Eanes’ $210M Gain, Now a Legal Pain: Sheffield’s Post to Blame
- Aaron Silva
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 3 minutes ago
Trustee Sheffield’s April 29 Facebook post singled out as the trigger for multi-million dollar lawsuit over unlawful WACC contract termination.
Westlake Hills, Texas – May 1, 2025
By Aaron Silva, Concerned Dad
I’m just a dad in Eanes ISD, watching our school board turn a $210 million gift into a legal nightmare—and now Trustee Heather Sheffield’s latest Facebook post has
made it a whole lot worse. On April 29, Sheffield bragged that terminating the Westlake Athletic & Community Center (WACC) contract was a “smart financial move” to make money by renting it out. Today, Jeff Buch’s team at WAC, LLC sued Eanes ISD, calling her post proof the termination was a sham to steal their revenue—not for the “educational purposes” Eanes’ lawyers claimed. Sheffield’s words could cost Eanes millions in court, showing the BOT’s amateur-hour leadership at its worst. With voting day on May 3, 2025, we need to demand better from our leaders.
Sheffield’s Post: A Legal Gift to Buch with a Big Red Bow
Sheffield’s post boasts that terminating the WACC contract lets Eanes “make money” by renting it out when students aren’t using it, claiming “better access” for the community with “little benefit” from Buch’s group. But Eanes’ lawyers said in their April 10 termination notice that the WACC was needed for “educational purposes”—a “Center for Health and Physical Studies”—not athletics, per the contract (Section 3.01(b)). Buch’s lawsuit (filed May 1, 2025) calls Sheffield out, saying her post proves Eanes planned to rent the WACC for profit, not education, breaking the contract in bad faith (para. 31). In court, her words are a smoking gun—admissible as a party admission (Tex. R. Evid. 801(e)(2))—showing Eanes’ real motive was to compete with Buch, not teach health sciences. That’s a textbook breach, and it could bury Eanes.
No Business Sense: Sheffield’s Post Becomes “Exhibit A”
The BOT’s absence of basic business understanding in contractual relationships is astonishing. After the entire community erupted in outrage over the sudden WACC termination—displacing thousands of athletes—how could Sheffield post such an unbelievable statement? Her words handed Buch’s lawyers “Exhibit A,” exposing Eanes to a lawsuit that could’ve been avoided. The contract only allows termination for non-athletic educational use (Section 3.01(b)(i)), and Sheffield’s rental focus suggests Eanes will lease it for sports, violating the deal. Texas law demands good faith in contracts (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 1.304), and courts don’t tolerate deceit. Buch could win big: at least $2 million for the WACC’s unamortized value (10 years into a 15-year $6.7M depreciation, Section 3.01(d)), lost profits from 30 years of unrealized revenue ($1.3M yearly, para. 30), punitive damages for bad faith, and legal fees. With Eanes currently $18 million in the red, that’s a financial disaster we can’t afford.
Hiding Behind TOMA—Until They Didn’t
Here’s where it gets interesting: the BOT’s hypocrisy on transparency is glaring. Emails show they refused to meet with Buch to discuss his $210M endowment offer, claiming it would violate the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA) by discussing a “spontaneous proposal” without public notice (January 27, 2025 email). Yet they had no problem meeting in secret to repurpose the WACC for “educational purposes,” terminate the agreement, and overlook the $2.2 million termination obligation—all without following TOMA’s public meeting rules (lawsuit paras. 24–26, 44). Buch’s suit alleges this violated TOMA, making the termination voidable. The BOT can’t have it both ways—hiding behind TOMA to dodge Buch’s offer, then ignoring it to push him out. It’s a transparency failure that’s now a legal liability.
Amateur Hour: How We Got Here
In November 2024, Buch offered Eanes a $210 million endowment —donating all WACC and Aquatic Center profits for decades, plus $500K–$1M per year from school facility rentals. Emails from April 2024 to February 2025 show him begging to meet but Sheffield stalled, demanding he “hand deliver” a proposal (January 25, 2025 email)—a move dripping with arrogance. They never met, and then Eanes abruptly terminated his contracts on April 8, and left thousands of athletes—Westlake High sports, cheer, band, drill team, youth basketball, soccer, volleyball—without their community hub. Buch’s April 2025 letter says this hits “hundreds of EISD families,” and parents are demanding answers. The BOT turned a lifeline into a multi-million-dollar loser, and Sheffield’s post made it a SLAM DUNK for Buch’s lawyers.
A Community Betrayed
The WACC is our community’s heart—2,000+ kids and families use it weekly, perhaps over 1 million since opening its doors 10 years ago. Shutting it down for sports while Sheffield talks up rentals is a betrayal. Her “better access” claim is hollow when the contract bans athletics, and her “other facilities” line offers no solutions. Why risk years of litigation over what could have been a $210 million gift? It’s amateur hour, and Sheffield’s reckless FB post proves it.
Why This Mess? We Deserve Better
In just a few months, while saddling a historic $18 million deficit over the next two years, the BOT under Sheffield’s leadership destroyed a $210 million endowment opportunity, turning it into a dumpster fire that may cost Eanes millions and years of litigation while thousands of children and athletes are displaced. What could have motivated them to not take the easy route? Why these unforced errors, again? Was it arrogance, thinking they could outsmart Buch and profit more by renting the WACC themselves? Or just a failure to grasp the stakes? Either way, Eanes deserves trustees who don’t fumble $210 million, don’t risk millions in lawsuits, and don’t leave our kids stranded.
On May 3, we can vote for change—someone who’ll fight for our athletes, our budget, and our trust. Let’s demand better for Eanes.
Aaron Silva, Concerned Dad