The Oklahoma Bar Foundation is proud to announce a new grant program beginning this year that will aid court reporters who live and work in Oklahoma. The exodus of court reporters from our state is creating a crisis in access to justice. This grant is designed to address that crisis, helping retain Oklahoma’s court reporters.

Along with much of the nation, Oklahoma is already facing a critical long-term shortage of court reporters – their number has declined dramatically in the last decade. Many are leaving as they reach retirement age; at the same time, the number of students enrolling in court reporting school every year is plummeting. For instance, nationwide, over 1,100 reporters are retiring every year, while only 200 new reporters are joining the field. The decline is acutely felt in rural Oklahoma. Twenty-five of the 77 Oklahoma counties have no court reporters on staff at all, and in one rural area, only one reporter is covering up to five counties, according to Tonya Reynaert, an official court reporter for the state of Oklahoma.

Another issue affecting the exodus is low pay. Neighboring states like Texas and Kansas offer $8,000-$10,0000 more in salary for experienced reporters compared to Oklahoma. Further, court reporters are often required to purchase their own equipment for their jobs.

To help stem the tide of the loss of Oklahoma’s court reporters, this new grant is designed to encourage reporters to remain in their jobs past retirement age. The OBF will pay $15,000 over a three-year period to qualifying reporters who stay in their jobs for three more years. The payments should help encourage court reporters with more years of experience to stay, while at the same time, preserve those courtroom employees who are often keepers of local history and procedural knowledge.

This program is similar to another grant program set up several years ago, under which the OBF makes payments to newly hired court reporters who work in designated rural Oklahoma district courts. A payment of $15,000 is made to a court reporter who agrees to work for three years in a rural county. That program has proven to be a success, with 16 new reporters participating in the program.

Accurate, verbatim transcripts are critical for many aspects of the legal process, and court reporters will always play a vital role in the legal field. The Oklahoma Bar Foundation will continue to look for ways to play a role in protecting this crucial element of access to justice.

Ms. DeMoss is the executive director of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation.