By REP. JOE DORMAN on Sep 5, 2013, at 2:29 AM Updated on 9/05/13 at 4:37 AM
Forty-seven lives were lost during the storms that hit our state this tornado season, including seven students at Plaza Towers Elementary in Moore. Those children died as a result of inadequate shelter in their school.
The death toll could have been lower if suitable shelters were widely available. A discussion is under way to decide how best to provide funding for construction of secure on-site shelters for Oklahoma schools.
On Tuesday, part of the question was answered when the Legislature decided to not take action on storm shelter availability or school security issues during the current special session. Now, it will be up to Oklahoma voters to sign a petition for providing funding for more shelter to Oklahoma schools.
Oklahoma schools are funded through various local, state and federal dollars, but upgrades to facilities come through local bonds voted upon by the registered voters in that school district.
These bonds are capped at property limits within that district so tough choices must be made. I do not blame the local school boards or administrators for this problem as our schools are struggling to keep enough class space available and teachers employed with their current resources.
Lawmakers have done little to nothing to address the needs of schools or the community. On March 12, with 59 dissenting votes, I unsuccessfully attempted to amend House Bill 2032 - the income tax-cut package - to roll back percentages of this cut for disaster funding.
Following the May 20 tornado, I attempted to fund two shelter programs within the Oklahoma Office of Emergency Management, one for schools, the other for individual rebates. My original proposal, an attempt to fund $400 million for a bond package to provide grants for storm shelters, along with $100 million for individual and private shelters, was ignored and shuffled off to a proposed interim study to be held on Oct. 31.
With negativity towards bond issues by legislative leadership at the state Capitol, work will need to be done to use our rights as citizens to take this issue to a vote of the people. Through the initiative petition process, Oklahomans will decide if funding storm shelters is worthy of a newly proposed constitutional amendment to allow $500 million to be used by Oklahoma schools through a statewide bond package.
Taxes will not need to be raised to pay for such a project, because the current Oklahoma Franchise Tax can be dedicated to cover this debt service of about $30 million annually.
The remaining funds from the franchise tax, estimated to be about $10 million annually, will be placed in another fund in the Oklahoma Office of Emergency Management to provide rebates for individuals and businesses for storm shelter construction. Another $500 million can be leveraged with existing federal dollars through FEMA for a three-to-one match, providing almost $2 billion for our local schools, again, without raising a single cent in taxes.
In addition, this program can be renewed in the future so schools not currently in need of shelters will receive the benefit in the future as new construction occurs.
As Oklahomans, we must decide if this proposal is worthy of allowing for this shelter bond program to go to a vote of the people. I agree with the arguments that schools have many financial needs, but storm shelter and security standards are necessary.
I feel this issue must be viewed as similar to an insurance policy: You hope you never have to use it, but you are sure glad you have it when catastrophe strikes. When the next tornado strikes a school, won't you be glad the school was better equipped to protect those students?
Joe Dorman, a Democrat, is a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. He lives in Rush Springs.
Original Print Headline: Oklahoma schools need better tornado protection
Reader Forum
The incarceration rate in Oklahoma is among the highest in the nation with approximately 26,000 people behind bars at any given time.
The Nov. 28, 2008, Tulsa World published my Readers Forum piece, "Antietam," in which I reported on a visit my then-8-year-old grandson, Stevie, and I made to Antietam battlefield in rural Maryland.
