OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — Twenty-four hours after the Oklahoma State Board of Schooling formally took management of Western Heights Public Faculties for one yr, the district’s Board of Schooling set a gathering for Thursday to rent their very own interim superintendent despite the fact that the state has already appointed one.
Tuesday, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Pleasure Hofmeister assigned an interim superintendent to the district to implement reforms the State Board of Schooling has put in place throughout an interim yr of direct management by the State Division of Schooling.
On the identical day, Western Heights Board President Robert Everman submitted a discover to the Oklahoma County Clerk of a particular assembly that had been referred to as with the primary agenda merchandise being to think about hiring their very own interim superintendent.
Western-Heights-BOE-Special-meeting
Warning
An unofficial supply exterior of the State Division of Schooling instructed Free Press that Hofmeister despatched an up to date letter Wednesday warning that the deliberate assembly Thursday to rent their very own interim superintendent can be “in violation of the State Board’s situations of continued accreditation, with which the District should comply.”
In accordance with our supply, Hofmeister’s letter additionally referenced images and video clips in information experiences Wednesday that appear to indicate a number of luggage of shredded monetary paperwork within the district’s dumpster close to the administration constructing.
In that very same letter, our supply says that Western Heights officers had been warned that destroying data after being notified of a coming state audit of district funds “could also be a violation of regulation and/or deemed to intrude with the authority and obligations of the State Auditor, the OSDE, and the State Board of Schooling.”
Already in hassle
Monday, the State Board of Schooling determined to maintain Western Heights on probation standing and to take management of the district for one yr. That implies that all actions of the district are topic to approval of the State Division of Schooling.
Western Heights had already been positioned on probation in April. Their attorneys challenged the authority of the State Board of Schooling to take action and misplaced in courtroom.
Western Heights Superintendent Mannix Barnes had his superintendent certificates suspended in June for retaliatory conduct towards employees, fiscal mismanagement, and poor efficiency. Serving within the position since 2019, Barnes couldn’t legally keep within the position having a suspended certificates.
But, the district Board of Schooling renewed his contract on the finish of June for 3 extra years and gave him a $25,000 “efficiency bonus.” The full legal responsibility to the taxpayers for that transfer rings in at round $1 million {dollars}.
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Final Up to date July 14, 2023, 8:59 PM by Brett Dickerson – Editor
The submit Western Heights officials defy state order – plan to hire own interim supt appeared first on Oklahoma City Free Press.
