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Oklahoma Changes Criteria for Bible Bids

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Oklahoma Changes Criteria for Bible Bids


This article was originally published in Oklahoma Voice.

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma State Department of Education’s request for bids from Bible suppliers, which many speculated would result in the purchase of Bibles affiliated with former president Donald Trump, has been changed at the urging of another state agency.

The Education Department’s original request for 55,000 King James Version Bibles to place in Oklahoma classrooms would have accepted only products bound in leather or a leather-like material that also contain the Pledge of Allegiance, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution.

The agency announced Tuesday it amended its request for proposal, called an RFP, to allow the extra documents to be bound separately from the Bible when provided to schools. The new RFP also adds “price” to the evaluation criteria.

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The Office of Management and Enterprise Services, which oversees RFPs and state contracts, requested the changes. The Education Department and its head, state Superintendent Ryan Walters, said they are “pleased to make” the amendments. OMES did not return a request for comment.

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Reporting by Oklahoma Watch found few Bibles would have met the original RFP requirements, but two products matched the criteria — both of which are Bibles endorsed by the Trump family.

Trump has earned a name, image and likeness fee for his endorsement of Lee Greenwood’s $60 God Bless the USA Bible. A similar $90 product, called the We the People Bible, has been endorsed by Donald Trump Jr.

Walters has endorsed the former president for reelection.

He ordered all public school districts in Oklahoma to keep a copy of the Bible in classrooms as a historical reference and to incorporate the Christian text into their lesson plans, especially for history courses.

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Walters said the bid process wasn’t targeted at any particular vendor. Doing so would be illegal.

“There are numerous Bible vendors in this country that have the capacity to fulfill this request,” he said in a statement Tuesday. “The purpose of the RFP process is to find a vendor that can provide the product we need, of reasonable quality, at the best value. There are numerous state employees engaged and committed to a process to determine who that best vendor will be, and I have no involvement in that process, as it should be.”

Vendors have until Oct. 21 to submit bids under the amended RFP. The winning bidder will be awarded a one-year contract to ship 55,000 copies of the Bible to Oklahoma schools two weeks after receiving the contract.

Walters said his agency set aside $3 million to pay for the Bibles and will request another $3 million from the state Legislature next year. A spokesperson for Walters said the agency is using money saved from administrative and personnel costs. Rep. Mark McBride greets state Superintendent Ryan Walters before a House education budget hearing Jan. 10 at the state Capitol. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice)

Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, requested an opinion from Attorney General Gentner Drummond about whether the Education Department can move funds from one budget category to another without legislative approval. McBride, who leads a House committee on education funding, also asked whether this expense would require approval from OMES and the governor’s secretary of education.

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The amended RFP requests the extra founding documents to be bound in durable material when provided separately from the Bible. The Bible is not allowed to contain study guides nor additional commentary, according to the RFP documents.

“My number one goal is to ensure that our classrooms have copies of the Bible so that it can be utilized as an appropriate tool to properly and accurately teach Oklahoma students of its important influence in the history of our country and its secular value. Period,” Walters said.

However, several district leaders have said they have no plans to incorporate the Bible into their school curricula beyond what is required in Oklahoma Academic Standards.

The academic standards already mandate that schools teach about world religions and the role of religion in the establishment of American colonial governments. Oklahoma law allows districts to decide how they teach state standards.

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A school-focused law firm in Oklahoma City, The Center for Education Law, predicted Walters’ Bible mandate is “likely” to end up in court. A coalition of civil rights organizations, including church-state separation advocates and the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma, has requested public records explaining the $3 million budget and the Bible mandate.

“Diverting millions of taxpayer dollars to purchase Bibles is nothing more than a blatant attempt to divide Oklahomans along religious lines and undermine the public-school system,” said Dan Mach, director of the ACLU’s Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief.

Oklahoma Voice is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on Facebook and X.



