In what he called an “expedited” opinion issued Sunday, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said the Oklahoma State Department of Education must immediately send school districts security funds that have been withheld by the agency because of a legal disagreement with the state Legislature.
State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters, who leads the education agency, requested the opinion Aug. 12 after news reports surfaced that the OSDE was refusing to let school districts keep unused dollars from the School Security Revolving Fund. The Legislature created the fund, which is part of the School Resource Officer Program , after a deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022. Under the initiative, the education agency was directed to distribute $50 million annually to school districts over a three-year period.
Drummond’s formal opinion carries the force of law, absent a court ruling. It supports the contention of legislative leaders that districts can carry over the funds from one year to the next. As of July 1, the revolving fund has a balance of $128 million, Drummond said.