Parents React To State Superintendent’s Request For $6 Million To Fund Bibles In Classrooms

Parents are speaking out after Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters requested additional funding to place Bibles in public school classrooms. This week, the State Department of Education asked for an extra $3 million, on top of the $3 million already allocated, to provide King James Version Bibles in Oklahoma classrooms. Walters presented the request as part of his $4.1 billion budget proposal for the 2026 school year, which also included funding for school security and paid maternity leave.

"I was speechless. Like $6 million for Bibles. We have kids who can't read, kids who are graduating out of our schools that aren't ready for college, kids who can't afford breakfast or lunch," said Elizabeth Ridgway, a mother of four, two of whom attend Oklahoma Public Schools, where she also works.

Ridgeway believes the money could be better spent on supporting teachers.

"They have Amazon wish lists where they're struggling just to get parents to buy supplies," Ridgway added.

Walters defended the initiative, stating that the Bible is being introduced as a "foundational historical document" in classrooms.

Sean Scotney, a Christian Republican and veteran with six children, believes the responsibility of teaching the Bible belongs to parents, not the state.

"In a state where we struggle to pay teachers a livable wage, extra money going towards, you know, Bibles, towards something that is explicitly abandoned in the Constitution, just doesn’t make sense," Scotney said. "I really don't feel like it's the state's job to be mandating how that's to happen. We are focusing on the wrong things here in Oklahoma."

While some are critical of the proposal, others online have voiced support, stating that the Bible is an important historical text in American history. The state legislature will have the final say on the proposed budget.