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Oklahoma

Best photos from Oklahoma's loss to the Texas Longhorns

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12 hours ago

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October 13, 2024

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Best photos from Oklahoma's loss to the Texas Longhorns


The State Fair of Texas always provides a phenomenal backdrop for what is the best rivalry in college sports. On Saturday, the Oklahoma Sooners fell well short of expectations in their 34-3 loss to the Texas Longhorns.

Sure, the Longhorns are the No. 1 team in the nation and OU is still dealing with a lot of injuries at wide receiver, but many of the issues that are plaguing the offense have less to do with personnel available and gameplan and execution.

It’s the second time in three years in which the Sooners have been blown out by the Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry. And it’s the second time in three years that Oklahoma failed to score a touchdown.

It was a huge letdown by the Oklahoma Sooners, who now fall to 4-2 on the season with a number of tough games looking ahead. You may not have enjoyed the game, but I’m sure there were some fantastic scenes around the State Fair that Oklahoma fans enjoyed before and after the game. Here’s a look at some of the best photos from the game.

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Texas football plants flag through Baker Mayfield Oklahoma jersey after Red River Rivalry

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19 hours ago

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October 12, 2024

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Texas football plants flag through Baker Mayfield Oklahoma jersey after Red River Rivalry


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The Red River Rivalry between Texas football and Oklahoma is one of college football’s richest rivalry games out there.

It’s also one that comes with quite the emotion, as evident by Saturday’s 120th edition of the Red River Shootout at the Cotton Bowl.

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Following the No. 1 Longhorns 34-3 romp over the Sooners, Texas defensive players Anthony Hill Jr. and Barryn Sorrell took a Baker Mayfield No. 6 Oklahoma jersey and placed it at the 50-yard line. The two then planted the University of Texas flag right through the jersey, unofficially claiming the Cotton Bowl as their own.

REQUIRED READING: Texas vs Oklahoma score: Updates, highlights from Longhorns’ 34-3 Red River Rivalry win

Saturday’s win for Texas marked just the second time in the last seven seasons (and twice in the last three) that the Longhorns have won the Red River Rivalry. It also marked the first time that the Longhorns have started the season 6-0 for the first time since 2009, as noted by the Austin American-Statesman.

Hill Jr. had a big game himself on Saturday, as the 6-foot-3 defensive lineman finished with a game-high 11 tackles and two sacks for a total loss of 8 yards. He also forced a fumble in the second quarter, when he stripped the ball out of Oklahoma quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr.’s hand on a scramble.

The Longhorns also got back starting quarterback Quinn Ewers on Saturday after the 6-foot-2 quarterback was sidelined for the last five weeks with an oblique strain. Though it took him some time to settle in, Ewers completed 20 of 29 passes for 199 yards with two combined touchdowns and an interception in his first game back.

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Oklahoma-Texas 'College GameDay' predictions: Who picked Sooners, Longhorns?

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1 day ago

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October 12, 2024

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Oklahoma-Texas 'College GameDay' predictions: Who picked Sooners, Longhorns?


Oklahoma football faces Texas in one of college football’s best atmospheres in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday.

The No. 16 Sooners (4-1, 1-1 SEC) take on the No. 1 Longhorns (5-0, 1-0) amid offensive concerns, without their top five receivers due to injury and a true freshman quarterback in Michael Hawkins Jr.

REQUIRED READING: Who has edge in OU football vs Texas? Breaking down key matchups in Sooners-Longhorns

Meanwhile, Texas returns third year starting quarterback Quinn Ewers, who missed its last three games with an injury. Oklahoma’s defense, which has been strong this season under coach Brent Venables, will need a strong showing to have a chance at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

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There aren’t many fans and pundits giving the Sooners a great chance on Saturday.

Here’s how ESPN’s “College GameDay” crew predicted the Red River Rivalry on Saturday morning:

Oklahoma-Texas picks for ‘College GameDay’: Who Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, Kirk Herbstreit picked

  • Desmond Howard: Texas

  • Pat McAfee: Texas

  • Kaitlin Olson: Texas

  • Nick Saban: Texas

  • Kirk Herbstreit: No pick

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma-Texas ‘College GameDay’ predictions



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