Provenzano Pushes for Legislative Action in Wake of Epic Grand Jury

OKLAHOMA CITY — Rep. Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa, released the following statement today after an Oklahoma multicounty grand jury released a report regarding their investigation of Epic Charter Schools. The report cited many concerns, including a lack of oversight and transparency.

“The interim report released by the multicounty grand jury echoes the findings of our state auditor as well as the insights that parents and teachers have shared over the last several years.

“The active unwillingness to explain how tax dollars are being spent on students continues to be the status quo.  Why do we continue to allow it?

“As recommended by the grand jury in their report, The Oklahoma Legislature could and should take steps to pass legislation to mandate increased transparency and accountability when private for-profit companies manage our public schools.  No bill introduced this session doing so received a hearing. This report highlights the fact that the company continues to stall in its sharing of how taxpayer dollars are being spent on students of the school.

“With as much information as we have available, this report is as much about the Legislature’s inability to provide proper oversight as it is about one individual company.

“Millionaires have been made off public dollars meant to educate children. We can do better than this.”