Altus Times
WOSC sees spike in
Feb
concurrent enrollment
06
BY ZADIE CURRY
WOSC Director of Public
2020
Relations
Page Western Oklahoma
A09 State College ended the
Clip fall 2019 semester with
resized record breaking enroll-
59%
ment, the college an-
nounced Tuesday.
The Oklahoma State
Regents for Higher Edu-
cation have been able to
reimburse colleges the
tuition waived for seniors
enrolling in as many as
18 credit hours. WOSC’s
administration decided
to take the concurrent
program a step further,
offering waivers to high
school juniors, as well.
That caused a spike in
concurrent enrollment
last semester. More than
330 students in south-
west Oklahoma enrolled
concurrently at Western,
which is a 35 percent
increase from the pre-
vious year. Those stu-
dents came from 33 high
schools, including Epic
Charter Schools and lo-
cal home school chapters.
“Concurrent enroll-
ment is a huge benefit to
the students in our ser-
vice area,” said Chrystal
Overton, Western vice
president for academ-
ic affairs. “The ability
of students to complete
college courses while in
high school decreases the
time to degree comple-
tion while also allowing
students to leave college
with less debt.”
Overall, enrollment
was up 1.14 percent for
the fall 2019 semester.
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
This is the first increase
in enrollment the college
has experienced since
2016.
“Every day our insti-
tution focuses on enroll-
ment growth,” said Chad
Wiginton, WOSC presi-
dent. “As the population
of southwest Oklahoma
continues to decline, this
is an uphill battle for
Western. However, the
creativity of our campus
coupled with a customer
service mindset has us
moving in the right di-
rection. The majority of
Oklahoma colleges and
universities saw a de-
crease in fall 2019 enroll-
ment, so we are extreme-
ly proud of a modest
increase.”
For more information
on concurrent courses,
high school juniors and
seniors are encouraged
to visit with their school
counselors or principals,
or contact the Western
Admissions office at (580)
477-2000.
Western Oklahoma
State College is the old-
est original municipal
two-year college still in
existence in the state of
Oklahoma. Its mission is
to provide high quality
education, support stu-
dent success, and empow-
er individuals to become
productive members of
local, regional and glob-
al communities. Western
offers high-quality asso-
ciate degrees and certif-
icates to its five-county
service area and beyond.
For more information,
visit wosc.edu.
 Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise

CHARTER
SCHOOLS

State
Feb education
13
department
2020 fines Epic
Page $530,000
A007 By Nuria Martinez-Keel
The Oklahoman
Clip
resized Epic One-on-One vir-
39% tual charter school has
been fined $530,527 for
exceeding a legal limit on
administrative costs.
The Oklahoma State
Department of Education
will subtract the amount
from Epic’s appropriation
of state funds.
Epic Superintendent
Bart Banfield was notified
of the penalty on Jan. 23
in an email from the state
Department of Education,
as first reported by The
Frontier.
“(Epic One-on-One)
exceeded the allowable
limits on expenditures for
these purposes by 5.58%,
or $530,527.20,” the
email to Banfield stated.
“As a result, the OSDE
is required to assess a
penalty in the amount of
$530,527.20, which will
be deducted from the
District’s next State Aid
payment.”
Oklahoma school dis-
tricts with more than
1,500 students are
required to keep costs
for administrative ser-
vices at no more than
5% of their budget. The
$530,527 penalty equals
the amount Epic One-on-
One is in excess of the 5%
limit.
Epic spokeswoman
Shelly Hickman said a
coding error caused the
virtual charter school to
exceed the cap.
Epic officials mistak-
enly included principals
in the administration
category, she said. At
the same time, all of the
virtual charter system’s
administration was listed
under Epic One-on-One
rather than reporting
administrative costs of
Epic Blended Learning
Centers separately.
