Ryan Walters announces $3 million request to buy the Bible for the Oklahoma School
Ryan Walters will announce a $3 million request to buy the Bible for an Oklahoma school at the OSDE board meeting Thursday.
Oklahoma City – Oklahoma education officials claim that all classrooms will have Bibles by fall, despite having no plans to give him $3 million that the state’s Republican-controlled Congress asked him to buy the book.
Whether that or the broader attempt by state school principal Ryan Walters is a broader attempt to require schools to teach from the Bible, it could rely on the outcome of multiple pending cases in Oklahoma courts.
Without providing details, Walters said at a press conference on May 16 that his agency has “already exhausted multiple paths” to obtain copies of the Bible. His remarks have resulted in legislative leaders and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced a contract for the fiscal year 2026 budget, denying Walters’ $3 million request despite a slight increase in funding for the Oklahoma Department of Education.
“Court can put the money there,” Walters said. “We have the Bible in every classroom this fall, so that will happen, so that’s why we’re doing it.
Conservative lawmakers across the country have led efforts to spread religious teachings to public school classrooms, including introducing the Bible to reading lessons and demanding that the Ten Commandments be displayed in classrooms.
In Louisiana, Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed a law in June 2024 that directs all public classrooms to post 10 commandments. The law was later blocked by federal judges who declared it unconstitutional and was also challenged by parents and several civil rights groups. In November 2024, Texas officials proposed a curriculum that incorporates teachings from the school’s Bible.
How the Oklahoma School District responded to Bible Orders
Walters issued an order to teach the Bible in public schools in June 2024. Most large Oklahoma school districts ignore the order between 2024 and 25.
Since then, Walters has made multiple attempts to purchase the so-called “Trump Bible,” backed by President Donald Trump, who spent up to $3 million in taxpayer money from his 2025 budget and received fees for support. Walters’ attempts to spend millions of dollars on the Bible meet pushbacks, but Walters’ agency bought 532 Trump Bibles for under $25,000.
Walters said on May 16 that he told Oklahomans he believed students needed to learn how Christian values built the history of the country.
“It’s definitely something I keep fighting for, until every child realizes that American history includes the Bible and includes Bible principles,” he said. “I mean, my goodness, you’ll have to walk around blindfolded throughout American history to not see it.”
The lawsuit seeking to purchase the mission and Bible is pending in the Oklahoma Supreme Court. As part of that case, the state’s top civil court has suspended Walters’ recent efforts to buy the Bible.
After the court order, Walters partnered with country music artist Lee Greenwood in a national campaign to encourage biblical contributions to classrooms in Oklahoma. When asked how successful the effort was, Walters offered no details, saying that only a “slight” Bible had been donated to the agency.
“This is amazing in our state and our country,” Walters said. “After saying, “I want my kids to understand the role the Bible has played in American history,” and then after we started taking this, if I started talking to people, it’s Oklahoma parents. We keep seeing individual generosity say, “Hey, if they’re going to fund it, we’ll be ponies.”
Oklahoma’s new academic standards include religious references
Walters also injected dozens of references to the Bible and Christian faith into the new Oklahoma Social Studies academic standards. These standards came into effect earlier this month when state senators and the House of Representatives disapproved them and refused to act on a resolution to send them back to the state board of education.
These standards, including 2020 election negative words slipped in by Walters, are the subject of lawsuits filed by a group of Oklahoma taxpayers represented by former state attorney general Mike Hunter. The lawsuit focuses on the methods Walters uses to advance the standards at its board meeting in February.
The lawsuit also addressed public concerns expressed by three new board members, saying Walters felt they had deceived them by making last-minute additions without notifying them or the public. Board members argue that they have not provided enough time to confirm the revised standards.
They were urged for voting on the standard after Walters accidentally said he had to vote that day to meet legislative deadlines.
Oklahoma County District Judge Brent Dishman set up a hearing on May 22 to consider a request for a temporary restraining order by the plaintiff.
The timing of the hearing saw that the monthly state board meeting, which was set for May 22, was moved to May 21. The agenda for that meeting must be posted at least 24 hours before the meeting.
Contribution: Thano Nguyen, US TOD
