Tulsa Public Schools board members hold press conference in response to audit results

Board members of Tulsa Public Schools are holding a press conference in response to the audit of the district released on Wednesday.

Dr. Jennettie Marshal and E'Lena Ashley, TPS Board Members, are providing remarks and are taking questions at the Greenwood Cultural Center.

The audit revealed over 1,400 financial discrepancies, primarily affecting a small group of administrators. The audit, sparked by the Devon Fletcher case, found that $25 million was spent against district policies and noted inadequate documentation for over 700 vendor payments. Additionally, there was a program for teacher certification operated without proper oversight, contributing to misappropriations.

Keys of the audit from Byrd:

1. The Devon Fletcher case was the catalyst for the audit.
2. The focus of the audit was on a small group of administrators, not what was being taught.
3. The audit found over 1,400 financial discrepancies, what Byrd described as "a culture of financial non-compliance."
4. The audit examined $37.3 million in expenditures and found that $25 million was spent in violation of the district's own policies.
5. TPS had made more than 700 payments to vendors without ever receiving the documentation needed to prove services.
6. Byrd referenced a summer intern hired in 2021 who was paid $13,000 for five weeks of work and given housing covered by the foundation. There was no evidence the intern's work was used by the district.
7. TPS had a disregard for invoices and proof of receipt was blatant, Byrd said. If closer attention was paid to this, Fletcher never would have been able to steal the money.
8. Out of 900 invoices, more than 300 lacked proper itemization.
9. Invoices didn't have specific services on them.
10. Budget-based invoices without information or description of services.
11. Difficult to hold vendors accountable when contract language is vague.
12. For two years, "Teacher Corps", a program for a path to teacher certification, operated without proper authorization, background checks and many of the participants did not meet any basic requirements for classroom instruction.
13. Byrd said the Teacher Corps became the vehicle for Fletcher's largest misappropriation.