OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (NewsNation) — An Oklahoma school board unanimously shot down an application for the first taxpayer-funded religious charter school on Tuesday.
The Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board voted against an application to create St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, requesting further clarification on special education and conflicts in school governance.
Board members did not question the constitutionality of the school despite many people questioning the school’s proposal from the beginning, citing the separation of church and state. Especially since in recent years, Supreme Court conservative justices have widened religious rights in a series of rulings.
“If the board were to grant this application, it would for the first time permit the use of taxpayers’ dollars to fund religious education at a public charter school. This would violate both the law and the principle of religious freedom,” Senior Minister Lori Walke said.
Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters shared his opposing view, saying, “I know that you all have heard from a lot of different folks and you’ve heard from some radical leftists that their hatred for the Catholic Church blinds them in doing what’s best for kids. Their hatred for the Catholic Church has caused them to attack our very foundational religious liberties and attack this school and its application.”
Instead, board members focused on whether the proposal met board standards.
While the board voted against the school, Tuesday’s vote was not the end of the proposal — it was just a rejection of the religious charter school’s first application. Those proposing the school have 30 days to send in revisions of their application.
If approved, St. Isidore would be the first religious charter school in the United States.
A joint effort by the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and Diocese of Tulsa, the school would offer virtual learning from kindergarten through high school, enrolling up to 500 students in 2024 and eventually expanding to 1,500 students, organizers said.
They estimated that it would cost Oklahoma taxpayers up to $25.7 million over its first five years in operation as a charter school.
The Oklahoma school board will vote again in 30 days after reviewing the updated application.
Reuters contributed to this report.