"Step Up Oklahoma" says they can solve OK financial woes

[rawhide]

Also there's no indication that rules have changed to prevent such in the future.

The rules for schools have been in place for a long time. The rules for handling and accounting for school spending are restrictive to the point of often being very impractical and muddy enough for mistakes to easily occur without any malicious intent.

 

[chadh2o]

I can't speak for every school district, but in some districts "activity" buses are funded the same way activity facilities are funded. District bonds approved by voters in that district.

Don't care how they pay for the bus. Escrow the $$ and pay for the trips out of it. Couple million $ invested may pay for the bus rentals and keep the funds intact. But then they would have to find another way to get money out of the public.

 

[chadh2o]

Just to be clear, most of the state employees, teachers, ect are not the ones we're after. Like anything, its the small number that gives a bad name. My bet is its the ones that got the job by hook or crook. The crimes and embezzlement are paybacks for getting the job .

 

[rawhide]

Don't care how they pay for the bus. Escrow the $$ and pay for the trips out of it. Couple million $ invested may pay for the bus rentals and keep the funds intact. But then they would have to find another way to get money out of the public.

Your solution may be the best option, but the point is that the funds are not coming from the state and only affect tax payers in the specific school district who approved the funding at the polls. Your argument is for the voters and school board members in those districts.

 

[Billybob]

The rules for schools have been in place for a long time. The rules for handling and accounting for school spending are restrictive to the point of often being very impractical and muddy enough for mistakes to easily occur without any malicious intent.

When a teacher can embezzle $35,000 a year for 4 years with classroom made receipts and nothing to show for it it doesn't seem very restrictive or that very much oversight is involved.
http://www.newson6.com/story/216434...her-pleads-guilty-to-embezzling-nearly-150000

 

[rawhide]

When a teacher can embezzle $35,000 a year for 4 years with classroom made receipts and nothing to show for it it doesn't seem very restrictive or that very much oversight is involved.
http://www.newson6.com/story/216434...her-pleads-guilty-to-embezzling-nearly-150000

Reimbursements at that level would be highly unusual and she did get caught.

 

[Billybob]

Reimbursements at that level would be highly unusual and she did get caught.

But it happened with supposedly long standing restrictive rules in place, have to wonder how many others haven't been caught after all the audit issues were only discovered because of a fed investigation. It was also fed investigations that revealed the Health Dept. and Tourism Dept. issues.

 

[rawhide]

But it happened with supposedly long standing restrictive rules in place, have to wonder how many others haven't been caught after all the audit issues were only discovered because of a fed investigation. It was also fed investigations that revealed the Health Dept. and Tourism Dept. issues.

A "fed investigation"? Where did you see an investigation by federal agents? According to the news 6 article you posted, school authorities turned over the investigation to state. Implying the school discovered the irregularities and followed proper channels from there. Once again, a teacher being reimbursed for that amount of money would be highly unusual and speaks to a lack of oversight in the building where she worked and then was discovered through the process.

 

[Billybob]

A "fed investigation"? Where did you see an investigation by federal agents? According to the news 6 article you posted, school authorities turned over the investigation to state. Implying the school discovered the irregularities and followed proper channels from there. Once again, a teacher being reimbursed for that amount of money would be highly unusual and speaks to a lack of oversight in the building where she worked and then was discovered through the process.

Not the Wagoner case, the "clean audits" issue was revealed after the feds investigated the Swink District in Nov. 2015, Then the feds raided the Grant-Goodland District in Jan. 2016.
http://newsok.com/article/5460532
http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/...-school-district-parents-react-366945691.html

 

[Poke78]

And now it's all moot: http://newsok.com/step-up-plan-defeated-in-house-despite-majority-vote/article/5583230

FTA:
The Oklahoma House of Representatives defeated a $581 million package of proposed tax hikes late Monday night — creating more uncertainty about how the Legislature will balance the budget and fund a teacher pay raise.

Although a majority of House members voted in favor of the bill, the tally fell well short of the three-fourths majority needed to pass tax hikes in Oklahoma. The vote was 63 to 35. The bill needed 76 votes to pass. Fifty-three of the 72 Republicans in the House voted for the package, as did 10 of the 28 Democrats. One seat is vacant.

The bill was backed by Step Up Oklahoma, a statewide coalition of Oklahoma business and civic leaders.