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Grand jury: Epic system ripe for fraud By: Jennifer Palmer Oklahoma Watch May 10, 2021
A sign outside of 50 Penn Place in Oklahoma City, where Epic Charter Schools leases 40,000 square feet for administrative use. (Photo by Whitney Bryen/Oklahoma Watch)
The state’s multicounty grand jury recently delivered a message to the public: demand more transparency and accountability of Epic Charter Schools, the state’s largest online charter school system.
The grand jury’s investigation of Epic began in October and isn’t completed yet. But it issued a 25-page interim report to inform the public, parents and policymakers detailing “concerning trends emerging in the investigation.” The grand jury wanted to make the information public before Epic receives its funding allocation for the 2021-22 school year.
By Jennifer Palmer | Oklahoma Watch May 7, 2021
3 hrs ago
The stateâs multicounty grand jury delivered a message to the public this week: demand more transparency and accountability of Epic Charter Schools, the stateâs largest online charter school system.
The grand juryâs investigation of Epic began in October and isnât completed yet. But on Thursday it issued a 25-page interim report to inform the public, parents, and policymakers detailing âconcerning trends emerging in the investigation.â The grand jury wanted to make the information public before Epic receives its funding allocation for the 2021-22 school year.
No indictments were issued. But it did urge policymakers to take swift action.
Oklahoman
A new law gives the Oklahoma Legislature some say in how state agencies, boards and commissions spend federal stimulus funds.
The law that had bipartisan support among legislative leaders prohibits state entities and offices within the executive branch from spending federal stimulus funds on long-term or recurring costs without legislative approval.
Gov. Kevin Stitt allowed HB 2932 to become law Monday without his signature, the first piece of legislation he declined to act on this year. The governor s office did not respond Tuesday to a request for comment.
Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, who co-authored the legislation from House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, previously said he believes the Stitt administration will be welcoming to legislative input in the future.
Oklahoman
An Oklahoma House panel removed language in a proposed bill that would have penalized college students in a state-funded scholarship program if they don t graduate within six years.
However, the House Higher Education and Career Tech Committee on Monday advanced an amended version of the legislation that scraps the controversial clawback provision.
Rep. Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon, who is carrying SB 639 in the House, introduced the amendment to strip the language that had many in the state s higher education community up in arms.
In committee, Baker said she told Pugh that stripping the clawback provision was the only way to keep the legislation alive and moving through the legislative process.