Ep. 463: Conservatives Divided on Government Funding of Religious Charter Schools

Two weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on April 30, 2025, about whether Oklahoma can operate the nation’s first faith-based charter school. If the Supreme Court decides their way, St. Isidore of Seville would be a virtual, K-12 school run by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa.

We should note that a lot of conservatives are with St. Isidore. Alliance Defending Freedom’s Jim Campbell was one of the attorneys arguing on behalf of the Oklahoma charter board and the school. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican supporter of St. Isidore, said the case “stands to be one of the most significant religious and education freedom decisions in our lifetime.” The conservative legal group Liberty Counsel filed an amicus brief in the case, also in favor of St. Isidore.

But not everyone – even on the conservative and Christian side of the aisle — is so enthusiastic. David Dockery is the president of the International Alliance for Christian Education. He told MinistryWatch, “IACE does not have an official position on the St Isidore case since we do not have full agreement on this matter among those who serve on the Board.”

Dan Burrell is a longtime Christian education leader. Today he serves as a pastor in Charlotte, N.C., and the chairman of the board of MinistryWatch. His experience includes a tenure as president of the Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. He was also a faculty member at Liberty University’s graduate school of education. Burrell said he was “pretty strongly opposed” to government-funded religious schools.

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