Gov. puts ‘fiscal responsibility’ above school safety

In a display of campaign based politics, the Oklahoma House passed a proposal that would allow local school districts to raise property taxes in order to pay for storm shelters and safe rooms. The proposal, featured in Gov. Mary Fallin’s State of the State speech, runs counter to a proposal by Democratic State Rep. Joe Dorman, who is also running for Governor. Dorman’s proposal would allow a statewide vote on a $500 million bond issue to build shelters in public schools. Additional needed funding could be raised by districts using either public or private money.

House lawmakers voted 65-28 for the bill in spite of the concerns of opponents who said it would force voters to choose between keeping schoolchildren safe from natural disasters like tornadoes and holding the line on raising their property taxes. There are estimates that, if passed on a district-by-district basis, property taxes could rise as much as 30% to fund the shelters.

"I seriously doubt a single district will implement this," said Dorman, who helped spearhead the separate ballot initiative that would ask voters to decide a $500 million bond issue to pay for storm sheltersin publicschools.

The initiative petition, State Question 767, is the focus of a lawsuit filed in October by TakeShelterOklahoma and Kristi Conatzer, the mother of one of seven children killed when a massive tornado struck Plaza Towers ElementarySchoolin Moore in May. The lawsuit, filed with the state Supreme Court, alleges that Republican Attorney General Scott Pruit rewrote the title of the question in a manner that virtually assured it would fail to get enough signatures to make the ballot. The court heard arguments last month, but has not issued a ruling.

Supporters of the plan passed by the House said it is a responsible way for local school districts to provide for student safety. "We need more tools in the toolbox," said the bill's co-author, Rep. Mark McBride. R-Moore.

Opponents apparently believe that the tools would stay in the toolbox. In addition to the rise in property taxes, and the likelihood that bond issues would fail to make the 60% hurdle on tax increases, Dorman criticized the five-year time limit on the bonding authority. "You don't put a time stamp on it," Dorman said. "We didn't build a single shelter today."

Gov. Fallin issued a statement thanking House members for passing her proposal, saying, “It is a fiscally responsible, realistic plan that I believe will ultimately help to save lives.” The Governor didn’t address the fact that her proposal provides neither funding nor assurance that a single shelter will be built in a public school.

Faced with the legislature’s unwillingness to provide any state funding, the Oklahoma City Council passed a requirement that shelters be built in all new schools within the Oklahoma City limits. This affects the 26 school districts that serve the city to some degree, but only provides shelters in new construction.

The Oklahoman, in a February 28 editorial, noted that “either plan would result in years of unprotected schools because it would take years to build the shelters.” It added that “The council's vote reflects a new reality among politicians that school safety is a paramount issue in the wake of last May's tornado in Moore that took the lives of seven grade school students.”

The measure now goes to the Senate for consideration. Perhaps the Senators will recognize the “paramount issue” by endorsing Dorman’s plan to provide significant state funding to get shelter construction started without tying funding up in local elections and fiscal constraints.

by Rob Howard, Associate Editor, from AP dispatches and other sources.

The Gayly – March 14, 2014 @ 11:15am