Oklahoma superintendent, husband suspended for misusing money

In McAlester, Oklahoma, you don't have to replace most of the school board to have it come to the conclusion that there is a problem when administrators are spending $300,000 for travel, attending conferences all over the United States, and charging the taxpayers for meals and other expenses.

KOTV is reporting that the McAlester School Board has suspended Superintendent Marsha Gore and her husband, Plant Operations Director Joseph Gore, for those transgressions, as well as Joseph Gore taking 37 professional days last year.

From the KOTV report:

The special public meeting brought out a crowd curious to hear the findings of board member Mike Sossamon.

In late October, the board asked him and the board attorney, William Ervin, to dig into some ongoing complaints - most of which accused the superintendent of using general fund money for other things.

“Dr. Gore continued her financial habits, which has placed the district in financial crisis," Sossamon said.

Some of those, originally found by the McAlester News-Capital, include administrators spending more than $300,000 on travel, food, and conferences.

The information doesn’t sit well with many living in McAlester, like Kimberlee Ott.

"I hate the idea of taxpayer money being misappropriated," she said. "This is our city, and nobody likes to be stolen from."
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