This paucity of voters provides a great advantage for educators. A vocational technical issue on a general election ballot would be much more difficult to pass with the much larger voter turnout of the general population, many of whom do not have interests directly tied to education. Passage of this question will mean that taxpayers will pay this one mill increase for the next 20 years. Tulsa Technology Center has provided a good return to the citizens of Tulsa in providing skilled workers who expand the tax base. TTC spearheads many programs, such as the Welfare to Work, New Inmate and Manitou Juvenile Detention Center training programs, which help reduce the amount of public funds expended by social services.
Many unanswered questions remain, though, on the new proposed campus.
This commitment of public funds is designed to meet a Federal Aviation Administration regulation that may never be required, build a campus that has no proven need and expand facilities which other public and private schools may use for free. This action also comes at a time when the Oklahoma State Auditor's Office has received evidence which could result in criminal charges allegations that airplane parts purchased by Tulsa Tech have been improperly used to repair planes owned by private individuals. The school's ad valorem tax-based funding underwrites the education of people who then become property owners and taxpayers themselves. Presently, much of the training that Tulsa Tech feels it must offer is done by the employer once the student has his or her airframe and power plant certifications. Tulsa Tech believes that airlines will begin scaling back this training.