IRS Flags Potential Excess Benefit Transactions at Epic Charter Schools, State Criminal Trial Looms - Oklahoma Watch The IRS has identified potential excess benefit transactions between Epic Charter Schools and its founders' for-profit management company, even as it allowed the school to keep its nonprofit tax statu...

Newly obtained records reveal the scope and ongoing nature of the IRS investigation into Epic Charter Schools’ past governance and payments. ow.ly/t9f250YIuto

Shoutout to The Oklahoman, Yukon Progress and @tulsaworld.com for sharing with their readers my latest report @oklahomawatch.bsky.social. I’m excited to be part of this non-profit newsroom focused on providing in-depth and investigative journalism as a public service for all Oklahomans.

Ad Blitz: Parents Targeted in Push for Early Literacy Overhaul - Oklahoma Watch A 95-year-old Tulsa philanthropist is spending nearly $1 million on a statewide ad campaign urging parents to pressure lawmakers to strengthen Oklahoma's reading laws. John Brock, a retired oil and ga...

Want to know more about the statewide ad campaign targeting parents about school reading policies? Hear from Secretary of Education Dan Hamlin, who previously advised the 95-year-old Tulsa man funding the whole thing, plus Senate Education Chair Adam Pugh. oklahomawatch.org/2026/03/27/a... #oklaed

Who's filling your Facebook feed with Oklahoma reading crisis ads? Meet John Brock, the philanthropist behind the push.

https://ow.ly/k9xS50YzEFB

Drummond Sues State Board Over Handling of Jewish Charter School Application - Oklahoma Watch Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has gone to court to force the Statewide Charter School Board to issue a complete rejection notice to a Florida-based Jewish charter school applicant, arguin...

“To be clear, the Board’s refusal to list all of the reasons for rejecting the revised application is not coincidental. It is a deliberate decision designed to avoid issues of state law when Ben Gamla files a lawsuit.” — OAG Gentner Drummond oklahomawatch.org/2026/03/11/d...

Andrea Eger is joining Oklahoma Watch! She is an award-winning investigative and education reporter who has been a staple of Oklahoma journalism for over two decades. We are very excited to have her on our team!

https://oklahomawatch.org/

Former CFO testifies Epic founders paid to recruit candidates to run against critics Two of the state’s top political consulting firms were paid for services that included recruiting candidates to run against the state auditor and a former state senator, former CFO says. #oklaed

A former CFO testified Wednesday that Epic Charter Schools’ founders paid two of the state’s top political consulting firms for services that included recruiting candidates to run against their critics. tulsaworld.com/news/article...

Tulsa-area public schools challenged by state's historic decline in students Tulsa leaders say private school choice, fear of immigration sweeps, a slowdown in population growth and steady increases in homeschooling are behind a historic decrease of nearly 11,000 public school...

Tulsa leaders say private school choice, fear of immigration sweeps, a slowdown in population growth and steady increases in homeschooling are behind a historic decrease of nearly 11,000 public school students. #oklaed tulsaworld.com/news/local/e...

Many schools closed Monday following winter storm, expected cold Multiple area districts, charter schools and post-secondary institutions have canceled Monday's classes, including OSU-Tulsa and Broken Arrow Public Schools.

Multiple area districts, charter schools and post-secondary institutions have canceled Monday's classes, including OSU-Tulsa and Broken Arrow Public Schools.

New state superintendent, area lawmakers convene in Tulsa State Superintendent Lindel Fields, Oklahoma Secretary of Education Dan Hamlin and more than a dozen Tulsa-area legislators turned out for Tulsa Public Schools’ annual legislative breakfast. #oklaed

Proposed legislation to mandate more instructional days, holding back any 3rd-grader not reading on grade level & performance bonuses for only select teachers were top-of-mind for local students & educators who met with state policymakers on Friday morning in Tulsa. tulsaworld.com/news/local/e...

