Bixby Public Schools demands Ryan Walters apology for 'inaccurate and malicious statement' (2024)

Two days after State Superintendent Ryan Walters lashed out at Bixby Public Schools’ superintendent, the Tulsa-area suburban school district issued a demand for a public apology and retraction of an “inaccurate and malicious statement related to our district’s finances.”

Rob Miller, Bixby’s superintendent drew Walters’ ire this week for going public about a significant delay in notices to schools about their federal funding allocations.

Miller tweeted about the issue on Sunday, questioning when his district would receive its initial Title I allocation.

After a Tuesday state board of education meeting, Walters lashed out, calling Miller a clown and a liar.

“He knows every year when he gets the Title I funds, and we’re dealing with all kinds of financial problems with his district that we’re hoping to address right now,” Walters said, among other things.

A Friday afternoon press release by BPS cited its most recent annual audit, with no material findings, and its AA-Stable bond rating.

“In conclusion, Bixby Schools unequivocally refutes Superintendent Walters’ false and reckless claims about our district’s financial status. His baseless defamation of the dedicated professionals at Bixby Schools is unacceptable and intolerable.

“On behalf of the BPS community, we demand an immediate public apology and retraction of Mr. Walters’s defamatory comments. We urge our community and stakeholders to stand with us in this demand. We are resolute in defending our reputation and will not rest until justice is served.”

The local school board president also told the Tulsa World Walters owes the entire district an apology for making false claims about its fiscal position and management.

“I am extremely disappointed in Mr. Walters’ name-calling and false accusations on Bixby’s financials. In my opinion, he owes our district an apology,” said Tristy Fryer, president of the Bixby Public Schools board of education.

“As a former Bixby educator and parent, and now the current BPS board president, I take our financial responsibility very seriously. The board is diligent in ensuring that we are good stewards of taxpayer dollars. Ultimately, this is about the kids. In BPS, we aim to meet the needs of each student to set them up for success.”

A Tulsa World review of Bixby’s most recent annual audit report includes only one recommendation: That a payroll clerk be covered by a surety bond to protect the district, although not required by statute.

The Tulsa World has verified with a half dozen other districts that the state’s public schools have yet to receive any notice from the Oklahoma State Department of Education about their federal Title I allocations for the fiscal year that began July 1.

A few other superintendents have taken to social media and even contacted the Tulsa World to back up Miller’s claim and share their concerns for how the delay is affecting their school district’s preparation for the upcoming school year.

Each year, the federal government distributes billions of dollars in Title I grants for school districts based on the number of low-income children they serve. The funding is intended to help address those students’ extraordinary academic needs, with such things as more teachers, tutors and school counselors.

School officials from across the Tulsa area — not just Miller — said the lack of official notice has affected their ability to budget, plan and hire for the academic year beginning in the next few weeks.

Walters claimed that his staff had told him for over a decade the timing of the initial allocation notices in question has been the “Same time every year — at least late August.”

Miller has since told the Tulsa World what Walters seems to be referring to is the actual funding going out in late July or August, not the initial Title I funding allocation notices that serve as the basis for budget building and planning and hiring of employees for which school districts need assurances of funding sources for their salaries.

“We are adding a third Title I school site here in Bixby, that now meets that threshold (for the percentage of low-income students). It’s new to us and it’s a complicated process – we have to bring all of the principals in and talk about the best use of those resources. The deadline for submitting your plan is Sept. 30, then we’re a month into school, and you’re talking about maybe we need to bring in additional people.”

Miller has also followed up on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, by posting a link to Walters’ own state agency website, which still has the final notice of initial Title I allocations sent out to school districts under Walters’ predecessor, Joy Hofmeister.

It is dated May 5, 2022.

The pressure seems to be working. As on Friday afternoon, the state’s Office of Title Service sent an email to districts promising that all federal allocations — not just Title I — will be published “on or before August 16, 2024.”

“The Office of Title Services is in the process of calculating and verifying in-state allocations for the 2024-2025 school year. These calculations are extremely complex and the process is painstaking. OTS is making every effort to ensure accuracy prior to public release,” states the email. “All things being equal, (school districts) can expect a similar percentage change to their allocations.”

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