TULSA, Okla. — The State Board of Education voted Monday that Epic Charter Schools must return $11,235,919 within 60 days following an investigation by the State Auditor's Office, according to state education officials.
READ MORE: State auditor conducts audit investigation into Epic Charter Schools
The more than 100-page report, for audit years FY2015-FY2020, alleges Epic Charter Schools designed an administrative system inconsistent with the Oklahoma Charter School Act and its charter agreements, according to State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd.
EPIC Superintendent Bart Banfield said the school plans to look into the state's calculations.
It's no secret we dispute some of the SAI's material findings and have requested through an open records request its work papers to review their calculations so we can go beyond our initial audit response to exercise our due process and debunk these calculations.
EPIC is not perfect. No school is. But the dedication of EPIC's 2,100 employees working here to get things right and improve our processes is. We know more than 60,000 students and their families are counting on us to work with the State Department of Education to resolve issues and we will not let them down.
READ MORE: EPIC Charter Schools refutes state audit report, parents unbothered by butting heads
Epic Charter Schools also stated last week that the audit's findings were "presented with over-the-top sensationalism guaranteed to stir up defenders of the education status quo because we are growing, and they are struggling."
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