.S.D.’s reference person was the superintendent and the sealed bid packet was to be picked up at Central Office March 11-15. I went to the 11th street address to pick up a packet, rang the doorbell, and noticed that the office was closed. I rang the doorbell again after having noticed that there was one vehicle in the parking lot. The second bell brought someone from the hallway coming toward the front door. It was the superintendent and she opened the door to see what I wanted. I told her that I was there to pick up a sealed bid packet on the property on 501 Adams street. She started “looking for” a packet and explaining to me that the only reason she was there was to pick up something she had forgotten. That part of the visit puzzled me, but she finally retrieved a packet and handed it to me. Thinking back, the sealed bid packets were given out during spring break. Puzzled-feeling solved! (CONFLICTOFINTEREST?)
When I got home, I read through the packet and followed its terms and did just as it asked. It was due by Tuesday March 19, by 11 a.m. The bids were scheduled to be read on Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at the regular Levelland I.S.D. School Board Meeting at 6 p.m. The bids were, eventually, read and didn’t take long. There were only TWO bids. Had I not stepped out on faith and submitted a small bid the Football Academy would have been the only bid! (Collusion?) The Football Academy bid was accepted over mine, and I accepted that.
However, I later learned that the winning bidder had not paid for the property within 30 days as per the sealed bid agreement. Upon learning that, I checked into it and it was true. Levelland I.S.D. still owned Carver. It was already mid-August, after my specialneeds son and I were both ‘on the mend’ after having had surgeries....he and I both.
When I confirmed through a public entity that Carver was still owned by Levelland I.S.D., I called an attorney and told my story. Their first question to me was “Has Levelland I.S.D. called you?” That has been my nagging question. Since then, I’ve met with the superintendent twice on August 27 and August 29.
The first time was when I asked her if they (Levelland I.S.D.) Had been trying to call me. She answered by asking me if someone had said that they’d been trying to call me or something. I did not answer her. I told her and her colleague that the “best bidder” had not paid them for Carver and that I knew the terms of the sealed bid stated that the property was to be paid by “lump sum cash payment” within 30 days of the sale. She pretended that she was talking, via telephone, to the Levelland I.S.D. attorney about my questions. I told them that it sounded like to me that they could have called me when the “best bidder” defaulted on the Levelland I.S.D. Terms. Was I not due that respect, that common courtesy? She finally, arrogantly, told me, and I quote, “We decided to just keep his bid.” “We?” The superintendent said she had been working with the bidder, accommodating some problem...that he was having. That told me that my bid was not considered and did not matter, even after the “best bidder” defaulted on the terms of the sealed bid...terms that they chose...not me! Levelland I.S.D. decided to work with him, instead of considering my bid, the only other bid submitted. Why? Her words “ We decided to just keep his bid.” kept ringing in my ears. Did the whole school board membership really know about all of this?
To get more clarification, I went to the next school board meeting held September 18, 2024 to ask that question. Did they all know about this? In the wording of the sealed bid packet, it had been adamant about the lump sum cash payment within 30 days. I had distributed printed copies to each school board member about that part...within 30 days.
Unfortunately, during the “public forum” part of their meetings, Levelland I.S.D. allows you only 3-5 minuets to talk about you grievances or concerns. That was not enough time for me. Nor was it enough time for me as I attempted again at both the October ans November meetings. I got more stated at each meeting and I’m almost sure that’s how the best bidder became aware of the seriousness of my asking questions. I had mentioned the words “conflict of interest” and “collusion” during conversations with Levelland I.S.D. personnel who would follow my son and I out of the school board meetings, so I imagine that’s how those words got back to them.
After running out of time at the September 18, 2024 meeting, I asked for a private audience with the school board members after the meeting, but their leader declined. The board was feeling more confident during the November and December meetings because he had paid them seven months after the due date.
So, I pinned this letter to have my say. Our silence gives power to systemic injustices that are still occurring. Nothing will change if we allow it to keep happening and/or remain complicit about these situations. The sealed bid wording included a moral-sounding statement about the bidder not being a felon and having a “good standing” with Levelland I.S.D. and the community. I didn’t have any problems fitting those characteristics.
Now, I have to wonder if they should have mentioned any of those characteristics if they were going to approach the bid process the way they did. I’m a retired teacher who taught 34 years and was honored to teach many Levelland I.S.D. students, and helped them to be their best little selves! During that time, I also met some if the greatest parents who wanted the best for their child(ren)!
In around 2017, Levelland I.S.D. sold another old school called West Elementary for the sum of $10 the purchaser turned out to be somewhat questionable, at best. So, was I that “questionable” that my bid wasn’t given the proper consideration and common courtesy to be taken seriously. Levelland I.S.D didn’t call me, the only other bidder, after the “best bidder” defaulted. That tells me that they never meant to consider the sealed-bid process to go any other way than the way it turned out. Is there some conflict of interest of some type of collusion going on here...of is it something else, much darker? Morals? Good steward of the peoples’ money and the best interest? Well, this is a poor example of transparency and accountability. You decide. This was just wrong.