\u201cBen Gamla envisions Oklahoma students gaining a rigorous, values-based education that integrates general academic excellence with Jewish religious learning and ethical development,\u201d Deutsch wrote in the letter. He said the school would deliver \u201cOklahoma\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he anticipates the school would have an initial enrollment of about 40 students, \u201cwith growth expected as awareness of the program expands.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ben Gamla, which describes itself as a \u201cHebrew language charter school,\u201d has six school sites in Florida, the first of which opened in 2007.<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
The letter comes just months after the U.S. Supreme Court deadlocked<\/a> 4-4 regarding the legality<\/a> of Oklahoma-based St. Isidore of Seville Virtual Catholic School, which had sought to become the nation\u2019s first religious charter school. That decision, issued May 22, let stand a June 2024 Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling<\/a> that a contract between St. Isidore and the current state board\u2019s forerunner must be rescinded, saying it violated both state and federal law and was unconstitutional.<\/p>\n St. Isidore\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Shellem said after the board meeting on Monday, Nov. 10, that he hadn\u2019t yet read the Ben Gamla letter, but that he would \u201clook forward to seeing what they have to say.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the board \u201cwill always stay in compliance with court orders\u201d but that he wouldn\u2019t pre-judge any application.<\/p>\n \u201cOur contract is to educate children,\u201d he said. \u201cYou look for the best academic outcomes for children in the state of Oklahoma. \u2026 I find it interesting that people want to add value, in addition to what is required. That might be their prerogative. \u2026 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Deutsch, a Democrat, represented his Florida district in the U.S. House from 1993 to 2005. He didn\u2019t immediately return an email seeking comment sent on Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n Deutsch said he was one of three founding board members, along with Brett Farley<\/a>, the executive director of the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma, and Ezra Husney, a New York attorney.<\/p>\n