from the gone-but-not-forgotten dept
I’m positive all of you lovely individuals thought we had been collectively carried out with former Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters. After he resigned abruptly in late September, practically in mid-screed mandating that public faculties maintain a second of silence for slain conservative operative Charlie Kirk and mandating a chapter of Turning Level USA in any respect public excessive faculties, the method for unwinding all of the silly, christo-fascist calls for and insurance policies he’d put in place instantly started. So… you thought we had been carried out with him.
However we’re not. Fortuitously, the explanation we’re not is of a special taste than earlier posts. Because the Oklahoma Acknowledged Dept. of Schooling (OSDE) has already begun scrubbing authorities web sites of a few of Walters’ extra shitty mandates and insurance policies, the state Lawyer Normal, Gentner Drummond, has launched a full investigation into how the company spent allotted cash underneath Walters’ management.
Native information has rather more in the best way of particulars, which largely revolve round simply how a lot of the cash from taxpayers was spent on faculties, academics, and college students.
Lawyer Normal Gentner Drummond has ordered an investigative audit of the Oklahoma State Division of Schooling (OSDE), citing considerations over spending practices underneath former State Superintendent Ryan Walters. Nevertheless, the State Auditor & Inspector’s Workplace claims it has not acquired such a request.
In a letter despatched Wednesday to State Auditor and Inspector Normal Cindy Byrd, Drummond mentioned his workplace acquired reviews from present and former OSDE workers elevating questions on how taxpayer {dollars} had been used throughout Walters’ tenure.
“You’re properly conscious that the previous Superintendent has a documented historical past of mismanaging tax {dollars}, because it was your workplace that uncovered Mr. Walters for granting ‘blanket approval’ for households to buy non-educational objects like Xboxes and fridges,” Drummond wrote to Auditor Byrd. “Given the previous Superintendent’s well-established historical past of mishandling tax {dollars}, mixed with new and ongoing allegations of misspending, I’m now ordering an investigative audit.”
It’s beginning to seem like Walters’ resignation could have had much less to do together with his need to run a non-profit targeted on being towards academics unions within the state and extra to do with investigations similar to this. And, to be clear, that is all bi-partisan. So when Walters finally feedback on how that is all of the “woke-left communist fascist chupacabras which can be simply out to get good, hardworking white males People”, it’s best to know that may be a laughable lie.
Not less than 26 Republican lawmakers additionally signed a letter final 12 months requesting an investigation into Walters’ management, elevating alarms over delayed or lacking funding for trainer maternity go away, Title I applications, college safety and inhalers. Funds leaders mentioned the cash had already been appropriated however was not reaching faculties.
“The cash completely exists,” Sen. Chuck Corridor (R), the Senate Funds and Appropriations Chair, mentioned.
A grand jury was convened as a part of that investigation, however no legal mistaken doing was discovered at the moment. As a substitute, it discovered that in and within the speedy aftermath of the COVID pandemic, not sufficient safeguards had been put in place by the federal government to control how third celebration companions had been spending taxpayer funds, discovering that non-educational objects had been bought with them as a substitute. These two third celebration companions had been ClassWallet, an on-line fund disbursement software, and a non-profit companion referred to as Each Child Counts, which was tasked with utilizing ClassWallet to disperse the funds.
And, properly…
In 2024, a grand jury discovered that the state didn’t arrange administrative safeguards to maintain individuals from buying ineligible objects with these funds, which had been meant for college provides and different requirements.
The grand jury additionally mentioned the state gave management of the funds to individuals who didn’t have the expertise wanted to supervise this system. On the time, Walters was the Govt Director of the nonprofit generally known as Each Child Counts. That group partnered with Gov. Stitt to distribute the funds by ClassWallet’s digital software.
An accounting of how OSDE spent taxpayer funds underneath Walters’ management makes complete sense. He’s already been a part of a spending scandal, whether or not he was discovered immediately liable or not.
I’ve a sense this gained’t be the final submit we’ll do on the topic.
Filed Below: cindy byrd, gentner drummond, oklahoma, osde, ryan walters, faculties
