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Acadia Parish board authorizes bids for $700,000 Iota High turf project after heated debate over procurement rules
Summary
The Acadia Parish School Board voted to advertise and seek competitive bids to turf Iota High School's baseball and softball fields after an extended debate over whether an earlier fast-tracked $700,000 procurement complied with state bidding rules. Board counsel said no law was violated; members and residents pushed for review and possible AG guidance.
The Acadia Parish School Board voted to advertise and solicit competitive bids for turf installation at Iota High School's baseball and softball fields after a contentious discussion about an earlier, rushed procurement that board members and residents said may have skirted state bidding rules.
Board debate centered on a roughly $700,000 project that some members said was moved forward too quickly, with one board member saying the process should have been tabled for more research. "It should have been tabled since it was rushed so much," a board member said during the meeting. Members and parents said the earlier timeline put the district at risk of violating state procurement law and deprived students and families of a promised upgrade.
Board counsel told the meeting there has been "no law violated," and that staff had relied in good faith on prior practices and a pre-bid certification that other districts have used. "There's been no law violated," the counsel said, adding the firm had not opined on the other districts' contracts and recommending that an Attorney General opinion could clarify the rules in future cases.
Community speakers and several board members pushed back on the timeline and on whether the district should have used a "tips" piggybacking approach without fuller legal review. Tessie Fuiswear, who spoke during public comment, said she reviewed the tips program and identified other recently completed turf projects that she said could have been legally piggybacked to speed the work.
Several board members described the disappointment of telling students they would not play on turf this year after work halted. "I had to go tell them they can't get it," one board member said, stressing frustration about the timing and impact on students.
The board voted to move forward with advertising and seeking bids. Finance/operations staff said a proposal from Simpson Sports Engineering will be presented at the Sept. 2 board meeting; if approved, staff will finalize plans, specifications and dimensions and then issue the public bid.
