Multiple school buses fail inspection as Western Heights troubles deepen

Issues at Western Heights Public Schools have become dire with two and a half weeks left before the first day of school. 

Only two of the district’s school buses passed inspection this month, records show. That would not be sufficient to service the 2,600 students attending the southwest Oklahoma City district. 

Inspectors found myriad issues that caused several buses to fail inspection on July 20-21, including brakes, headlights, turn signals and windshield wipers not functioning properly.  

Some buses had oil and transmission fluid leaks, according to inspection records the Oklahoma State Department of Education provided to The Oklahoman. 

The district is mired in a power struggle between the state Education Department and the local school board — a conflict an Oklahoma County district judge on Monday called “petty and egotistically motivated.” 

Classrooms and educaiton:State intervention, audit of Western Heights school district begins

The state Education Department will “move heaven and earth” to have Western Heights ready for its first day of school Aug. 18, state schools Superintendent Joy Hofmeister said.  

Hofmeister said there are some in the district, including attorneys, who are slowing the process at a time where “every hour counts and every day matters.” 

“We will continue moving forward despite those who may seek to thwart this work,” she told The Oklahoman. “I think there are individuals that are clearly uninterested in losing a grip of power and may be financially motivated.” 

Less than a week after the buses failed inspection, a district transportation employee alleged a Western Heights administrator suggested a way to “bypass safety issues” found with the school buses, according to an email The Oklahoman obtained.  

The employee claimed to have overheard a conversation July 27 in which a senior administrator offered to call a school bus inspector who could rubber stamp the district’s inspection reports. 

Hofmeister confirmed the state Education Department is investigating the employee’s report. 

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Over the past two years, Western Heights has had abysmal academic results, lost hundreds of employees and teachers, and drew the ire of parents and the surrounding community, who have been furious with the district’s dysfunction.  

The Oklahoma State Board of Education suspended the certification of the district’s superintendent, Mannix Barnes, over allegations of poor financial management and retaliatory behavior. 

After a 90-day probationary period, the state Board of Education on July 12 took control of operations in the district and appointed an interim superintendent to lead Western Heights for the next year.

Western Heights school board members bucked the state’s authority and appointed an interim superintendent of their own choosing.  

The local school board chose Kim Race for the interim role, despite Race admitting in court documents she isn’t qualified to run a school district. 

Race said Western Heights is fully prepared for the start of the next school year. 

“Although we have a lot of minor items to fix, we are glad we do not have major issues to fix,” Race said in a news release Monday. “Even though we have more buses in our fleet than we actually need, we also have seven (7) more new buses on the way, we always want to be ready for any surprises.”

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Oklahoma County District Judge Aletia Haynes Timmons said the students attending Western Heights would suffer the most if state and school district officials can’t resolve their dispute over who is in charge. 

Attorneys for the state and school district came before the judge on Monday in a virtual court hearing. The state Education Department has asked Timmons to compel Western Heights to accept the state intervention. 

Jerry Colclazier, an attorney for Western Heights, has said district administrators wouldn't accept the state takeover unless a court order forced their hand. 

Timmons denied an attempt by Western Heights to have Monday’s hearing canceled over a procedural issue. Colclazier then asked for 20 days to respond to the state intervention — a request the state Education Department’s general counsel said was only “for the purposes of delay.” 

Timmons gave the district 10 days to file a response, postponing the hearing to Aug. 12. 

“I’m not giving you 20 days on the backs of these kids in Western Heights,” the judge said during the hearing. “Because if it goes that long, what happens in that district is going to materially affect their education for next year.” 

More:Western Heights school district rejects Oklahoma authority, appoints own superintendent

Reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel covers K-12 and higher education throughout the state of Oklahoma. Have a story idea for Nuria? She can be reached at nmartinez-keel@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @NuriaMKeel. Support Nuria’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.