Epic still growing despite official inquiry
Epic Charter Schools will receive nearly $113 million in state aid funding this fiscal year as enrollment at the virtual charter school continues to experience rapid growth despite allegations from state investigators that the school embezzled millions in state funds.
Administrators at Epic are confident enrollment will reach 30,000 students at some point in 2019, Superintendent Bart Banfield said during an Epic school board meeting last week.
State schools Superintendent Joy H of meister said the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation instructed the state Department of Education to continue funding Epic as usual for the 2019-20 school year.
Epic is a public charter school that receives funding for each student enrolled.
“It is very clear that the message (from the OSBI) is children are attending school and there is certainly a desire to not have a disruption to services for them,” Hofmeister said.
Reaching 30,000 students would make the virtual charter school one of the largest districts in the state. Only Oklahoma City Public Schools and Tulsa Public Schools would exceed Epic' s enrollment, with about 45,000 and 39,600 students, respectively.
Epic' s enrollment reached 24,091 students across al l 77 Oklahoma counties as of last week. Ban field said August and September are commonly the school's two fastest-growing months for adding new enrollees.
“I definitely know that there's a great desire for families or they wouldn't be enrolling,” Hofmeister said. “I definitely think it calls for reflection on why families would choose something different from the traditional path or model. But I also think one of the things we need to reconcile is that virtual learning is here to stay and we have to keep up with t hat demand. Our focus is going to be helping ensure that students are being served in a way that is going to make them successful.”
Epic' s total enrollment grew by more than 60% last year, said Shelly Hickman, assistant superintendent for communications. She said the virtual charter school doesn't expect its growth rate to match last year's, but it still forecasts robust growth in 2019-20.
“We attribute all of this to the fact that one size does not fit all when it comes to public schools,” Hickman said in a statement. “While traditional brick and mortar schools are a great fit for a huge segment of the po pulat ion, there are some Oklahoma families for which it is not working and they are looking for an option that meets their needs.”
Enrollment in Epic' s One-on-One program grew by 39.2% since Aug. 1, 2018, when it had 10,521 students in the onlineonly program, Ban field said. Epic' s Blended Learning program, which combines online and in-person classroom learning, increased from 6,267 students in 2018 to 9,444 in 2019.
Epic counts every student in Oklahoma County and Tulsa County from pre-K through 12th grade among its blended learning enrollment, even though the blended learning centers only serve elementary grade levels.
Epic' s growth has persisted throughout the OSBI investigation, which began in 2013. Investigators recently alleged Epic embezzled millions in state funds by inflating its enrollment counts with “ghost students,” who received little or no instruction from Epic, according to a search warrant filed July 16 in Oklahoma County District Court.
These students were dual-enrolled in Epic while being homeschooled or attending private and sectarian schools, according to the search warrant. The OSBI also alleged Epic cofounders David Chaney and Ben Harris illegal ly pocketed $10 million in state funds.
Epic has denied any wrongdoing.
Epic's board approved its 2019-20 budget last week and anticipated about $90.45 million in revenue for its One-on-One program. About $70 million of that revenue will come from the state.
Epic Blended is expecting a total of $66.3 million in revenue this fiscal year, with state aid contributing $42.8 million.
The 2019-20 budget plans for $ 86.81 million in One-on-One expenditures and $63.66 million in expenditures for Epic Blended.
Epic has advertised on TV, radio and in print, including advertisements in The Oklahoman. The school set aside a marketing budget of nearly $1.36 million this year.
The virtual school has hired 526 new teachers to accommodate projected enrollment counts, and now employs 1,422 staff members statewide.
Epic is setting up micro-sites in Edmond, Norman and Blanchard to serve as meeting locations for students and teachers. Epic's board approved an $8.4 million budget solely for leased space over this fiscal year.
The school is in the process of renovating an entire floor in the 50 Penn Pl ace complex at 1 900 Northwest Expressway. Banfield said during the board meeting t hat 5 0 Penn will become a central location for Epic students and staff in Oklahoma City.
“This facility, when it's all said and done, is going to be as progressive of a learning environment and working environment that you've ever seen,” Banfield said. “I've seen the architectural renderings, and it's going to be special. … This space is going to be fantastic. It gives us a lot of flexibility and a lot of autonomy to be able to continue to meet the growing demands for our school.”