Open Letter from the SBCISD Superintendent Of Schools Theresa Servellon

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Community of San Benito,
During the special-called board meeting of Tuesday, September 20, 2022, San Benito CISD’s forensic
audit report was presented to the Board of Trustees and subsequently released in its entirety to the
community.
The audit report can be found on our District’s website (www.sbcisd.net/forensic-audit-report/) along
with the PowerPoint presentation created by Weaver and Tidwell, LLC. Forensic auditor Travis Casner
detailed the findings and made multiple recommendations to the District.
The investigative findings include the following items:
• the District did not retain a professional services firm or consultant in their preparation of cost
estimates as part of the 2018 Bond Program; the bond projects were based on rough estimates;
• a lack of transparency in the selection process concerning the Brighton Group, Hellas
Construction, and Davila Construction services for the 2018 Bond Program; failure to document
and publicly share the Board’s scoring and evaluation documentation; no score sheets were
available,
• several contracts executed by the District allowed for fees to be paid to the vendor or contractor
in advance of services being performed or without any requirement for services to be
performed;
• the District’s contract with Absolute Business Consulting (ABC) Group is set to be automatically
extended unless the District provides written notice not to extend the agreement by Sunday,
January 8, 2023;
• the District has historically procured certain goods or services through the use of multiple award
contracts procured through a Request for Proposals (RFP) process, including contracts for
construction;
• the vendor master file had instances of multiple vendor accounts for the same vendor as well as
inactive vendor accounts;
• multiple instances where the former Superintendent of Schools earned rewards points through
his personal Marriott rewards account for District-related travel, including for lodging
expenditures for other individuals; and
• the lack of monitoring and documentation requirements to ensure the $100 supply allotment
was being used as intended.

San Benito CISD is committed to adhering to existing board policy and the Texas Government Code. We
pledge to ensure that taxpayer dollars directly impact students and that we strategically allocate our
local, state, and federal funds. Therefore, the following will be implemented for the District’s
betterment:
• Future construction projects will be procured as outlined by our District policies and Texas law.
The District will procure services related to construction projects using a Request for Proposals
(RFP) or Competitive Sealed Proposals (CSP), both of which will require the scoring to be publicly
posted within 45 days of the selection.
• A professional construction consultant – with expertise in all areas of remodeling projects or new
construction – will be placed on contract to effectively evaluate timelines, expenditures, and
design plans prior to starting any projected construction projects. Said consultant will also
undertake the oversight and evaluation of new construction projects as well as recent and
current remodeling and new constructions projects (e.g., all 2018 Bond Program-related projects,
parking lot development/upgrades, roofing issues, lighting, etc.).
• San Benito CISD will prohibit payment of fees in advance of services being rendered to ensure
that the District is receiving value in its use of public funds. Additionally, to obtain the best value,
we will narrow the scope of goods and service on multiple award contracts.
• The District will audit work-related travel documentation for the personal garnering of both hotel
points and airline miles. Current travel protocols will be assessed and further delineated to
prohibit the accumulation of personal reward/miles garnered when using District funds.
Updated protocols will be incorporated into the San Benito CISD Employee Handbook.
• San Benito CISD staff encompasses one of the best group of educators in the country. We
recognize how much of themselves and of their personal funds go into their classrooms.
Therefore, their $100 supply allotment will be placed in campus budgets from here on out. These
funds will assist our classroom educators in supporting our students. We greatly appreciate all
they do so selflessly. Thank you!
I want to thank San Benito for being an inspiration to all surrounding communities. Through the good
times and the not so good times, we have found a way to make things happen. San Benito CISD pledges
to realign our financial expenditures, acquire goods and services including construction through the
appropriate channels, and provide targeted training for our Board of Trustees as well as our district staff
in procurement practices and contracts.
As we continue to restructure our systems and realign our current projects, we ask for your patience. In
return, we vow to be transparent and keep you informed.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.sbnewspaper.com/2022/09/30/open-letter-from-the-sbcisd-superintendent-of-schools-theresa-servellon/

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