‘Culture of financial non-compliance’ at Tulsa Public Schools allowed for $25 million in fiscal mismanagement, audit concludes

The Tulsa Teacher Corps describes itself as a “highly supported certification pathway” for educators, yet it came under fire by the Oklahoma state auditor, Cindy Byrd, in testimony last week at the state Capitol.

“For two years, ‘Teacher Corps’ … operated without proper authorization, background checks and many of the participants did not meet any basic requirements for classroom instruction,” reported Griffin Media’s Newson6.com on Feb. 27.

This was just one of 1,450 discrepancies in what Byrd called “a culture of financial non-compliance” at Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) – including conflicts of interest at the Board level. 

“It’s deeply troubling to see Tulsa Public Schools having engaged in such gross financial misconduct,” said Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt upon hearing the audit’s results. “The release of the audit is only the first step in holding wrongdoers accountable.” 

‘Fox watching the henhouse’ 

Stitt had requested the audit in 2022 after Devin Fletcher, the district’s former chief management and equity officer, resigned. Fletcher was convicted of embezzling more than $824,000 and is serving a 30-month sentence, according to the local ABC affiliate. 

Of the $37.3 million in expenditures examined by the audit, $25 million “was spent in violation of the district’s own policies,” according to Newson6.com. 

More than 300 of 900 invoices lacked proper itemization, with many failing to specify services. 

For example, the district paid one summer intern $13,000 for five weeks of work but showed no evidence of using any of that intern’s work, according to Byrd. 

“We have been failed not only by Tulsa Public Schools and their policies and practices, but especially by that finance committee,” said E’Lena Ashley, one of the district’s board members. 

Ashley was one of two board members who had requested the audit, noting reluctance from others to do so. 

“We reached out to other board members. Some refused to sign, to request the audit. They said things like we are auditing ourselves every year – you know, the fox-watching-the-henhouse kind of idea. Others have said that there’s never been a need for an audit.” 

In addition, two of the district’s executive administrators – Chris Hudgins and Paula Shannon – violated board policy by operating businesses related to their employment at the school. 

“According to the audit, Hudgins owned M & G Consulting Services LLC and performed work for Allied Engineering (Allied), a TPS vendor,” Newson6.com explained. “Allied received over $8.4 million from TPS between September 2015 and July 2024.” 

Next steps from the audit will involve the state’s attorney general, who should bring charges against wrongdoers wherever possible, according to Stitt. 

“This can never be allowed to happen in Oklahoma again.”