by Jennifer Palmer, Oklahoma Watch
May 22, 2025

Oklahoma’s top court’s ruling to block a state-funded Catholic charter school will stand after the U.S. Supreme Court deadlocked on the issue. 

The unsigned order, issued Thursday, reads simply: “The judgment is affirmed by an equally divided Court.” A 4-4 split was possible because Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the case. 

The school, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, named after the patron saint of the Internet, was to be operated by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa. St. Isidore proposed being Catholic in every aspect, including instruction and operations. St. Isidore applied to be a charter school, privately run but publicly funded. 

Attorney General Gentner Drummond challenged the school in court, arguing the state’s sponsorship of the school violates the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment Clause and state statute, which prohibits public schools, including charters, from being affiliated with any particular religious group.  

Erin Brewer, an Oklahoma parent who joined a lawsuit challenging St. Isidore, said the tie feels like a win.

“The Supreme Court made the right decision in affirming that religious freedom means that individuals, families, have the right to raise their children, live our values, to pursue our faith, but we should not be forced as taxpayers to fund religious activity,” she said. 

The court’s order doesn’t indicate how the justices voted. When the court heard arguments in late April, Chief Justice John Roberts seemed most likely to split with the conservative majority, with pointed questions indicating he hadn’t yet chosen a side. 

Split decisions don’t set a precedent, so religious groups can try again with a different case. 

“This 4-4 tie is a non-decision,” said Gov. Kevin Stitt, a proponent of the school, in a written statement. “Now we’re in overtime. There will be another case just like this one and Justice Barrett will break the tie. This is far from a settled issue. We are going to keep fighting for parents’ rights to instill their values in their children and against religious discrimination.” 

Attorneys for St. Isidore and the charter school board argued that being denied state charter school funding amounted to religious discrimination. They also maintained that charter schools are not public schools, a stance that alarmed charter school advocates across the country. 

Drummond celebrated the decision as a victory for religious liberty.

“This ruling ensures that Oklahoma taxpayers will not be forced to fund radical Islamic schools, while protecting the religious rights of families to choose any school they wish for their children,” he said.

Brett Farley, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma, said St. Isidore board members are exploring other options for offering a virtual Catholic education to students across the state.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Split Decision Halts Oklahoma’s Plan to Open Religious Charter School appeared first on oklahomawatch.org

Oklahoma Watch, at oklahomawatch.org, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state.

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

The content presents a balanced and factual report on the split U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding Oklahoma’s state-funded Catholic charter school. It includes perspectives from both proponents and opponents of the school, quoting officials and stakeholders from different sides without evident editorializing. The article focuses on legal and procedural elements, maintaining neutrality in tone and coverage, which suggests a centrist political bias aimed at informing rather than persuading readers.

SUMMARY: The Oklahoma City Thunder closed their thrilling series against the Denver Nuggets with a Game 7 win at home, advancing to the next round of the NBA playoffs. Fans gathered at Baszler Hole, known as Thunder Hall during playoffs, creating an electric atmosphere full of excitement and hope. Many believe the young Thunder team has what it takes to win it all, feeling confident after last year’s experience. The victory brings them one step closer to an NBA Finals appearance. Next, the Thunder will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference playoffs. Fans are eagerly anticipating more intense action ahead.

Oklahoma City Thunder close series with Game 7 win at home

Stay informed about Oklahoma news and weather! Follow KFOR News 4 on our website and social channels.

https://kfor.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/kfor4news
https://www.facebook.com/kfor4
https://twitter.com/kfor
https://www.instagram.com/kfortv4/

Source

by Paul Monies, Oklahoma Watch
May 21, 2025

About one-fourth of Oklahoma’s state employees have maintained their employment flexibility after Gov. Kevin Stitt issued a return-to-office executive order in December.

Almost 8,000 state employees out of the 26,000 covered in a report for the first quarter came under one of several exceptions to the return-to-office mandate. Most of those employees were at agencies that didn’t have the office space to accommodate a full return to the office. 

Stitt directed the Office of Management and Enterprise Services to compile agency responses to the executive order, although more than 50 agencies failed to respond. Almost 26,000 state employees out of 31,600 were covered in the first quarter report. 

The governor’s office was listed among the agencies not responding to the OMES report, but spokeswoman Abegail Cave said all the governor’s staff work in the office. 

“The governor wants all state employees back in the office to serve Oklahomans well,” Cave said. 

Stitt’s executive order had three exceptions to the policy: employees whose hours are outside normal business hours; employees who already work in the field; and when new or additional office space would have to be acquired at additional cost. 

