[This article was originally delivered to subscribers of our Education Watch newsletter. Sign up now to receive Education Watch directly in your inbox.] In a recent phone interview with Gov. Kevin Stitt for a story about his track record on education, I was able to talk to the governor directly about the Bridge the Gap […]
Search results
Posted inNewsletters
Education Watch: The Biggest Education Stories of 2022
Stories on COVID-19 recovery, culture wars, book bans, and virtual schools were big in 2022.
Posted inEducation
Why $17.7 Million In Relief Money For Oklahoma Students Remains Unspent
Federal auditors found problems with Oklahoma’s COVID-19 relief programs for students. It’s causing delays in spending additional funds totalling nearly $18 million.
Posted inGovernment
State Officials Refuse To Release A Report On A Troubled Relief Program Where Parents Purchased TVs And Smartwatches
An attorney for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press says the state has given no valid reason to keep the report secret or delay its release.
Posted inEducation
Stitt Gave Families $8 Million For School Supplies in the Pandemic; They Bought Christmas Trees, Gaming Consoles and Hundreds of TVs
Oklahoma gave a Florida company a no-bid contract to distribute $18 million in pandemic relief money as a test-run for school vouchers. Now federal investigators are eyeing the deal.
Posted inNewsletters
Lawmaker Dismisses Lawsuit Over GEER Spending Records
A state representative who sued the state will soon receive the spending records on a COVID-19 relief program created by the governor in 2020. The Bridge the Gap Digital Wallet program used $8 million in federal funds to provide low-income families grants to buy school supplies in the pandemic. Our reporting with The Frontier and […]
Posted inEducation Watch
Governor’s $18 Million for Students Unspent in 2022
What happened to the second round of emergency education relief funding the federal government sent Gov. Stitt?
Posted inEducation
How Much Federal Relief Funds Have Oklahoma Private Schools Received?
State private schools have qualified for federal relief funds in several ways. Use our database to see what schools received funds through two of those programs.
Posted inPodcasts
Long Story Short: The Latest Watchdog Journalism on Public Funds and Policing
Topics: Oklahoma Watch’s open records lawsuit against the state. Investigating the governor’s use of federal education relief funds. Tulsa police’s handling of a 70-year-old woman in mental health crisis.
Posted inDemocracy Watch
With the Stroke of a Pen, Stitt Vetoes Government Transparency Proposal
After the state has loosened its financial disclosure requirements over the years, a proposal to add more transparency fails after Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoes popular legislation.
