State Lawmakers Question Bidding Process For Oklahoma Classroom Bibles

The Oklahoma State Department of Education is now accepting bids from vendors to provide 55,000 Bibles for Oklahoma classrooms. OSDE says they'll be used for historical context, not religion.

Some state lawmakers, including one from Tulsa, think the criteria for the bidding process favors one specific Bible distributor endorsed by former President Donald Trump. The bid requests a specific version of the Bible and ensures that historical documents are included.

OSDE expects to receive hundreds of proposals, but some question whether the bidding criteria will allow for that. The 12-page bid document specifically asks for "55,000 King James Version Bibles with the Pledge of Allegiance, Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights included." Our partners at Oklahoma Watch report that the criteria are specific to limited Bible distributors.

Related: Oklahoma Watch: State Education Department Seeks Bids For 55,000 Classroom Bibles

"We did find there's a couple online that already did make that bid specification, and one of them is commonly known as the Trump Bible—it's Lee Greenwood the country singer's Bible," Paul Monies of Oklahoma Watch said.

OSDE says that Superintendent Ryan Walters is committed to an open and transparent proposal process. In a statement, it said, "There are hundreds of Bible publishers, and we expect a robust competition for this proposal."

The Trump-endorsed Bibles retail for $60 to $90 online. Tulsa lawmaker Regina Goodwin believes that's a hefty price tag these days.

"There are Bibles that are available for $3. First of all, it's fiscal misfeasance; you're not being a good steward of anybody's tax dollars, but more importantly, those tax dollars are not to be used for such," Goodwin said.

She says that she goes to church and reads the Bible on her own time and believes there are more pressing issues that Walters should focus on in Oklahoma classrooms.

"Right now, students can walk into a school with the Bible under their arm; law allows that," Goodwin said.

Governor Kevin Stitt is weighing in on the issue, stating it is a great mission to give more Oklahoma kids access to the Bible. He asserts that taxpayer money needs to be used wisely and that there are other organizations to partner with for distributing the Bible.