By the end of the week, tens of millions of dollars aimed at preventing future school shootings and averting other threats will be distributed.
In an internal email sent to fellow state lawmakers, the future speaker of the Oklahoma House confirms this information.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued a firm and legally binding opinion, expressing concern that the delay in distributing these funds by State Superintendent Ryan Walters may potentially jeopardize the safety of children.
State funds allocated for preventing future school shootings have remained unutilized and in a state of uncertainty for over a year, amounting to millions of dollars.
In an email sent out by State Rep. Kyle Hilbert, the incoming Speaker of the House, he received assurance from Walters that the funds would be distributed by the end of the week.
Last year, state lawmakers in Oklahoma took action following a school shooting incident at a private school in Nashville. They passed a bill that aimed to provide funds to school districts across the state. The objective was to help them hire school resource officers and acquire necessary resources to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in Oklahoma.
A total of fifty million dollars will be distributed over a span of three years.
In the second year, we have an additional $50 million available for use.
Lawmakers were recently contacted by districts who reported that the State Department of Education had declined to release the remaining funds. The department claimed that the funds were intended to be spent last year and expressed uncertainty about whether they could be rolled over to the current year.
Walters requested Drummond to verify the validity of the funds, despite lawmakers affirming their release and confirming that their legislation permitted it.
Drummond wasted no time in issuing a scathing legal opinion to Walters, reprimanding him for withholding the funds. In the strongly worded document, Drummond expressed his frustration and concern over the delay, emphasizing the impact it had on school districts. He stated, “The months that were squandered have deprived these districts of millions of dollars that could have been utilized to enhance security measures and safeguard students. I sincerely hope that your failure to allocate these funds does not lead to tragic consequences.”
The department, he mentioned, also informed school districts that their funds could be carried over throughout the three-year program period. However, without any warning, they unexpectedly changed their stance and completely depleted the district balances.
The opinion addresses the department’s mismanagement, which hindered equal distribution of program funds to school districts. According to Walters, this error is concerning and jeopardizes the safety of schoolchildren.
A group of House Republicans has called upon the Speaker of the House to initiate an investigation into the alleged misconduct of Walters, which includes the mismanagement of funds.