Lawmaker questions Ryan Walters’ purchase of Bibles outside of bidding process
By Dacoda Wahpekeche
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OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma (KOCO) — Some Oklahoma lawmakers are worried about how State Superintendent Ryan Walters purchased Bibles outside of the normal bidding process.
Last week, the Oklahoma State Department of Education bought hundreds of Bibles to send to high school classrooms across the state.
The Bible purchased, the God Bless the USA Bible, is endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump.
Some say Walters’ actions are worrisome.
“Unfortunately, this goes against the very faith that I was taught growing up,” said Rep. Jared Deck.
Deck sounded the alarm after the department purchased more than 500 of the Bibles.
KOCO 5 purchased one of the Bibles, which contains the traditional books of the Old Testament and New Testament, but also contains a copy of the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence.
KOCO 5 showed the book to Deck, who expressed his disapproval.
“These documents in the back are not scripture,” Deck said. “He wants to treat scripture as if it belongs in the classroom.”
State Rep. J.J. Humphrey spoke to KOCO 5 saying he hadn’t seen that version of the Bible before but is happy to see Bibles being inserted into schools.
“They’re historical and they’re a part of our government,” Humphrey said.
Deck said a purchase order from the Office of Management and Enterprise Services shows that Walters and the Oklahoma State Department of Education bought 532 of the Bibles, spending just under $25,000.
Had the department spent more than $25,000, a bidding process and vendor would have been required.
“The real problem here is he is continuing to just try to skirt the edges of the law in order to prove a point that he just wants to campaign,” Deck said.
“This is politics. You go right where you can go up to the line. He’s toeing the line – as long as he doesn’t go over that and do anything illegal, that’s fine. It just adds more questionability,” Humphrey said.
Humphrey questions why specifically the God Bless the USA Bible was chosen, saying he understands concerns about tailoring to a specific religion and adding that it’s important to respect others and their beliefs.
“I think that what we should do is sit down as a state and we should come up with a curriculum that all of us can agree on,” Humphrey said.
Deck said Walters’ moves don’t do that.
“What he’s doing is a one size fits all religious indoctrination of our kids against the will of not only the legislature but also against the parents everywhere,” Deck said.
The Oklahoma State Department of Education was on a multimillion-dollar search for 55,000 Bibles with specific requirements, but KOCO 5 could not find any other Bible that would fit their standards.
Walters and the department canceled that search, but said they will be starting the process over again soon.
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