New federal report highly critical of Oklahoma’s use of pandemic relief money for education | Govt-and-politics

The 1st of two rounds of Governor’s Unexpected emergency Training Reduction Resources, expended between March 2020 and August 2021, are the subject of a new audit report issued this week by the U.S. Section of Education’s Office of Inspector General.

The audit covers a complete of $39.9 million in GEER money, like $8 million administered by the Oklahoma Condition Division of Training. The audit claims the income taken care of by that office would seem to have been administered correctly.

In the end, Oklahoma could be pressured to repay about $653,000 that auditors explained was misspent by families on noneducational goods such as televisions, washers and dryers, air conditioners and Xmas trees. The report further more recommends a 100% overview of an added $5.4 million expended by way of the “Bridge the Gap” program and that the point out repay the federal government for any additional unallowable purchases observed.

Bridge the Hole was largely overseen by Oklahoma Secretary of Schooling and condition superintendent candidate Ryan Walters, the two in his official capability and as government director of the non-income Every single Child Counts Oklahoma.

Walters has blamed issues with the plan on a seller, ClassWallet.

“The point out has gained the report and is examining it,” stated Kate Vesper, a spokeswoman for the Governor’s Workplace. “Collaboration with OIG (the Business of Inspector Common) will proceed.”

Stitt is in the United Kingdom attending the Farnborough Air Present, prolonged a common fixture for Oklahoma governors.

“The governor is dedicated to transparency and accountability in state federal government and has named for far more audits than any other governor in our state’s heritage,” Vesper mentioned. “The point out has been proactive in monitoring and making certain ideal use of Oklahoma taxpayer dollars, and an internal audit (of GEER resources) was initiated several months in the past.”

The report could not have been a great deal of a shock to the administration. It obtained a preliminary variation this spring, and the ultimate draft that was released late Tuesday involves a 5-website page reaction, dated May perhaps 13, signed by Oklahoma Chief Running Officer Steven Harpe.

In it, Harpe says “corrective actions” are underway, and he reminds the auditors that the condition was making an attempt to disburse money even though working with “coronavirus and the unprecedented world-wide health crisis to which it gave rise.”

The report states that Oklahoma initially returned $919,354 of its $39.9 million GEER grant award for the first spherical of awards in February 2021 for the reason that the funds ended up not utilized by the grant’s deadline.

The report suggests a overall of $1.7 million was ultimately turned back again to the federal federal government.

It phone calls for a host of other “next steps” and corrective actions that could cost the state extra time and cash.

The auditors wrote, “Oklahoma furnished us with documentation for some of the corrective actions that it said it experienced implemented.”

Even so, the state’s proposed corrective actions were being identified not to be totally responsive to the recommendations, and none of the federal audit results transformed as a final result of the administration’s reaction to the preliminary draft.

In standard, the Business office of Inspector Basic uncovered that the administration “could not support its stated processes for awarding funds” totaling $31 million in the way GEER grant resources were being meant.

The resources were to be utilized for “those most noticeably impacted by the coronavirus or deemed essential for carrying out unexpected emergency educational products and services, delivering childcare and early childhood schooling, providing social and emotional assistance, or preserving instruction-similar work opportunities.”

Conversely, the OIG report states that the $8 million in GEER funds allotted to the point out Department of Education and learning was utilised appropriately to help regional university districts most substantially impacted by the coronavirus.

The report comes a 7 days immediately after Stitt and Walters called for a condition audit of Tulsa Public Faculties for the reason that of a self-claimed opportunity misuse of donated funds the district states quantities to less than $20,000.

It also arrives amid programs for a condition audit of the Oklahoma State Department of Instruction asked for by Stitt.

Condition Superintendent and gubernatorial prospect Joy Hofmeister blasted Stitt, declaring, “Gov. Stitt weaponizes audits to distract from his administration’s own self-working, incompetence and arrogant disregard for the legislation. This federal audit speaks for by itself.”

The $31 million in GEER grant resources whose administration is criticized in the audit was divided amongst a few entities for 4 initiatives:

$18 million to the Oklahoma Workplace of Academic Excellent and Accountability for an $8 million initiative identified as “Bridge the Gap Digital Wallet,” which was to give up to 5,000 very low-revenue Oklahoma families with $1,500 grants to invest in materials for students ahead of the 2020-21 school yr, and a $10 million non-public university voucher software for lower-earnings students referred to as the “Stay in Faculty Fund.”

$12 million to the Statewide Virtual Constitution School Board for the “Learn Everywhere Oklahoma” initiative to provide statewide access to digital articles for both main lessons and sophisticated coursework to college students in kindergarten as a result of grade 12.

$1 million to Tri-County Tech for the Expertise to Rebuild initiative, which paid out for tuition for speedy-keep track of coursework for 375 pupils in education applications for in-need employment this sort of as people in health care. Tri-County Tech serves students in Washington, Nowata, and Osage counties.

For Bridge the Hole Digital Wallet, Oklahoma leaders awarded a no-bid contract to a Florida enterprise referred to as ClassWallet to administer the software and deliver out grants to families.

The audit states that Walters declined to use a management that ClassWallet supplied that would have confined the merchandise obtainable for invest in to only all those it had preapproved as schooling-linked.

The report claims Walters advised auditors he did not use the manage choice simply because it would have minimal families’ options of vendors.

“The final decision to not acquire edge of the digital wallet system’s pre-authorised buys possibility resulted in grant recipients (households) making use of Bridge the Gap GEER grant resources to order items that have been not instruction-associated,” the report states.

The report also notes that when Walters was not secretary of education when the software launched and the agreement for administering it was signed, he was associated in the process as executive director of Just about every Child Counts Oklahoma, a placement he continue to holds.

The auditors did not buy Walters’ and the Stitt administration’s assertion that ClassWallet is to blame for any failures.

“Oklahoma’s statement that any deficiencies relating to the Bridge the Hole initiative are wholly attributable to ClassWallet is not in line with Federal legal guidelines and laws that involve Oklahoma, as the recipient of the GEER grant cash, to make certain that its grant cash are made use of effectively,” the report claims.

The reason of Continue to be in Faculty private faculty vouchers was to offer up to $6,500 for low-revenue people of nonprofit private university learners who had faced hardship or variations in income because of the coronavirus pandemic.

A push release from the Governor’s Business in January praised the application for obtaining “exceeded expectations,” with 1,893 youngsters getting personal school tuition assistance at an typical price of $5,132 each.

But when federal inspectors checked a compact sample of 10 of all those college students, they were being unable to discover eligibility documentation for eight of all those 10. The report does not say the recipients weren’t eligible, only that the contractor did not retain documents verifying eligibility.

The Workplace of Inspector Standard endorses that Oklahoma assessment 100% of the Continue to be in College recipients to verify eligibility for the private school vouchers.

Furthermore, the OIG has referred to as for Oklahoma to return any unspent GEER money at the moment held by grant “subrecipients” and “develop and carry out procedures necessitating fiscal brokers for federally funded grant plans (to be) informed of and understand the policies and laws for the grant courses they’re overseeing.”

The report also states: “OIG suggests authorizing the (U.S.) Assistant Secretary for the Workplace of Elementary & Secondary Training to just take more action if the state does not deliver documentation or answers that present it followed all requirements.”

Stitt’s office ongoing to blame contractors.

“It has been designed evident by way of demand from customers letters that if it is established that a seller unsuccessful to assure money were being properly utilized or that any unique misused resources gained for academic functions, the condition will acquire swift and ideal motion,” Vesper stated.

Randy Krehbiel contributed to this story.

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