Oklahoma Charter Board Schedules Third Vote October 23 on Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School
Oklahoma's Statewide Charter School Board announced on October 21 that it will meet at noon on October 23 in the Governor's Conference Room at the State Capitol for a third vote on the Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation's application to open a taxpayer-funded online Jewish charter school. Board attorney A.J. Ferate said the revote is unrelated to an October 20 open letter from foundation founder Peter Deutsch, a former Florida congressman, warning of legal action; the reason is that state law requires five members' approval for a final vote.
The application was first rejected in March on the ground that the state supreme court had ruled such a proposal unconstitutional under the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act. Deutsch then sued in federal court alleging religious discrimination, and in September a federal judge ruled in his favor and issued a preliminary injunction barring denial solely because of the school's religious character. On October 12 the board voted 4-3 in favor, short of the five-vote threshold, so the application was not approved. Attorney General Gentner Drummond dismissed the state's related lawsuit the week before.
If approved, Ben Gamla would become the first publicly funded religious charter school in the United States. A similar Catholic virtual charter school application was previously struck down by the state supreme court, a ruling left in place by an evenly divided U.S. Supreme Court.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：俄克拉荷马州议会大厦（Oklahoma City）。摄影：w_lemay，CC BY-SA 2.0（Wikimedia Commons）。Photo: the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City. Photo by w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
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