Tulsa Public Schools is responding to charges from Oklahoma’s auditor.
Cindy Byrd called a press conference in Oklahoma City Tuesday saying that the school district is delaying by two weeks via state law the release of a much-anticipated audit into the district’s finances.
“In my 28 years of conducting government audits — including countless school districts — no one has ever invoked this statute. Ever,” said Byrd. “Administrators could have told us of their intent to invoke this statute at any time over the past two years. Instead, their lawyer decided to inform us of this plan this morning.”
Byrd said the findings of the audit that’s been in the works for two years are “significant” and lambasted TPS administrators as throwing up “constant obstacles to mislead and delay investigators.”
Byrd said because of the “last minute legal maneuver” by TPS, she couldn’t answer questions at the press conference.
In a statement, Tulsa Public Schools refuted Byrd’s statements.
Here is the district's full statement:
Today, Tulsa Public Schools and members of its Board of Education met with representatives of the Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector’s Office to receive the results of the audit of the district. During these meetings, the state auditor’s office offered an overview of their anticipated findings.
Tulsa Public Schools did not pursue any legal action in response to the state auditor’s scheduled media appearance or report release. In fact, the district was made aware of the auditor’s plans via media reports. The statute (70 O.S., 5-127.1) in question provides for “at least fourteen (14) days prior to the release of the audit to the public.” During that time, a school district under audit may work in cooperation with the State Auditor’s office to offer any clarifying information or additional context that would be important for its stakeholders to have a full understanding of the facts. Additionally, the district does not have the full audit report, has not seen it, and does not make the decision when (or when not) to release it.
As we await the final report and supporting documents from the State Auditor’s office, we will continue to work in the cooperative spirit that Tulsa Public Schools has exercised since July of 2022. During that time, the district has welcomed the opportunity to revise and improve our practices and procedures and will continue to operate in a spirit of continuous improvement. In fact, Tulsa Public Schools has already refined and strengthened most of the areas raised by the state auditor’s office in their narrative today. Our primary focus has been, and remains, working on behalf of the young people we serve.