“It is our understanding
that EPIC is identified as
exceeding the admin-
istrative cap because of
a coding error and the
State Department of
Education requiring us to
list administration under
one charter rather than
allocate it appropriately
between our two char-
ters,” Hickman said in a
statement.

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 Enid News & Eagle
Feb
13
2020
Page
A003
Clip
resized
52%
Epic charter school penalized
for excessive admin costs
By Ben Felder
The Frontier
Epic One on One virtual char-
ter school has been penalized more
than $530,000 for exceeding the state
limit on administrative spending, a
limit imposed by state statute meant
to keep the bulk of state education
funding in the classroom.
Epic’s superintendent, Bart Ban-
field, was notified of the penalty
last month, according to an email
obtained by The Frontier through an
open records request.
The total penalty of $530,527.20
is based on Epic exceeding the allow-
able limits on administrative expen-
ditures by 5.58%.
School districts with more than
1,500 students are not allowed to
spend more than 5% of expendi-
tures on administrative costs, which
includes salaries for superinten-
dent, assistant superintendent or any
employee who has responsibility for
administrative functions of a school
district.
The amount will be deducted
from Epic’s next state aid payment,
according to the email to Banfield.
Thirteen school districts exceed-
ed administration spending limits
in fiscal year 2019, according to a
report from the State Department of
Education.
The penalties for the 12 other dis-
tricts averaged $19,468, with penal-
ties on school districts ranging from
$27.39 to $39,514. Epic’s penalty of
more than half a million dollars is 10
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
times more than any penalty issued
over the past three years, according to
documents obtained by The Frontier.
Epic claims the penalty is a mis-
take.
“It is our understanding that EPIC
is identified as exceeding the admin-
istrative cap because of a coding
error and the State Department of
Education requiring us to list admin-
istration under one charter rather than
allocate it appropriately between our
two charters,” said Shelly Hickman, a
spokeswoman for Epic and an assis-
tant superintendent at the school.
“EPIC administration serves both
charters so we don’t understand the
agency’s direction. It is also confus-
ing to us because the agency has us
allocate administration appropriately
between the two charters in annual
school personnel reporting. Amid this
confusion, we are exploring options,
which will likely include applying
for a statutory waiver from the State
Board of Education.”
However, state superintendent Joy
Hofmeister told The Frontier there is
no statutory waiver or appeal avail-
able to Epic.
“Even if there were, I wouldn’t
recommend it,” Hofmeister said in a
text message statement. “Epic wait-
ed until the 11th hour to certify this
data as accurate under penalty of law.
(The State Department of Education)
sent Epic a lengthy list of questions
on Dec. 20, 2019. Despite multiple
inquiries, Epic has yet to respond.
There is no confusion here. The pen-
alty will be enforced.”
Epic Blended combines
virtual and in-person
instruction at this site in
Midwest City. (Ben Felder /
The Frontier)
Epic One on One is a virtual
school authorized by the Statewide
Virtual Charter Schools Board, while
Epic Blended also combines virtu-
al and in-person instruction and is
authorized by Rose State College in
Midwest City.
Both charter schools are managed
by the company Epic Youth Services,
which receives millions in state fund-
ing from both schools.
Epic One on One expenditures in
2019 topped $90.2 million, with $5
million spent on administrative costs.
Epic Blended’s total expenditures
were $41.6 million with $164,950 in
administrative costs.
In 2018, Epic appeared to spread
out some of its administrative costs
between its two schools, as Epic One
on One spent $1.5 million on admin-
istrative costs, compared to $1 mil-
lion by Epic Blended.
Epic’s two schools now top 28,000
students and have drawn scrutiny in
recent years following rapid growth.
The school also has drawn the atten-
tion of Oklahoma State Bureau of
Investigation, where investigators
claim the school has falsified enroll-
ment records and that Epic’s founders
split at least $10 million in state fund-
ing that was sent to Epic.
Epic has denied any wrongdoing
and no charges have been brought
against the school or its employees.