State board wants to banish Walters' rule on U.S. Naturalization test for new teachers The Oklahoma State Board of Education wants to end Walters-era requirement for new teachers to pass the U.S. Naturalization Test, saying it doesn't help chronic teacher shortage. #oklaed

The Oklahoma State Board of Education took another step Thursday in disentangling state policy from former State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ legacy. tulsaworld.com/news/article...

New state investigation of Epic IDs lingering governance, accounting, student Learning Fund concerns Outside auditors said they found a school in “fiscal crisis” that had wiped out its carryover funds amid a hiring spree and other unchecked spending, but no misappropriation of funds. #oklaed

New, state funded investigation of Epic Charter Schools once again red-flagged deficiencies in school board oversight, internal budgeting and accountability for school property purchased with taxpayer funds for student learning needs. #oklaed tulsaworld.com/news/local/e...

Tulsan using art to give back to nonprofit coffeehouse where he found belonging Michael R. Thomas found so much more than coffee in She Brews’ welcoming community decided to do something to give back this holiday season.

One local man who found so much more than coffee in She Brews’ welcoming community decided to do something to give back this holiday season. tulsaworld.com/news/local/a...

Former National Teacher of the Year back at Union to grow the next generation of teachers Led by Teacher Leadership Specialist Rebecka Peterson, Union High School’s Future Educators’ program puts aspiring teachers “in residency” in classrooms across district school sites in Tulsa and Broke...

“We can’t cross our fingers & hope for the best anymore. We have to be so proactive in this environment.” — 2023 National Teacher of Year Rebecka Peterson, who returned to spearhead grow-your-own aspiring teacher program amid OK’s chronic teacher shortage. #oklaed tulsaworld.com/news/local/e...

Teacher coaching, bilingual students help schools meet English learner needs amid teacher shortage More than 10% of #oklaed students were receiving English language learner services at school as of Oct. 1. In Tulsa Public Schools alone, 38% of students were current or former multilingual learners l...

English learners are one of the fastest growing student populations in Oklahoma, yet educators with specialized certifications to serve them are scarce.

Some local schools and teacher preparation programs are leaning into the challenge. tulsaworld.com/news/local/e... #oklaed

Epic Charter Schools closing learning centers, slashing 357 jobs Cuts announced Monday affect the Tulsa- and Oklahoma City-area Epic learning centers that offered full-day, in-person instruction and meal services for breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday. #okla...

Cuts announced Monday affect the Tulsa- and Oklahoma City-area Epic learning centers that offered full-day, in-person instruction and meal services for breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday. #oklaed tulsaworld.com/news/local/e...

Supreme Court blocks creation of Oklahoma Catholic leaders' proposed religious charter school A divided U.S. Supreme Court voted 4-4 in the appeal of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which was a test case of the separation of church and state.

A split 4-4 vote by the U.S. Supreme Court revealed Thursday morning leaves intact an earlier ruling by Oklahoma's highest court that proposed Catholic charter school St. Isidore is unconstitutional. #oklaed tulsaworld.com/news/local/e...

A career teacher newly appointed to the Oklahoma State Board of Education raised concerns Wednesday about the state’s ever-growing reliance on underqualified, emergency certified teachers. #oklaed tulsaworld.com/news/state-r...

Oklahoma's per-pupil spending now dead last in region as teacher compensation slips Nationally, only Idaho and Utah had a smaller per-pupil spending rate.#oklaed

New state-by-state comparisons reveal that Oklahoma’s per-pupil spending is dead last among surrounding states and that the average teacher compensation in public schools has slipped to 38th in the nation. #oklaed tulsaworld.com/news/local/e...

See what questions U.S. Supreme Court justices had during St. Isidore arguments Justice Samuel Alito questioned whether Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond's opposition to the Catholic charter school might be "motivated by hostility to religion." #oklaed

Inside the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, one justice accused Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond of “hostility to religion” while three others questioned how taxpayer funds could ever be used to proselytize through a religious charter school. tulsaworld.com/news/state-r...

