OKCPS Board of Ed requests state investigation of Santa Fe South School

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Chris Brewster

OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — Oklahoma Metropolis Public Faculties Board of Training voted Monday evening to request an audit of Santa Fe South College funds. Santa Fe South is a constitution faculty group based by Chris Brewster, who’s the superintendent.

And Brewster advised Free Press late Monday after the Board motion that he has “no concept what’s going on with OKCPS.”

This comes after district officers had been stunned to listen to concerning the heavy monetary involvement of Santa Fe South and the Santa Fe South Growth Company within the failing Sovereign Group Faculties Constitution faculty throughout a particular Oklahoma State Board of Training assembly Friday.

The Santa Fe South Growth Company was fashioned to carry actual property bought to be used by the college which covers a number of campuses on the south aspect of Oklahoma Metropolis.

The official assertion from the district on the finish of Monday learn:

“Tonight, the Oklahoma Metropolis Public Faculties Board of Training voted unanimously following an government session to name for a particular audit by State Auditor and Inspector, Cindy Bryd, of Santa Fe South Constitution College for FY 2018-19 and 2019-20 and some other years deemed obligatory. The aim of the particular audit requested is to find out compliance with statutes, guidelines, insurance policies and inside management procedures. In mild of feedback shared on the OSDE Board of Training assembly on Friday, April 9, the Board felt this was an essential step to take as an authorizer of Santa Fe South.”

Oklahoma Metropolis Public Faculties is the present constitution authorizer for Santa Fe South and is requesting the audit as an entity answerable for oversight.

However, the college is because of switch to Rose State College as their authorizer on the finish of June. All constitution faculties underneath state legislation are required to have established faculties as authorizers. OKCPS is the authorizer for a number of constitution faculties.

The district is asking for an audit of Santa Fe South Constitution College as a result of that’s the solely entity the district has duty for.

Response

Free Press reached out to Brewster Monday after the Board assembly and requested for a response.

“To be clear, we don’t know what’s going on with OKCPS,” Brewster wrote in a message. “Nobody from the district, our authorizer, has contacted Santa Fe South previous to taking what appears to be very critical motion. At no time have they requested any documentation, requested any questions or shared any considerations. I’m trying ahead to sorting this out tomorrow. Once more, we have now not had any conversations with district employees, management or board members.”

Friday shock

Santa Fe South’s monetary dealings had been a shock to most who listened to the digital State Board of Ed assembly Friday. It was not broadly identified that Santa Fe South or Santa Fe South Growth Company had been concerned in offering loans and different help to Sovereign Group College.

The presentation by OKSDE Common Counsel Brad Clark raised questions concerning the shut relationship between Santa Fe South College and Santa Fe South Growth Company that has offered loans and different monetary help to Sovereign Group College, the subject of the presentation.

However, the similarities between Santa Fe South and Epic Constitution Faculties in group construction drew the eye of the OKCPS Board. Evidently, the similarities had been sufficient for a unanimous vote of seven of the OKCPS Board member current Monday evening.

Epic is in deep trouble after an audit by State Auditor an Inspector Cindy Byrd discovered an excessive amount of doubling up of duties by the identical small variety of people who had been approving their very own requests for the switch of state funds to a personal entity and never totally disclosing the expenditure of these taxpayer funds.

In October, the Oklahoma State Board of Training voted to demand reimbursement of $11 million {dollars} after State Auditor and Inspector (SAI) Cindy Byrd delivered an audit report on the constitution faculty and its related entities.

Then, the Oklahoma State Digital Constitution College Board voted shortly thereafter to start the termination course of for his or her sponsorship contract with Group Methods, Inc., the governing group for Epic One-on-One constitution faculties.

That is breaking information. Free Press will proceed to replace this story and generate information reviews as developments happen. Watch this area.


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