OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Tens of millions of dollars meant to prevent the next school shooting and keep away other threats will be distributed by the end of the week.
That’s according to an internal email sent by the next speaker of the Oklahoma House to other state lawmakers.
Millions of dollars in state funds dedicated to preventing the next school shooting has been sitting unspent and in limbo for more than a year.
Now according to an email sent out by incoming Speaker of the House State Rep. Kyle Hilbert, he has been guaranteed by Walters the funds will go out by the end of the week.
State lawmakers passed a bill last year after the school shooting at a Nashville private school that would open up funds to school districts throughout the state to help them hire school resource officers and buy other tools to help prevent similar tragedies from happening in Oklahoma.
Fifty million dollars to be given out for three years.
This year is year two with another $50 million open for use.
But earlier this month, lawmakers were contacted by districts saying the State Department of Education was refusing to release the unspent funds, saying it was meant to be spent last year and OSDE wasn’t sure if it could roll over.
Despite lawmakers insisting the funds be released and saying their legislation allowed for it, Walters asked Drummond to make sure the funds were still good.
Drummond released an expedited legally binding opinion chewing out Walters for withholding these funds, saying in part... “Those wasted months have resulted in school districts not receiving millions of dollars in funds they could have used to bolster security and protect students. I pray that your failure to deploy these funds does not result in deadly consequences.”
He went on to say the department also advised school districts their funds were available for carryover throughout the three-year program period but, arbitrarily and without notice, reversed course and zeroed out the district balances.
And finally the opinion corrects the department’s mismanagement that prevented school districts from receiving an equal distribution of program fund and an error that, in Walters’ own words, concerns and puts at risk the safety of schoolchildren.
These misspent funds were just one of the allegations of misconduct brought against Walters when a group of House republicans asked the Speaker of the House to start an investigation into any wrongdoings of Walters.