1/6/2024 0 Comments Epic charter“Fortunately, this work has already begun.” “We have a new board of education and new executive leadership team committed to uncovering all and any issues and securingĬompliance with the State (Department) of Education,” he wrote. Lawmakers Begin Filing Bills Ahead of 2024 SessionĮpic staff told investigators they thought the superintendent had the authority to approve bonuses.īanfield, in a written statement, said the school has made some policy and procedure mistakes as it transitioned away from the former management. Banfield approved a bonus payment for himself and his wife in 2021 The state board may also consider sanctioning Epic’s superintendent, Bart Banfield, according to the report. Epic is an online charter school with just over 38,000 students enrolled last year. The designation would allow the school to remain operating but with more scrutiny and oversight from the state. She said she’ll recommend the state Board of Education adjust Epic’s accreditation status to probation at its July meeting. Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister announced the department’s findings Tuesday. Issues occurred repeatedly and after the Epic Charter Schools board cut ties with its founders, David Chaney and Ben Harris, and their for-profit company, Epic Youth Services. The latest probe found serious problems, including student attendance patterns that skirted state law large, unapproved bonuses for staff and violations of laws on competitive bidding requirements and the Open Meetings Act. The State Superintendent is recommending Epic Charter Schools be placed on probation for violating state law following an investigation into the state’s largest online school. It was set upthe entire virtual charter school to make someone some money.Enrollment Irregularities, Unapproved Bonuses: the Latest Epic Charter Investigation - Oklahoma Watch Close Oklahoma State Senator Ron Sharp released this response to the allegations: When you look at their enrollment numbers and then you look at number of students that took the state mandated tests and when you look at the number of teachers they have per student, it didn’t match. It is important to let the legal system do its work. stands ready to work w/any criminal investigation to determine if #OklaEd and taxpayers have been defrauded of millions of dollars. State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister tweeted the following: These allegations are extremely serious, disturbing. If the OSBI shows this to be true, the House must act to ensure that public funds are safeguarded today and in the future. If we have a school that is defrauding the state to this magnitude, at a minimum, it shows a systematic flaw exists in the regulation of online and charter schools in our state. I hope that my colleagues in the House will take these allegations seriously as well. If the OSBI shows that these individuals did indeed defraud Oklahoma taxpayers, I would hope that Attorney General Mike Hunter would see past their wealth and their campaign donations and hold them accountable. I am glad to see that the OSBI is taking this matter seriously. Minority Leader Emily Virgin has released the following statement in response to the OSBI investigation: I am very concerned about the report that Epic Charter Schools has been paying students and their families to enroll so that the school can profit from taxpayer money. The search warrant was served to a residence of an employee, according to the OSBI Public Information Officer.Įpic Charter School released this statement on Twitter: Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has issued a search warrant for an investigation into Epic Charter Schools.
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