OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A federal audit report sharply criticizes Oklahoma officers for an absence of transparency, oversight and accountability in utilizing coronavirus support funds that had been supposed for coaching.
The state, which acquired virtually $40 million in pandemic assist for the Governor’s Emergency Coaching Discount, or GEER, Fund, has already returned higher than $919,000 that was unspent from this method.
The US Division of Coaching’s Office of Inspector Frequent report dated Monday recommends the state return virtually $653,000 additional that was spent on non-education related devices resembling televisions and Xbox gaming strategies by households that acquired grants. The doc moreover requires the state to audit one different $5.4 million for potential refund of misspent funds, and develop increased administration and internal controls of the spending.
“Oklahoma could not assist its mentioned processes for awarding funds to eligible entities that had been each most significantly impacted by the coronavirus, as determined by the State, or deemed necessary for ending up emergency tutorial suppliers, providing childcare and early childhood coaching, providing social and emotional assist, or defending education-related jobs,” based mostly on the report.
“In consequence, Oklahoma lacks assurance that its awards to some entities beneath these initiatives … aligned with the intention of the GEER grant fund,” the report mentioned.
A spokesperson for Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, Kate Vesper talked about the report is being reviewed.
“The governor is devoted to transparency and accountability in state authorities,” Vesper talked about. “The state has been proactive in monitoring and ensuring relevant use of Oklahoma taxpayer {{dollars}}, and an internal audit was initiated a variety of months previously, that is ongoing for the Oklahoma GEER funds.”
The state blamed ClassWallet, the contractor employed to handle the functions, nonetheless that was rejected by the OIG.
“(The state) did not benefit from an accessible ClassWallet internal administration risk, nor did it perform a overview of the initiative’s expenditures,” based mostly on the report. “As a result of the recipient of the GEER grant funds, Oklahoma was chargeable for ensuring that its grant funds had been used accurately.”
The internal administration risk might have been used to limit expenditures to educational-related solely devices, the report talked about.
The OIG reported that $8 million in GEER funds allotted to the Oklahoma State Division of Coaching “aligned with the intention of the CARES Act to assist” tutorial functions.
The OIG talked about Oklahoma has taken some corrective steps, nonetheless has not addressed recommendations that it provides documentation or an in depth written rationalization of the tactic used to award the grants.
Ken Miller, The Associated Press