Oklahoma Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency investigating State Department of Education

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma's Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) is beginning an investigation into the State Department of Education.

House Speaker Charles McCall, who greenlit the investigation, shared the following statement.

"LOFT is designed to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent responsibly by state agencies, making them the ideal entity to examine any concerns related to spending at OSDE," McCall said. "This investigation by LOFT allows us to address these concerns efficiently without the need for a costly special legislative session. I trust that Chairman Wallace, and LOFT, will conduct a comprehensive review that will provide clarity on the issues at OSDE and offer solutions to ensure that taxpayer funds are managed appropriately. I fully support this process. Additionally, my office will be sharing all relevant information with Attorney General Gentner Drummond regarding any potential violations of the Open Records or Open Meeting Acts by OSDE. We are committed to transparency, and the findings from this investigation will be made available to the public.”

LOFT Chairman Rep. Kevin Wallace said the investigation is not about Ryan Walters, it is about, “the transparency of a State Agency and getting answers for our constituents."

You can read Wallace's statement in full below.

"In my capacity as Chairman, I intend to have LOFT investigate funding disbursement concerns raised by both citizens and legislators in regard to funds earmarked to OSDE for specific purposes," Wallace said. "This isn’t about Superintendent Walters; this is about the transparency of a State Agency and getting answers for our constituents. When the Legislature approves funding for a specific purpose, it is incumbent on the agency to which those funds are allocated to spend them properly and in a timely manner. If there are issues with disbursements being made, that information should be communicated to the Legislature well before schools are incumbered. I look forward to using the processes and procedures available within LOFT to address the concerns that have been raised with OSDE funding, and will conduct a thorough, transparent investigation to provide answers to my fellow legislators and the citizens of Oklahoma."

LOFT is a state agency in the legislative branch that helps the Oklahoma House and Senate.

They give budgetary recommendations to the LOFT Oversight Committee to use in setting the funding of state government, higher education and public schools.

FOX23 will continue to provide updates on the investigation as new updates become available.