Muskogee Phoenix
Cuts: Competition rising
from online charter schools
Dec $POUJOVFE
GSPN
1BHF

29 Muskogee received $19.9 mil-
lion at the end of 2019 school
year, nearly $16.2 million at
2019 the end of 2018 and $15.8
million at the end of 2017.
Page MPS Marketing and Com-
A006 munications Director Steve
Braun said that over the
Clip past two years, 261 students
resized transferred or moved to
49% Hilldale Schools, 58 to Fort
From Gibson schools and 26 to Ok-
A001 taha.
Over two years, MPS also
lost 253 students to online
charter schools, including 204
to Epic One-on-One Charter
Schools and 41 to Oklahoma
Virtual Charter Academy.
Muskogee Superinten-
dent Jarod Mendenhall said
Muskogee Public Schools
must compete in the charter
schools market. He cited Epic
as the main example.
“They play a good game,”
Mendenhall said. “They take
attendance through being
online.”
Oklahoma Department of
Education lists Epic as the
seventh largest “district,”
with 17,106 students in De-
cember.
However, Mendenhall said
Epic has low test scores and
a low high school graduation
rate.
According to Oklahoma De-
partment of Education School
Report Cards for 2019, Epic
Charter High School, Mid-
dle School and Elementary
School each received a D in
academic achievement, but
an A each in students with
good attendance.
State Report Cards showed
Muskogee High School, Alice
Robertson Junior High and
six elementaries earning a D
in academic achievement; To-
ny Goetz and Creek elemen-
taries earning a C and Sadler
Arts Academy earning an A.
Mendenhall said other dis-
tricts are having the same is-
sue with online schools, such
as Epic.
Hilldale Superintendent
Erik Puckett said Hilldale
lost 20-25 students to online
schools in the past year.
“But we also have our own
virtual school, which I think
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
helps keep some of them that
might go other places,” he
said.
Fort Gibson School Super-
intendent Scott Farmer said
the district is seeking accu-
rate figures from the state
on how many Fort Gibson
students use online charter
schools.
“The reason that’s hard
to find is because kids who
go to a virtual academy no
longer have to transfer from
our school,” Farmer said.
“They can go without telling
us. If somebody moves into
the school district who never
went to school here, they can
enroll in Epic or Oklahoma
Connections Academy and
we’d never even know it.”
He said he wants accurate
figures so Fort Gibson offi-
cials can tell those parents
the district also offers online
education.
Mendenhall said Musk-
ogee’s online education pro-
gram is used for alternative
education and credit recov-
ery.
“We are currently in the
process of evaluating addi-
tional courses that can be
taught online and virtual
opportunities to middle
school students in grades six
through eight,” he said. “We
hope to offer these opportu-
nities as soon as next school
year.”
He said MPS seeks to stem
enrollment loss by getting
students engaged in their
schools and to take “own-
ership” of their education.
Co-curricular and extracur-
ricular activities help keep
students excited and en-
gaged, he said.
“Students taking owner-
ship in their education but
also in their school will give
them a sense of investment,”
Mendenhall said.
He said recent passage of
the $110 million bond issue,
called the “Made for More
Student Investment Plan,”
could help give students a
sense of pride in their school.
He said students also could
understand “that their com-
munity is invested in their
success and growth.”
 Clip
Dec 2019 Page resized
29 A06 99%

Tahlequah Press

EPIC Charter Schools announce

winners of “A” teachers awards
OKLAHOMA CITY –
Epic Charter Schools an-
nounced its “A” teacher
award winners at the an-
nual faculty and staff
awards ceremony at the
Embassy Suites Hotel and
Conference Center in Nor-
man.
Area educators hon-
ored include: Adonna Mc-
Cord, Hulbert; Paul
McCord, Hulbert; Char-
lotte Wood, Tahlequah;
and Jeanann Floyd, West-
ville.
“A” teacher award
winners are those teach- “This group of out-
ers who meet the high- standing educators are the
est standards in terms best of the best,” Banfield
of attendance, student said. “Their level of dedica-
achievement and reten- tion and hard work is the
tion. More than 160 re- standard to which every
cipients were honored for teacher should hold them-
this achievement today at selves. We are so incredibly
Epic’s proud of their success.”
Epic Superintendent Awards were presented
Bart Banfield said the by Epic Superintendent
group of “A” teachers Bart Banfield, and Epic
honored represent the Co-Founders Ben Harris
academic excellence and and David Chaney.
commitment to student For more information,
service for which Epic visit www.Epiccharter-
stands. schools.org.

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 Clip
Dec 2019 Page resized
30 A001 85%
The Norman Transcript
Documents provide insight
into Epic charter’s expenses
By Ben Felder
The Frontier
Oklahoma’s largest vir-
tual charter school spends
millions on technology,
office facilities, testing sites
and salaries, while a large
amount is funneled to a
for profit company with no
state oversight.
Expenses paid to various
vendors are revealed in a
line item register received
through an open records re-
quest of Epic One-on-One
Charter School, providing
new details on how the
fast growing virtual school
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
spent more than $90 mil-
lion in state funding during
the 2018-19 school year.
While the documents
show some new details, it
also shows more than $21
million going to the for-
profit company Epic Youth
Services.
On Aug. 23, 2018, a $7.9
million payment was made
to Epic Youth Services LLC
for “management fees.”
On Dec. 21, 2018, a $13.6
million payment was made
to Epic Youth Services LLC
for the “student learning
fund.”
Epic has been accused
by some of exorbitant
spending and is currently
under investigation by state
investigators for falsifying
enrollment records and
embezzling funds through
See EXPENSES Page A6
 Clip
Dec 2019 Page resized From
30 A003 66% A001

The Norman Transcript

Precision defensive in eastern Syria, includ- Trump. conference.

Youth Services are not avail- vide insight into teacher and
Expenses: On the web
To review Epic’s finances, so
able, the documents from
Epic One-on-One provide
administrator salaries.
Epic did not immediately
From Page A1 some insight into which provide comment for this
to http://bit.ly/39nLzPf companies, nonprofits and article, including answers
the for profit company. consulting groups do busi- to questions about whether
Epic Youth Services, Epic officials, who deny all ness with the school. payroll comes from other
which is owned by Epic co- wrongdoing, have said Epic Cushing-based Beasley accounts.
founders David Chaney and Youth Services LLC pays Technology received nearly
Ben Harris, has been ac- $2.5 million for technol- The Frontier is a nonprofit, in-
for extracurricular activi- dependent news source based in
cused by an Oklahoma State ties and additional learning ogy services and almost
Bureau of Investigations Tulsa. Frontier content is repub-
opportunities, but those $600,000 was spent on lished in the Transcript through
official of making unlawful records are not made public office facilities and testing a special content agreement. For
payments to vendors and by the school. sites. more information on The Frontier,
students’ families. While expenses by Epic The documents also pro- visit readfrontier.org.

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.