Records: Walters paid assistant, press secretary massive bonuses during final days in office

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Former State Superintendent Ryan Walters handed out two more five-figure, taxpayer-funded “performance bonuses” to top staff in his final days in office, including one to a press secretary who had only been on the job a matter of weeks.

About a week passed between the time Walters announced his resignation on Fox News on September 24 and when he officially left office on September 30.

During that week, new records obtained by News 4 reveal Walters gave out two large taxpayer-funded performance bonuses to staff at the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

Among them was his executive assistant Lexie Flanagan.

Flanagan graduated from McAlester High School in 2016—when Walters taught U.S. history there.

Oklahoma Watch previously reported Walters gave Flanagan a $9,000 bonus earlier this year.

Now, the new records obtained by News 4 show Walters gave her an additional $15,000 “performance bonus”.

The records show Walters also gave press secretary Madison Cercy a massive payment on his way out the door.

Cercy only joined OSDE in July. She graduated college one year prior, according to her LinkedIn profile.

She did not respond to any of the numerous press inquiries News 4 sent her during Walters’ time in office.

Despite that, records show Walters awarded her a $10,000 performance bonus—also sometime between Sept. 22 and his last day in office, Sept. 30.

Both Flanagan and Cercy left OSDE not long after new State Superintendent Lindel Fields took over in early October.

Walters was no stranger to handing his staff unexplained payouts.

In April, News 4 reported Walters gave former communications director Dan Isett a final paycheck for more than $75,000.

“It is appalling to see a payout this size effectively creating a golden parachute for somebody who’s separated from an agency for unknown reasons,” Rep. Andy Fugate, D–Del City, told News 4 in April.

Last December, Walters gave his Texas-based chief advisor Matt Langston a bonus of more than $40,000.

In February, Walters gave his incoming chief of staff Matt Mohler a first paycheck for nearly $50,000.

“That is a lot of money,” Rep. Daniel Pae, R–Lawton, told News 4 in April. “I am personally concerned, not just as a lawmaker, but as a citizen of the state.”

Last week, News 4 reported Walters gave both Mohler and Langston nearly $30,000 each in the final days before all three of them left OSDE for good.

News 4 asked new Superintendent Lindel Fields about the payouts during an interview this week.

“Is there anything you can do retroactively on those things to get that money back, if it’s appropriate? Or, going forward, can we expect those kinds of things to continue on a staff departure?” News 4 asked Fields.

“So, I can understand how that can be frustrating to read, to read those things,” Fields responded. “I don’t think there’s anything we can do to claw, claw those things, things back. So as frustrating as it may be, we just have to move forward. So, I don’t, I don’t anticipate there’ll be any surprises moving forward with folks that we bring on.”

Fields also told News 4 he has replaced many of Walters’ staff with his own hires, who he says he now trusts to help carry the State Department of Education forward.