Oklahoma School Districts Report Unusual Delay in Receiving Federal Money
State Department of Education said complaints are politically motivated.
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OKLAHOMA CITY 鈥 Millions in federal funds are yet to be paid to Oklahoma school districts, who complained the state Department of Education has had significant delays in processing their claims.
Midwest City-Del City Public Schools typically has its federal spending plans approved by the state by the end of September, Superintendent Rick Cobb said.
It鈥檚 usually a quick process after that to receive federal reimbursements, which support employee salaries, teacher training and extra resources for students.
鈥淲e typically have a plan in place and have a plan approved, and we are ready to spend that money,鈥 Cobb said. 鈥溾 And now here we are in December, and we haven鈥檛 received any of those reimbursements. For a district like Mid-Del, that means that we are waiting on millions and millions of dollars.鈥
The state didn鈥檛 approve the district鈥檚 federal application until Dec. 12, Cobb said. He, along with several other school leaders, reported the state Department of Education has had an usually delayed review process this year and 鈥減retty poor鈥 communication.
A survey of 184 Oklahoma districts found 72% had not received any of their claims for federal funds by mid-November. That means districts had either spent money and not been reimbursed or their plans to use federal funds were on hold.
A Dec. 8 memo to districts from the state Department of Education鈥檚 federal programs office acknowledged it had approved a little over half of all applications.
The agency鈥檚 approval process changed this school year, according to the memo, which Oklahoma Voice obtained.
鈥淔or the sake of greater accuracy in the review of applications, OSDE adopted a multi-tiered system of application review for the 2023-2024 school year,鈥 it reads. 鈥淭his is to ensure that taxpayer funds are used appropriately, and to shield school districts from inadvertently breaking the law.鈥
Approving an application, which outlines how a district plans to spend its federal funds, is a crucial step before schools can submit and collect claims for the money the federal government set aside for them.
Districts said the application process was 鈥減articularly frustrating and slow this year,鈥 according to the survey, which was administered by the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA).
The state Department of Education dismissed the survey as criticism from opponents of state Superintendent Ryan Walters.
鈥淚t is not surprising that the most liberal education group only polled a third of (Oklahoma school districts), presumably the most left-leaning, in a pathetic attempt to shame OSDE and Supt. Walters,鈥 spokesperson Dan Isett said in a statement.
CCOSA Executive Director Pam Deering said the survey wasn鈥檛 meant to be political. Rather, the organization, at the request of lawmakers, wanted to gather empirical evidence of issues it had heard about anecdotally.
All of CCOSA鈥檚 member school districts from across the state were able to take the survey voluntarily, Deering said.
The responding districts reported receiving conflicting information from state officials. Some said they had their applications returned five to seven times for revisions while others waited as many as six weeks with no response from the state, according to the survey.
Deering said this resulted in extended delays to the approval process.
鈥淣ot everything is a political issue,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nd this in this case, this is truly just a business issue and the need for schools to be better served.鈥
These aren鈥檛 the first complaints about inefficiency in the agency鈥檚 federal programs office. The former program manager of grant development and compliance, Pamela Smith-Gordon, resigned in October, citing 鈥渟ignificant obstacles鈥 that hindered the agency.
鈥淭here have been ongoing delays in obtaining the necessary approvals and signatures from you,鈥 Smith-Gordon told Walters in her resignation letter. 鈥淭hese delays not only affect my department but also impede the progress of other departments within the OSDE and, ultimately, have an adverse impact on the districts and students we are here to support.鈥
Smith-Gordon鈥檚 resignation and the CCOSA survey are 鈥渧ery, very, very concerning,鈥 said Rep. Mark McBride, the chairperson of the House budget committee on education.
McBride, R-Moore, said he鈥檚 had his own difficulties getting answers from the agency. He said he made numerous requests for information on the department鈥檚 handling of finances and other issues but was ignored.
McBride accused Walters and his senior advisor, Matt Langston, of refusing to cooperate.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think anybody has ever experienced this lack of transparency,鈥 McBride said.
The Republican lawmaker, who has been a vocal critic of Walters鈥 administration, said Langston answered his requests for information with the message, 鈥淔ool me once shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.鈥
Langston responded to McBride鈥檚 complaints last week, saying 鈥淚鈥檝e never seen a more whiney Democrat in my life.鈥
is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: [email protected]. Follow Oklahoma Voice on and .
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