Deep Schools corruption???

 

We've heard of the Deep State often enough, but Tulsa, Oklahoma looks to have a Deep Schools problem.

The highly anticipated state audit for Tulsa Public Schools released Wednesday [last week] accuses former leaders of promoting a culture where financial misappropriation ran wild for years.

. . .

Byrd pointed to various areas of concern highlighted in the audit, noting that her office found more than 1,400 financial discrepancies. She said multiple district administrators fostered a culture of financial noncompliance and disregarded laws and policies meant to protect taxpayer money.

Key findings from the audit:

• Byrd says the investigation focused on more than $37.7 million in expenditures.
• $25 million of the money investigated, according to the audit, violated the district’s own policies.
• Former Chief Learning and Talent Officer Devin Fletcher was able to commit fraud because of lax financial and internal controls. Fletch was convicted and sentenced to 20 months in federal prison in 2024.
• Tulsa Public Schools paid more than 700 vendors without receiving proof of services.
• Some vendor contract language was vague.
• Some invoices didn’t list services on them at all.
• State auditor’s office experienced difficulty obtaining some records pertaining to the audit due to poor record-keeping practices.
• Processes were taken to bypass the local board of education to avoid oversight.
• Conflicts of interest in awarding vendor contracts.

“Oklahoma law states that no payments can be made without an itemized invoice, as well as proof of receipt of goods or service,” said Byrd. “TPS’ disregard for this statute was perhaps the most pervasive issue uncovered during our investigation.”

. . .

News 4 also received late reaction to the audit findings Wednesday from Governor Kevin Stitt who encouraged Drummond to take action:

I requested this audit in 2022, and today Auditor Byrd finally confirmed what myself and many other Oklahomans believed to be true— where there’s smoke, there’s fire. And it’s deeply troubling to see Tulsa Public Schools having engaged in such gross financial misconduct. The release of the audit is only the first step in holding wrongdoers accountable. The Attorney General needs to take immediate action and bring charges wherever possible. This can never be allowed to happen in Oklahoma again.

There's more at the link.

As if we needed any more evidence of why a D.O.G.E.-style investigation of any and all administrative bodies, in federal, state and local government, is vitally necessary!  $25 million is chump change on a federal level, where we're talking expenditure in the billions and trillions of dollars;  but it's a huge financial burden on the taxpayers of Tulsa, who are now on the hook for however much can be proved to have been stolen or misused.  How long will it take them to make up that loss?  And how much impact will that have on their children?

Full marks to the Governor of Oklahoma for pushing for this investigation, three years ago;  and full marks to the auditor for pushing for its publication, despite resistance from Tulsa Public Schools.  As usual, the administrators and bureaucrats are scuttling for cover now that their misdeeds have been uncovered.  I hope much of the money can be recovered from those responsible for its loss, and that those guilty of criminal malfeasance in office will spend long enough behind bars to regret their error of judgment.

I wonder how many other school districts have similar problems that haven't yet been detected?  I'm willing to bet it's more than a few, in every state in the nation.

 

Peter