Porter Again Suspended

The Oklahoma City Board of Education voted 6-1 today to suspend with pay embattled School Superintendent Dr. John Porter. The action came after District Attorney David Prater ruled that the board's previous meeting, earlier this week, violated the state's open meeting law.

Porter faces a February 6th hearing on his future employment. He faces 21 accusations ranging from unauthorized expense reimbursements to his treatment of district employees.

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Prater: Board Violated Open Meetings Act

Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said today that the Oklahoma City Board of Education's Monday meeting in which Superintendent John Porter was suspended violated the state's Open Meetings Act, but he does not plan to file criminal charges. It is unclear whether notes from the executive session in which the board discussed Porter's fate will be released, although Prater previously has said the notes would be made public should the meeting be deemed illegal.

The board meets at 3 p.m. today to again take up Porter's suspension.

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Hudson: I'll Resign If Porter Will

Cliff Hudson, Sonic's top man and chairman of the Oklahoma City Board of Education, offered to resign his chairmanship today provided suspended Superintendent John Q. Porter does the same.

In a statement, Hudson said late this afternoon he would resign his position for the greater good of the community and children of the district if Porter would do likewise.

"I'm not resigning," Porter said. "Above all else, this conflict is about two strong-willed people having a difference of opinion about the future of this school district and its governance," Porter said. "One of us is willing to resign his position and the other one wants to fight to keep his job."

Read the latest at www.newsok.com.

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Board Of Education To Reconsider Porter Vote

The Oklahoma City Board of Education on Friday will reconsider its vote suspending Superintendent John Porter because of what its attorney says was confusion over the time change of the meeting in which Porter was suspended.

The board voted 5-0 with one abstention Monday to suspend Porter with pay until a hearing in February into alleged financial irregularities by Porter.

Porter has denied intentionally misusing district money.

Questions have since come up about whether the board violated the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act. The Oklahoma County District Attorney's office is investigating claims the board didn't properly notify the public of the time change for the meeting and didn't have a detailed-enough agenda.

School Board attorney Robert McCampbell says the mistake was a "clerical matter" and even though the meeting was publicized in advance he's asking the board to meet again tomorrow afternoon and readdress the issue.

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