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A newly unsealed multi-county grand jury report in Oklahoma reveals millions of dollars in mismanagement of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER).
The report said it found “gross negligence in the handling of federal grants” and $40 million in misuse, leaving Oklahomans without the help they truly need. are.
“Nevertheless, we believe that the grossly negligent handling of federal grants and the total lack of internal control and oversight over grant-funded efforts is irresponsible, unfortunate and indefensible. , millions of dollars in wasted and misdirected spending in emergency aid.This mismanagement has resulted in the most vulnerable Oklahomans being denied the assistance they so desperately needed during a global pandemic. ” said the jury.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt speaks during a meeting with US President Donald Trump and state governors at the White House dining room in Washington, DC, USA on Thursday, June 18, 2020. (Chris Kleponis, via Getty Images)
Although the report alleges that there were other troubling acts and conduct, ultimately there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime had been committed.
“Our investigation uncovered highly troubling practices and actions (and inactions) by state agencies, non-governmental agencies, and private citizens tasked with establishing and managing BTG and SIS efforts. However, we ultimately found that there was insufficient evidence to establish beyond a reasonable scope that there was no suspicion that a crime had been committed, and that there was no evidence of willful or corrupt misconduct or willful misconduct. No wrongdoing was found,” the report said.
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A voter fills out a ballot during early voting at ONEOK Field in Tulsa, Oklahoma, October 30, 2020 (Reuters/Nick Oxford)
The report emphasized that the grand jury ultimately found that the problem was largely due to the state’s disregard of existing administrative safeguards, stating that “EKCO director approval for all integration vendors on the platform , effectively ignoring all internal control options offered by the company.”
It goes on to say that as a result, “there are no restrictions in place from the outset on the items families can purchase with BTG funds, and no one monitors purchases on the back end to ensure they comply with program requirements.” I didn’t,” he said. It is surprising that a large portion of BTG’s award money (more than $1.7 million, as assessed by the State Comptroller) was used to purchase items that could not reasonably be considered useful for emergency educational purposes. Not. ”
Some of the items listed were household luxuries and had nothing to do with the educational system.
“Such unacceptable purchases included 817 televisions, 385 clocks or smartwatches, 179 doorbell cameras, 174 mobile phones and related accessories, 71 refrigerators, 27 Xbox systems, and three Christmas trees. The use of these funds solely to purchase non-educational items is a national obligation to ensure that GEER Fund funds are used only for pandemic-related emergency education assistance. , but the funds could have been diverted to purposes that were actually needed to provide pandemic relief,” the report said.
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The Oklahoma Court of Appeals agreed with Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s plan to cut the pace of executions in half. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
“The state authorized these individuals and entities to control millions of dollars in federal funds without any review process or formal agreements to ensure accountability to the state,” the grand jury said. Ta.
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The Oklahoma State Department of Education also released a statement regarding the findings.
“Superintendent Walters has prioritized the prudent and efficient use of taxpayer funds. Unfortunately, in this case, the vendors involved were not held to the same standards. Superintendent Walters’ deep commitment to fiscal responsibility and taxpayer accountability is evidenced both during his time as Secretary and now.” Under his leadership, OSDE has made sure that taxpayer dollars are used as efficiently as possible. “We have set the highest standards for its use,” the ministry said.