The Oklahoma Public Employees Association said Stitt’s executive order created widespread confusion among state employees when it was issued. Many were surprised because Stitt had touted the benefits of a flexible work environment during the pandemic and the state spent millions in federal COVID-19 relief funds to update remote-work technology. 

“A one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn’t work for the wide range of services provided by our diverse state agencies,” OPEA said in a written statement. “When state employee positions are eliminated, we risk losing essential services — including frontline workers who support our most vulnerable citizens.” 

The state had not previously compiled a comprehensive list of agency employees by their work location and arrangement, making it difficult to compare what happened at most agencies in response to Stitt’s policy. 

Still, some agencies provided telework information in budget planning documents. OMES had 30% of its employees working remotely in fiscal year 2024, while another 60% were in a hybrid work arrangement. The first quarter 2025 report showed 37% of OMES’ 960 employees were granted an exception from the return-to-office executive order.  

The state’s largest agency, the Department of Human Services, reported 82% of its 6,048 employees were on some type of hybrid or telework arrangement. During the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic, DHS closed dozens of county offices or found other agency office space for its employees to use. 

“Many of our staff work directly in the field, serving Oklahomans rather than operating from a traditional office setting each day,” DHS spokeswoman Carrie Snodgrass said. “We continue to evaluate office space to ensure a comfortable and efficient work environment for our employees, as well as the necessary accommodations to best serve our clients. As we implement the executive order, we are making real-time adjustments to meet operational needs while supporting our workforce.”  

In its response to OMES, the Department of Environmental Quality asked to continue a hybrid work policy revised by the agency in 2022. DEQ said a full return to work was complicated by the demolition of an aging parking garage next to its downtown Oklahoma City headquarters. The agency leased temporary parking during demolition and construction of a new parking garage, but it wasn’t feasible to expand those parking options with a full return-to-office policy. The new parking garage is expected to be finished by April 2026. 

“By allowing these staff members to work a partial telework schedule, it is estimated that the agency will save approximately $250,000 during the demolition and construction activities,” Robert Singletary, DEQ Executive Director, wrote in a Jan. 3 letter to OMES. “Given the agency’s current budget constraints and the temporary nature of this challenge, procuring additional parking spaces does not appear to be a prudent alternative.” 

About 30% of DEQ’s 527 full-time employees are on a hybrid or remote work arrangement, according to the first quarter report. 

When he took office in January 2023, Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters issued a return-to-office policy for the State Department of Education. The agency’s first quarter report to OMES showed 51 of the agency’s 414 employees, or 12%, were granted exceptions to Stitt’s executive order. 

In a statement, Walters said the agency has regional representatives across the state to maintain connections to local communities.

“The Oklahoma Department of Education was the first agency in the state to end work-from-home arrangements,” Walters said in the written statement. “Our priority is to be fully present for the students and communities we serve. Having our team on-site strengthens collaboration and accountability.” 

The Oklahoma Tax Commission said agency directors and public-facing employees work in the office. But the agency doesn’t have enough space to accommodate a full return-to-office policy for its 600 employees since its move to the Strata Tower in downtown Oklahoma City. That move consolidated three Oklahoma City office locations and reduced its office footprint by 100,000 square feet. 

“New or additional space, including parking, would have to be acquired at an additional cost to the OTC to have sufficient physical space to perform their duties 100% of the time in office,” Executive Director Doug Linehan wrote in a January letter to OMES. 

Like their counterparts in the private sector, hybrid or remote work has been popular among state employees. An OMES survey published last year, before the executive order, found widespread satisfaction with telework or hybrid work. It had responses from 16,000 employees across 111 agencies. 

Rep. Cyndi Munson, the House Democratic leader, said allowing widespread telework flexibility was a benefit for many state employees, especially among working parents. She worried the executive order could deter prospective employees from considering state employment. 

“The biggest concern when the order came out was that folks would lose their jobs,” Munson said. “We don’t want that, because we need people working in state government.” 
A lawsuit challenging Stitt’s executive order, brought by Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Del City, was dismissed by an Oklahoma County district judge in March. Fugate appealed that order to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Thousands of State Employees Still Working Remotely Despite Return-to-Office Order appeared first on oklahomawatch.org

Oklahoma Watch, at oklahomawatch.org, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state.

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This content appears to provide a neutral, fact-based reporting of Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt’s return-to-office executive order and the challenges state employees are facing with the policy. The article primarily presents responses from various government agencies and political figures, including statements from both the governor’s office and public employee associations, without taking a clear ideological stance. The concerns raised by the Oklahoma Public Employees Association and Rep. Cyndi Munson, along with the facts surrounding exceptions to the executive order, are presented in an even-handed manner, focusing on the implementation of the policy and its effects on employees.