Separation of church & state at risk as OK case goes before SCOTUS this week: Win for nation’s first religious charter school would represent “the most radical change to religious freedom under the First Amendment in American history,” one expert believes. tulsaworld.com/news/local/e...

State Senate moves to disapprove controversial social studies standards The resolution had to be filed Thursday to meet normal legislative calendar requirements for passage by next Thursday, when the standards become effective barring action by the Legislature. #oklaed

A resolution disapproving controversial social studies and science standards for Oklahoma public schools was filed late Thursday by Senate Education Committee Chairman Adam Pugh, R-Edmond. tulsaworld.com/news/state-r...

Opponents of religious charter school: St. Isidore poses threat to all public charters Advocates who helped establish and expand public school choice are warning the Supreme Court that St. Isidore’s case is based on the false belief that a charter school is anything other than a public ...

Focus on SCOUTS appeal by St Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School has been separation of church/state, but original policymakers & leading advocates warn entire case based on false claim that a charter school is anything other than a public school. tulsaworld.com/news/local/e...

Bixby school board selects insider to succeed Rob Miller as superintendent Lydia Wilson, who has spent more than three decades as a teacher, school and district administrator in Bixby Public Schools, has been named the district's next superintendent. #oklaed

NEW TUESDAY NIGHT: A 37-year veteran educator with Bixby Public Schools has been named the rapidly growing suburban school district’s next superintendent #oklaed tulsaworld.com/news/local/e...

Superintendent Ryan Walters takes separation of church-state group to federal court Oklahoma's state superintendent has sued to put a halt to the Freedom from Religion Foundation's written objections to daily prayers, Bible verse reading in small school district of Achille. #oklaed

Superintendent Ryan Walters sues in federal court separation of church-state group that raised parent concerns about prayer and Bible verse reading during class time in a small southeastern Oklahoma school district #oklaed
tulsaworld.com/news/state-r...

Bixby Superintendent Rob Miller announces candidacy for state superintendent “I am not running against Ryan Walters. I am running for the families and students of Oklahoma. Whoever else decides to get in the race, that’s fine," Miller said. #oklaed

“I am not running against Ryan Walters. I am running for the families and students of Oklahoma. Whoever else decides to get in the race, that’s fine," Miller said. #oklaed

St. Isidore agrees to not open for 2025-26, regardless of SCOTUS decision Even if the proposed religious charter school prevails at the U.S. Supreme Court, Catholic leaders in Oklahoma say it would be too late to open in August 2025. #oklaed

NEW FRIDAY: Even if the proposed religious charter school prevails at the U.S. Supreme Court, Catholic leaders in Oklahoma say it would be too late to open in August 2025. #oklaed tulsaworld.com/news/local/e...

Oklahoma Tax Commission trying to 'recapture' $5 million in private school tax credits Tulsa World also obtained records showing state ended agreement with a vendor and added 20 new employees to directly operate the Parental Choice Tax Credit Program. #oklaed

Tulsa World also obtained records showing state ended agreement with a vendor and added 20 new employees to directly operate the Parental Choice Tax Credit Program. #oklaed

Oklahoma Tax Commission trying to 'recapture' $5 million in private school tax credits Tulsa World also obtained records showing state ended agreement with a vendor and added 20 new employees to directly operate the Parental Choice Tax Credit Program. #oklaed

Tulsa World also obtained records showing state ended $4M agreement with vendor & added 20 new employees to directly operate the Parental Choice Tax Credit Program. #oklaed tulsaworld.com/news/local/e...

Oklahoma Tax Commission trying to 'recapture' $5 million in private school tax credits Tulsa World also obtained records showing state ended agreement with a vendor and added 20 new employees to directly operate the Parental Choice Tax Credit Program. #oklaed

Tulsa World also obtained records showing state ended $4M agreement with vendor & added 20 new employees to directly operate the Parental Choice Tax Credit Program. #oklaed tulsaworld.com/news/local/e...