Burrage Reynolds
State Auditor Steve Burrage said Thursday his office is refunding Broken Arrow Public Schools $41,000 of the cost of a controversial state audit.
He's also starting an investigative audit of the school district, at Attorney General Drew Edmondson's request.
Controversy swirled around the audit after an unofficial and unapproved draft of the document was released before an exit interview with school officials. State law forbids the release of such an audit until two weeks after an exit interview.
Burrage said Thursday the unauthorized release is one reason he has delayed releasing the official audit for publication.
He said he also is concerned that the independence of the special auditor who performed the audit may have been compromised.
Rep. Mike Reynolds (R-Oklahoma City) held a news conference at the state Capitol Thursday afternoon, blasting Burrage's failure to release the document as soon as possible.
No one has admitted distributing the draft audit. Burrage said he has contacted authorities, including Edmondson, and is investigating its unauthorized and premature release.
He said Thursday he may release the controversial audit after the investigative audit of the school district is completed.
