Oklahoma to create first publicly funded religious school in the nation

for their kids, and we are committed to help provide them.”

On June 5, in a vote of three to two, the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board approved plans to publicly fund and create St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School.

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa applied for funding and will create the school.

“We are elated that the board agreed with our argument and application for the nation’s first religious charter school,” said director of the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma Brett Farley, according to an article by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. “Parents continue to demand more options

While religious schools have received some level of public funding in the past, it will be the first religious school in the nation to be fully funded by taxpayers. In the 2022 case Carson v. Makin, the Supreme Court ruled religious private schools could not be exempt from government funded programs, such as scholarships or tuition waivers. In the 2020 Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue case, the Courts ruled religious schools could not be exempt from voucher programs.

Following the decision, Gov. Kevin Stitt issued a statement applauding the board’s decision, calling it a win for religious liberty and educational freedom.

“Oklahomans support religious liberty for all and support an increasingly innovative educational system that expands choice,” Stitt said. “Today, with the nation watching, our state showed that we will not stand for religious discrimination.”

Attorney General Gentner Drum-