By TONY VINDELL
Special to the NEWS
Denouncing the previous administration, defending their actions and asserting that transparency is the new norm, the San Benito Consolidated Independent School District (SBCISD) School Board of Trustees has now embarked on a new offensive.
During four committee meetings held Tuesday, Oct. 4, two board members and SBCISD Superintendent of Schools Theresa Servellon took turns to denounce what happened when Dr. Nate Carman was the district’s head. Board president Ramiro Moreno and vice president Janie Lopez both repeatedly said the taxpayers are paying the consequences of the now superintendent of the Socorro school district. At one point, Moreno said, “The community got s—–,” whereas Lopez said she wasn’t going to stop making comments in reference to a citizen’s text telling her to stop making accusations.
The two board members said the district did not get what it was supposed to get from a company in charge of constructing the new multipurpose building. An update of the facility showed a number of faults such a gaps under doors, uncovered electrical outlets, poor padding, uneven floors, and inferior wood panels and so on. Servellon said the warranty for the construction project is now expired, adding she has contacted a third party to advise the district what can be done there.
“We want to ensure this facility lasts for years to come,” she said. “Fifty years at the least.”
Servellon said it’s obvious the district is going to end up paying for the project. Lopez said she has relatives in Mexico who could do a better job than the one the contractor from here has done. Moreno said whatever they are now doing has to do with transparency, not with politics.
Funding for the multipurpose building comes from a $40 million bond the voters approved in 2018, but according to the last estimates, the figure has risen to $46 million. Lopez blamed the increase on the way business was conducted as the estimate of the project was based on comparing projects with other districts, not through consulting with experts. When Monica Mata, the district finance director, told the board the district is over budget of $5.8 million, Moreno interrupted her, making his comment about the community.
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