State Rep. Mark McBride wants Oklahoma AG to investigate whether the State Department of Education violated the Open Records Act by not providing him detailed travel records for State Superintendent Ryan Walters and his chief policy advisor. News 4 obtained records through an open records request filed with the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) after McBride’s request was insufficiently fulfilled by OSDE. McBride received a two-page spreadsheet showing Walters and Langston’s out-of-state trips between July 2023 and April 2024. However, records obtained by News 4 suggested discrepancies in the information provided by OSDE and OMES. While OSDE records showed Langston was reimbursed for eight trips, OMES only approved reimbursement for two of Langston’s trips, raising questions about the handling of travel expenses. McBride raised concerns about the lack of transparency and possible violations of the Open Records Act, prompting him to call for an investigation by the AG’s office. The lack of clarity surrounding the discrepancies and the agencies’ failure to respond to inquiries shows a need for further scrutiny into OSDE’s practices regarding record disclosure. Moving forward, McBride hopes the AG’s office will investigate the matter thoroughly to uncover any potential wrongdoing in the handling of travel records and expenses within the State Department of Education.
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