A Florida-based Jewish charter school foundation has told the Statewide Charter School Board it plans to apply for authorization to establish a religious-based virtual charter school in Oklahoma to open for the 2026-27 school year
Peter Deutsch, a former U.S. House member who represents The National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation, Inc., of Hollywood, Fla. – which would operate the school – said in a letter to the state agency, dated Nov. 3, that the Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School would serve grades nine through 12.
“Ben Gamla envisions Oklahoma students gaining a rigorous, values-based education that integrates general academic excellence with Jewish religious learning and ethical development,” Deutsch wrote in the letter. He said the school would deliver “Oklahoma’s state-approved academic standards alongside Jewish religious studies, enabling students to achieve college readiness while developing deep Jewish knowledge, faith, and values within a supportive learning community.”
He said he anticipates the school would have an initial enrollment of about 40 students, “with growth expected as awareness of the program expands.”
Ben Gamla, which describes itself as a “Hebrew language charter school,” has six school sites in Florida, the first of which opened in 2007.
Brian Shellem, the chair of the Statewide Charter School Board, said he is looking forward to reading a letter from a Florida foundation seeking to open a religious-based charter school in Oklahoma.
The letter comes just months after the U.S. Supreme Court deadlocked 4-4 regarding the legality of Oklahoma-based St. Isidore of Seville Virtual Catholic School, which had sought to become the nation’s first religious charter school. That decision, issued May 22, let stand a June 2024 Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that a contract between St. Isidore and the current state board’s forerunner must be rescinded, saying it violated both state and federal law and was unconstitutional.
St. Isidore’s supporters had argued charter schools, which by law are public, instead should be viewed as a private entity and not as a state actor. The current board agreed with that line of thinking and joined St. Isidore in the appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond personally argued against the creation of St. Isidore during an Oklahoma Supreme Court hearing. Drummond now is campaigning for the Republican nomination for governor for the 2026 election.
Sending such a letter as the one Ben Gamla sent is a first step when an entity seeks to establish a charter school in Oklahoma. All charter schools in Oklahoma must have a sponsor, and while the Statewide Charter School Board can be a sponsoring entity, the application process is a detailed one lasting months. No formal application has yet been received from Ben Gamla.
Shellem said after the board meeting on Monday, Nov. 10, that he hadn’t yet read the Ben Gamla letter, but that he would “look forward to seeing what they have to say.”
He said the board “will always stay in compliance with court orders” but that he wouldn’t pre-judge any application.
“Our contract is to educate children,” he said. “You look for the best academic outcomes for children in the state of Oklahoma. … I find it interesting that people want to add value, in addition to what is required. That might be their prerogative. … We’re going to consider their application. I think we need to give everyone an unbiased approach, before we look at their (letter of intent), before we look at their application.”
Deutsch, a Democrat, represented his Florida district in the U.S. House from 1993 to 2005. He didn’t immediately return an email seeking comment sent on Monday afternoon.
Deutsch said he was one of three founding board members, along with Brett Farley, the executive director of the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma, and Ezra Husney, a New York attorney.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Florida foundation wants to open religious charter school in Oklahoma