The state’s multi-county grand jury on Tuesday blamed Gov. Kevin Stitt and state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters for the misspending of pandemic relief funds, without naming them specifically.
Grand jurors released a 31-page report after hearing testimony in September and October about Oklahoma’s GEER Fund programs.
Grand jurors did not return any indictments, saying they found insufficient evidence to determine beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime had been committed. They did say that their investigation “revealed deeply disturbing practices.”
GEER stands for Governor’s Emergency Education Relief. During the pandemic, the U.S. Department of Education awarded grants from the GEER Fund to governors to provide emergency learning assistance.
Grand jurors reported that the evidence showed that state officials ignored available administrative safeguards in favor of advancing a political and philosophical agenda.
“We find the gross negligence in the handling of federal grants and the utter lack of internal control and oversight of the grant-funded initiatives to be irresponsible, disappointing and indefensible,” the grand jury said.
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“Furthermore, the waste and misdirection of millions of dollars in emergency aid was easily preventable. This mismanagement prevented Oklahomans’ most vulnerable from getting the help they desperately needed during a global pandemic. Citizens deserve more from their government.”
The grand jury specifically accused the governor of not allowing the state Department of Education to be the budget manager of the GEER money for political reasons.
The grand jury specifically blamed Walters for misspending federal funds in a GEER Fund program called Bridge the Gap.
The goal of the program was to help children get supplies to learn at home during the pandemic. Some parents used the money from the program to buy things for themselves.
Grand jury criticizes Ryan Walters’ ‘blanket endorsement’ of vendors
The grand jury found that Walters, then director of a nonprofit organization, Every Kid Counts Oklahoma, gave a “blanket approval” to vendors who allowed parents to purchase non-educational items, including Christmas trees.
Due to an error in the law, grand jurors could not name Stitt or Walters in their report. Walters had not yet taken office at the time of the incorrect expenditure.
The grand jury relied on the state auditor’s findings that “$1.7 million was spent on various non-educational items such as kitchen appliances, power tools, furniture and entertainment.”
More: An Oklahoma man is asking a judge to stop Ryan Walters from spending public money on Bibles
Walters has criticized ClassWallet in the past, the out-of-state company hired to help disburse the federal funds.
The grand jury investigation into the GEER Fund programs has been long expected as Attorney General Gentner Drummond has blamed “state actors” for the misspending. Drummond’s aides are advising the grand jury.
Drummond made the statement about state actors in January 2023 when he dismissed the first state lawsuit against Kleo Inc., the Florida-based company doing business as ClassWallet. That lawsuit was filed by his predecessor, John O’Connor.
Drummond filed a second state lawsuit against Kleo Inc. in February. rejected, calling it a frivolous claim. He referred to Walters in a legal filing as “the person administering the program on behalf of the state.”
The second lawsuit was filed by an outside attorney and supported by Stitt. The governor criticized the resignation, saying: “The Attorney General has chosen to continue to hold political office in pursuit of personal ambitions, rather than representing the interests of the state.”
This is a development story.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Grand jury blames Ryan Walters and Stitt for misspending COVID funds
