Gov. Stitt Shakes Up State Board of Education Again With New Appointment
With tensions continuing to flare at State Board of Education meetings, Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday appointed a new member to the board, marking yet another shakeup in its composition.
In February, Stitt ousted three board members who faithfully voted with State Superintendent Ryan Walters for two years.
The remaining members are the only two who weren’t at a previous board meeting that saw the passage of new administrative rules to count undocumented school children — rules Stitt has come out against.
Stitt replaced them with three new appointees, who have pushed back in the last two board meetings on everything from academic standards to certifying past meeting minutes.
And now, retired special education teacher Becky Carson will be joining the seven-member board, making Stitt’s new appointees the majority.
Carson’s spot has been open for about a year and a half. Her nomination is subject to Senate approval.
House Committee Digs Into Millions in Missing Funds at State Mental Health Agency
Testimony shows persistent financial mismanagement happened at Oklahoma’s mental health agency.
A House investigative committee held a third hearing Monday.
An independent review by the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency found major problems at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services – including a lack of transparency, budgeting discrepancies and years of financial mismanagement.
Director Regina Birchum said the agency needs to rebuild its budget from the ground up.
“I think we need to go back to basics. Take a look at what the agency is statutorily or constitutionally required to provide, get an estimate on those actual costs, and start building out line items," Birchum said.
Lawmakers are trying to determine if a $6.2 million emergency request will keep the department operating until July.
Investigators will continue digging into millions of dollars in unexplained budget gaps.
State Audit Finds Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office Overspent Budget
The State Auditor found the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office spent about $4 million over its budget.
The Cleveland County Board of Commissioners requested the investigation.
State Auditor Cindy Byrd released the second part of her audit into the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office late last week.
It includes findings showing the agency’s failure to stay within its $18.4 million budget for Fiscal Year 2024 and evidence the agency spent money that had not been properly encumbered.
Specifically, the audit lists a poor budgeting process, improper controls over travel expenses, and the lack of an annual schedule of actual incarceration costs as examples of budgetary mismanagement.
In a news release, Byrd also mentioned the office’s turnover of staff responsible for financial matters.
Last September, the agency announced layoffs mainly to administrative staff as a result of financial troubles.
Oklahoma Wants To Keep Osage County Wind Farm Operational
The State of Oklahoma is asking a federal judge to keep an Osage County wind farm up and operational, even though it was ordered to be dismantled late last year.
This is the latest development in a decade-long lawsuit.
Last December, clean-energy company Enel was ordered to pay millions of dollars in legal fees and damages, and to remove wind turbines built in Osage County by the end of this year.
However, the company has filed an appeal and requested a pause, which was eventually granted.
Now, Oklahoma’s Solicitor General has filed a brief in support of Enel.
The state argues Enel violated the law and should pay damages, but because construction ceased a decade ago, requiring the company to remove the turbines is overkill.
The company said the cost of removal could total nearly $300 million.
Enel argues based on that cost alone, it should continue to operate in Osage County.
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