Walters Statement on Warning and Request for Remediation from Mid-Del - More Than a Half Million Dollars to be Returned to Taxpayers

Oklahoma City, Okla – State Superintendent Ryan Walters has issued the following statement regarding OSDE notifying Mid-Del schools that the district has improperly spent federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) funds on “athletic lawn services.”  As the purpose of the program is to prevent, prepare for, and respond to, the coronavirus, OSDE has determined, in consultation with the US Department of Education, that $573,588 in federal funds expended by Mid-Del for “athletic lawn services” are not allowable expenses under the CRRSA/ESSER II fund. Consequently, Mid-Del must return the misspent federal funds. 

“Taxpayers expect and deserve that our schools will be good stewards of the hard-earned resources they devote to administering our schools,” said Walters. “In this case, Mid-Del has broken the public trust and spent more than a half million dollars on a pet project rather than addressing the immediate academic needs of our students. Under my administration, OSDE has vigorously pursued the interest of parents and taxpayers to hold districts accountable for every dollar allocated to ensure they are spent properly. I trust that Mid-Del will come into compliance quickly, and we can get the district back on track toward focusing spending on academic excellence.” 

Attached: Letter of Warning and Request for Remediation