Central Valley school district gave ‘favored bidders’ an edge, lawsuit alleges
Selma Unified School District and its trustees have been accused of creating an “uneven playing field” for companies interested in placing bids on a recent roofing project, according to a lawsuit.
Universal Coatings filed the complaint on Aug. 15 over the “unlawful award of a contract.” The company argues that the district “selectively distributed technical specifications which changed the type of roofing system it was requiring to be installed” on a project encompassing four school sites and a district office.
As a result, Universal Coatings says it was “left to submit its bid without knowing what material would cost,” and the company says this was because it was not part of the “favored clique” that was privy to price information.
According to the lawsuit, the district’s alleged approach allowed “favored bidders with preexisting knowledge or relationships to bid confidently while forcing others, including petitioner, to either assume unknown risks or inflate pricing contingencies contrary to the principles of fairness, transparency, and equal competition mandated by the Public Contract Code.”
In response to the allegations by Universal Coatings, Selma Unified spokesperson Jenna Perkovich said the contract was simply awarded to the lowest bidder “in accordance with California law.”
The lowest bid on the roofing project was $738,572, and Universal Coatings’ bid was $779,600.
“Last Wednesday (Sept. 24, 2025), the court heard Universal Coatings, Inc.’s request for a preliminary injunction to halt work on the Flat Roof Project pending its petition. After hearing arguments, the court denied the request, and work on the project will proceed,” Perkovich said.
Michael Walton, president of Universal Coatings, told The Bee that the company is filing the lawsuit to set a “precedent.” He also accused the district of requiring the use of a specific supplier who allegedly only provides materials to Los Angeles-based contractors.
Walton added that all bidders need equal opportunity to bid when projects use public funds, and he accused Selma Unified of “undermining the competitive bidding process mandated by law.”
“Such a scenario reeks of favoritism and a closed, anti-competitive bidding process that deprived local taxpayers of the benefits of true competition (and likely drove up the project cost),” he said.
With the court denying Universal Coatings’ request to halt work, Walton said the case wouldn’t be heard until well after the Selma Unified roofing project was completed, which he called “strategic.” He accuses the district of “rushing the project to avoid judicial review.”
“In plain terms, SUSD’s strategy of pressing forward with construction at breakneck speed had succeeded in undercutting the possibility of meaningful judicial relief,” Walton told The Bee.
In its argument against the halt-work request, Selma Unified noted that the project was already about 80% completed and stopping the work would result in “substantial harm” to the district.
The request was denied on Sept. 24, and Perkovich confirmed that Selma Unified’s project is proceeding while the lawsuit is pending.
This story was originally published October 9, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