The Frontier is a nonprofit focusing on investigative
and watchdog journalism. For more information or to
donate, go to www.readfrontier.org.
 Muskogee Phoenix
Feb
13
2020
Epic charter school penalized $530K
School accused of
Page exceeding state limit on
A006 administrative spending
Clip
resized By Ben Felder
52% CNHI Oklahoma
Epic One on One virtual charter
school has been penalized more
than $530,000 for exceeding the
state limit on administrative
spending, a limit imposed by state
statute meant to keep the bulk
of state education funding in the
classroom.
Epic’s superintendent, Bart Ban-
field, was notified of the penalty
last month, according to an email
obtained by The Frontier through
an open records request.
The total penalty of $530,527.20
is based on Epic exceeding the
allowable limits on administrative
expenditures by 5.58%.
School districts with more
than 1,500 students are not al-
lowed to spend more than 5% of
expenditures on administrative
costs, which includes salaries for
superintendent, assistant superin-
tendent or any employee who has
responsibility for administrative
functions of a school district.
The amount will be deducted
from Epic’s next state aid pay-
ment, according to the email to
Banfield.
Thirteen school districts exceed-
ed administration spending limits
in fiscal year 2019, according to a
report from the State Department
of Education.
The penalties for the 12 other
districts averaged $19,468, with
penalties on school districts rang-
ing from $27.39 to $39,514. Epic’s
penalty of more than half a million
dollars is 10 times more than any
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
penalty issued over the past three
years, according to documents ob-
tained by The Frontier.
Epic claims the penalty is a mis-
take.
“It is our understanding that
EPIC is identified as exceeding
the administrative cap because of
a coding error and the State De-
partment of Education requiring
us to list administration under
one charter rather than allocate
it appropriately between our two
charters,” said Shelly Hickman,
a spokeswoman for Epic and an
assistant superintendent at the
school. “EPIC administration
serves both charters so we don’t
understand the agency’s direction.
It is also confus-
ing to us because
the agency has us
allocate admin-
istration appro-
priately between
the two charters
in annual school
personnel report-
ing. Amid this
confusion, we are
exploring options,
which will likely include applying
for a statutory waiver from the
State Board of Education.”
However, state superintendent
Joy Hofmeister told The Frontier
there is no statutory waiver or ap-
peal available to Epic.
“Even if there were, I wouldn’t
recommend it,” Hofmeister said in
a text message statement. “Epic
waited until the 11th hour to certi-
fy this data as accurate under pen-
alty of law. (The State Department
of Education) sent Epic a lengthy
list of questions on Dec. 20, 2019.
Despite multiple inquiries, Epic
has yet to respond. There is no
confusion here. The penalty will be
enforced.”
Epic One on One is a virtual
school authorized by the Statewide
Virtual Charter Schools Board,
while Epic Blended also combines
virtual and in-person instruction
and is authorized by Rose State
College in Midwest City.
Both charter schools are man-
aged by the company Epic Youth
Services, which receives millions in
state funding from both schools.
Epic One on One expenditures
in 2019 topped $90.2 million, with
$5 million spent on administrative
costs. Epic Blended’s total expen-
ditures were $41.6 million with
$164,950 in administrative costs.
In 2018, Epic appeared to spread
out some of its
administrative
costs between its
two schools, as
Epic One on One
spent $1.5 million
on administrative
costs, compared
to $1 million by
Epic Blended.
Epic’s two
schools now top
28,000 students and have drawn
scrutiny in recent years following
rapid growth. The school also has
drawn the attention of Oklahoma
State Bureau of Investigation,
where investigators claim the
school has falsified enrollment re-
cords and that Epic’s founders split
at least $10 million in state fund-
ing that was sent to Epic.
Epic has denied any wrongdoing
and no charges have been brought
against the school or its employees.
The Frontier is a nonprofit focus-
ing on investigative and watchdog
journalism. For more information
or to donate, go to www.readfron-
tier.org.