Schools; allowing the School Security Revolving Fund to be used for certain purpose; requiring funds to be allocated for certain fiscal years, subject to availability. Effective date. Emergency.
SB1251 expands the uses of Oklahoma’s School Security Revolving Fund. Under the bill, the State Department of Education could continue using the fund not only for school resource officers and physical security upgrades, but also for contracting with a licensed mental health professional to provide counseling and social services to students. The measure also removes the existing annual expenditure cap and instead directs that, subject to available funding, up to $50 million be allocated each fiscal year for three fiscal years beginning July 1, 2026.
The bill creates a continuing appropriation framework for the fund and specifies that money may come from state and federal reimbursements, grants, gifts, donations, bequests, and legislative appropriations. It also states that the fund must supplement, not replace, existing school security funding. The act is set to take effect July 1, 2026, and includes an emergency clause, which would make it effective immediately upon passage and approval.
SB1251 would amend 70 O.S. Supp. 2025, Section 5-148.2, governing the School Security Revolving Fund. It broadens authorized expenditures to include student counseling and social services through licensed mental health professionals, while preserving existing uses for school resource officers and security infrastructure such as cameras, gates, lighting, locks, doors, windows, geofencing, ballistic storm shelters, and mobile panic alert systems. The bill also changes the funding structure by removing the prior expenditure limitation and requiring equal distribution of up to $50 million per year among all public school districts for three fiscal years, subject to available funding.
The available voting history suggests generally favorable committee support, with the Senate Education Committee advancing the bill 8-3 on a DO PASS AMENDED vote. The bill’s framing around school safety and student support indicates broad policy appeal, especially among supporters of expanded security and mental health resources. The presence of an emergency clause also suggests proponents view the measure as urgent.
The main point of contention appears to be the scale and structure of the funding commitment. Some lawmakers may have concerns about removing the prior expenditure limitation and mandating a large annual allocation, even though the bill conditions spending on available funding. Another likely issue is whether the fund should be used only for physical security measures or also for mental health counseling and social services, which expands the program beyond traditional security uses. The 8-3 committee vote indicates there was some opposition, likely centered on fiscal concerns or the scope of the fund’s authorized purposes.