Ryan Walters Seeks $3M for Bibles in Oklahoma Classrooms

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters started September’s State Board of Education (OSDE) meeting by requesting a budget increase for the next school year. Specifically, Ryan Walters seeks $3 million to supply Bibles to all classrooms in the state. Other budget requests include allocating money for training school personnel to carry concealed weapons and recruiting veterans and former law enforcement officers to teach. 

“We have talked about ensuring that our history courses include the role the Bible played throughout American history,” stated Walters during Thursday’s meeting. “We’ve talked about the efforts of left-wing groups and the teacher’s unions to drive the Bible out schools.”

If granted, the new allocation would be in conjunction with an existing $3 million that the department had previously set aside for the initiative. 

Ryan Walters wants bibles in public schools

House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson responded to Walters’ request in a press statement.

“He wants to use millions in public taxpayer dollars to fund religion in public schools—something the majority of Oklahomans are adamantly against,” Munson said. “There are major gaps in funding public education in Oklahoma, and yet the State Superintendent continues to abandon the needs of our public school districts to push for policies that do not benefit teachers, students or families.”

History of Oklahoma Schools and Christianity

Elected officials and constituents have debated the legality of requiring the Bible and Christian ideology in Oklahoma public schools several times in 2024 alone. During this year’s legislative session, Rep. Jim Olsen (R-Roland) filed a bill that would have required the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms statewide. The legislature failed to pass the bill, and it never reached the Governor’s desk. Despite pushback, Walters later passed a memorandum that the Bible and the Ten Commandments must be worked into school curriculums. 

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In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools was unconstitutional. Despite potentially violating the Establishment Clause, Oklahoma leaders continue to promote state-sponsored religious influence. 

OSDE v. KFOR

On Monday, Oklahoma City NBC news affiliate KFOR filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. This comes after the station had been continuously denied access to OSDE meetings which are notoriously difficult to access. 

The meeting room only allows for 49 people, including Department of Education staff and the press. Those who don’t secure their spots early enough listen in from the hallway or an overflow room. Many people have pleaded during public comment to move the meeting to a more suitable location. Both citizens and news publications have questioned if the lack of access violates the Open Meetings Act. 

In a surprising turn of events, KFOR announced their legal battle ahead of Thursday’s meeting. On Wednesday, an Oklahoma District Judge granted KFOR’s temporary restraining order, allowing them access to the September meeting. 
KFOR reporter Spencer Humphrey reached out to OSDE Press Secretary Dan Isett for comment on the litigation. “We don’t respond to fake news organizations,” responded Isett.