The audit argued that Tulsa public schools could cover their costs with money from the foundation and avoid competitive bidding and itemized bills.
A recent audit of Tulsa Public Schools in Oklahoma has reported economic mismanagement, noncompliance with state law and district policies, and lack of transparency by managers.
State auditor and inspector Cindy Bird said the auditors considered $37.7 million in Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) spending between 2015 and 2023, and found $29 million would be paid to consultants. Byrd said the auditors found 1,450 inconsistencies on 900 bills and 90 vendor records.
The report also argued that the TPS may be violating state laws banning key racial theories and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) education in Oklahoma public schools.
In October 2023, Fletcher pleaded guilty to one count of felony conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He has admitted to stealing $603,000 from TPS and stealing the foundation of Tulsa Schools, a nonprofit created to support the TPS program. Byrd said he was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Byrd argued that Fletcher perpetuated the inappropriate control that TPS administrators had been involved at least since 2018.
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“Flecher’s misconduct was the result of a much bigger problem,” Byrd said.
She said the TPS committee shares some responsibility.
“If the board members had acted with more diligence… they would have been in a much better position to prevent Fletcher’s misconduct and provide the oversight required by state law,” Byrd said.
According to the report, TPS managers routinely cover their spending with the basic money. In this way, the report claimed it avoided TPS policy 5202. This required proposals for spending over $50,000, competitive bids, and per-item invoices.
The report said that the foundation’s money could be used to hide much of the fraudulent control from TPS board members from members of the TPS board.
The auditor reported more than $25 million contracts on contracts that had no proposal requests to TPS. Many of the contracts were below the $50,000 threshold. This meant that bidding was no longer needed.
These allegedly included contracts with vendors associated with administrators, board members, or former school system employees.
For example, the report states that a company named Snickelbox was hired in 2018 to provide consulting services. Between 2018 and 2022, TPS paid Snickelbox for $872,588. The auditor said it determined that the total amount of $329,278 was fraudulently paid.
Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Bird will address the reporter at a press conference held in Oklahoma City on February 11, 2025. Michael Clements/Epoch Times
According to the report, Snickelbox’s invoice did not provide details about what TPS paid. Furthermore, the Snickelbox contract did not specify what TPS could expect from the company. This lack of details made it difficult to determine which payments were fraudulent, the report said.
Four other TPS employees — implementation budget analyst Elizabeth Richardson, Chief Financial Officer Gil Hendrix, former Chief Financial Officer Norberto Del Gadillo, and director of materials management Rachel Bejlus Cathomas, have approved payments for Snickelbox, according to the report.
According to the report, Snickelbox and Fletcher were participating in fellowships with Snickelbox owners Lauren O’Mara and Fletcher with Yale University’s Broad Center. The auditor reported that TPS paid 16 Broadcenter alumni during the audit period.
According to the report, the Broadcenter “operates as an independent, nonprofit organization that identifies, develops and supports K-12 public school leaders who appear to be committed to receiving the resources needed for all schools, classrooms and children to succeed.”
The Broad Center web page states, “Diversity, equity and racial justice are essential.”
Stitt asked Byrd to look into allegations that TPS violated House Bill 1775, which banned key race theory and Dei curriculum from Oklahoma public schools. Congress passed the law in 2021.
In 2023, the Oklahoma Department of Education requested that all school districts submit a report containing “all DEI-related expenditures made in the district during the 2022-2023 school year.” According to the audit report, the order also covered information “related to Dei’ as a concept.”
The auditor reported that the TPS administrator worked with Yale’s Broad Centre to hire alumni.
The foundation fund was used to cover travel expenses for TPS employees to participate in a wide range of centre programs, according to the report. Between 2018 and 2020, TPS held programs and meetings at its Tulsa location. At this location, Broad Cohorts participated in a program that includes Child Equity Index Exercise and Dei at Night features.
Between 2016 and 2023, TPS paid more than $6.2 million to 23 vendors for consulting services, the report said. Before hiring Broadcenter alumni, the district had no involvement in either of these vendors, the auditor said.
Byrd said she handed over her findings to the office of Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond to investigate criminal conduct. A spokesman for Drummond’s office said the Attorney General is in regular contact with all state agencies.
“However, in order to protect the integrity of our investigations and the reputation of innocent people, we usually do not confirm or deny investigations or communications with law enforcement partners,” Communications Director Phil Bacharach wrote in an email to the Epoch Times.
