Epic Charter School superintendent resigns after major cuts to staff, facilities

OKLAHOMA CITY — Amid mass layoffs of educators, the superintendent of Epic Charter School has resigned.

The virtual charter school announced Monday that Bart Banfield has stepped down after six years in charge. Deputy Superintendent of Instruction Justin Hunt will lead the school in the interim while Epic’s governing board searches for a permanent hire.

Banfield led Epic during multiple turbulent periods while the school weathered criminal investigations, a forensic audit, a threat of closure and up-and-down enrollment. 

“Bart Banfield’s leadership has helped shape our school and strengthen its mission to provide an exceptional, personalized education for students across Oklahoma,” Ginger Casper, president of Epic’s school board, said. “We are grateful for his contributions and wish him continued success in his future endeavors.”

During Banfield’s tenure, Epic rapidly grew into the largest school district in Oklahoma in 2020 as families sought online schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Epic, now the state’s third-largest district, has experienced declining enrollment ever since, which contributed to pay cuts and layoffs in October. District officials at the time said they overestimated their yearly enrollment by 4,000 students.

This month, the school eliminated 357 teaching and administrative jobs in the latest round of staff cuts. It will close its in-person learning centers in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, as well.

The Statewide Charter School Board, a small state agency that oversees Epic and other Oklahoma charter schools, is investigating, spokesperson Shelly Hickman said. As Epic’s charter authorizer, the statewide board oversees the school’s finances, academic performance and organizational structure.

Staff for the statewide board are checking financial records and interviewing staff at Epic, Hickman said. The aim is for staff to present their findings to the statewide board this summer to review whether the school has maintained fiscal integrity and whether it is complying with its charter contract, she said.

Epic’s finances have been under the microscope for several years. The school’s co-founders, Ben Harris and David Chaney, were charged in 2022 with embezzlement, racketeering and a litany of other financial crimes stemming from their leadership of Epic.

Harris and Chaney deny allegations that they wrongfully pocketed millions of taxpayer dollars intended for Epic students. Former Epic CFO Josh Brock also was charged in the case and has agreed to testify against the co-founders in exchange for no prison time.

Banfield succeeded Chaney as Epic’s superintendent in 2019. He first joined Epic in 2014 as assistant superintendent of instruction.

Harris and Chaney, whose company was paid to manage the school, remained intricately linked with Epic until 2021, when the school’s governing board cut ties with them and their business.

While facing threats of closure from the state, Epic’s governing board and Banfield’s administration implemented financial, organizational and transparency reforms that converted the school into a self-run entity without an outside company involved in its management. Until 2021, Harris and Chaney’s company had run and profited from Epic since they founded the school in 2011.

Hunt, who is now interim superintendent, experienced the transition along with Banfield. He was hired in 2017 as managing director of instruction and became deputy superintendent of instruction in 2021.

“Mr. Hunt brings with him a strong commitment to Epic’s mission and a deep understanding of our community’s needs,” Casper said. “We are confident that his leadership will ensure continuity and stability as we move forward.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include information on a Statewide Charter School Board investigation into Epic.