Some of the largest school districts in Oklahoma have defied a new state mandate to report their spending last school year on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Others that complied with the directive, meanwhile, worry that reporting their DEI spending could lead the state to revoke their accreditation, as happened recently in several districts with DEI initiatives.
The requirement to report the spending in Oklahoma is part of a broader nationwide crackdown on DEI initiatives led by GOP officials in many states. Oklahoma鈥檚 newly elected state superintendent of instruction, Ryan Walters, who took office in January, has emerged as a high-profile conservative state education chief since his November election to the position and before that as a member of Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt鈥檚 cabinet.
In January 2023, Walters required that report their DEI spending over the last decade. Three months later, he proposed extending the requirement to public K-12 schools.
鈥淚t would be more accurate to call them divide, exclude, and indoctrinate. That鈥檚 really what these programs are,鈥� Walters said to members of Oklahoma鈥檚 state board of education at the April 27 meeting where he proposed the new requirement.
鈥淲hat these programs are, are programs developed by radical leftists to indoctrinate our kids into not believing in themselves and their individual identity and to be successful on their own merits,鈥� Walters said at the time. 鈥淲hat it seeks to do is divide and is Marxist at its core, and we have to reject this in our schools.鈥�
The state board voted unanimously to require districts to submit a detailed preliminary report on DEI spending in and out of the classroom by June 9, as well as a final version by Sept. 1. Districts were to report their spending from the 2022-23 school year and indicate whether they planned to continue such spending in 2023-24.
Spokespeople for two of Oklahoma鈥檚 10 largest districts, Lawton Public 69传媒 and Oklahoma City Public 69传媒, told Education Week their districts did not submit preliminary reports鈥攏ot necessarily because they didn鈥檛 spend any money to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, but because they aren鈥檛 investing in any initiatives that align with Walters鈥� stated definition.
The 13,700-student Lawton district serves a large population of military students, and has several programs to make them feel like they are part of the district, said Paul Hime, the district鈥檚 superintendent. However, none of them fall under 鈥渄ivide, exclude, and indoctrinate,鈥� he said.
鈥淭rue diversity, equity, and inclusion is a very active program for military students because ... when they move to a new school, you want to include them and feel like they鈥檙e part of you,鈥� Hime said.
Some districts that did report investments, meanwhile, had little to share. The 15,000-student Union Public 69传媒 spent $1,200 for two administrative staff members to attend a DEI conference hosted by the nonprofit Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice, said Chris Payne, the district鈥檚 chief communications officer.
That investment amounts to 8 cents per student. The district鈥檚 overall annual spending in recent years hovered around $9,000 per student.
Walters hasn鈥檛 shared what the state will do with the spending data, or whether any sanctions are in order for districts that spent what the state considers to be too much on DEI.
But the state has already imposed punishments on at least two districts for DEI-related initiatives, including teacher training on implicit bias and classroom exercises for students to recognize their own privilege. Tulsa Public 69传媒 and Mustang 69传媒 had their accreditations docked by the state board of education for conducting these activities, after the board determined the initiatives violated the state鈥檚 divisive concepts law.
That law, passed in 2021, bans classroom conversations and staff training based on 鈥渄ivisive concepts,鈥� such as the idea that someone is 鈥渋nherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously,鈥� or that anyone should 鈥渇eel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex.鈥�
Some district leaders think focus on DEI spending is a waste of time
Many school districts in recent years have launched initiatives under the umbrella of diversity, equity, and inclusion, aimed at increasing racial tolerance and helping students of all backgrounds feel that they belong in school.
Education Week asked Oklahoma鈥檚 state department of education to share how many districts submitted DEI reports, how much money districts reported spending on DEI, and whether there will be consequences of any kind for districts that invested heavily in DEI-related initiatives. Spokespeople for the department did not answer multiple requests for comment by phone or email. The department also didn鈥檛 respond to an Oklahoma Open Records Act request for records districts submitted in response to the directive.
Several district leaders told Education Week the new reporting requirement didn鈥檛 affect them at all, because they didn鈥檛 spend any money last school year on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
鈥�69传媒 don鈥檛 have huge amounts of money to spend on it anyway when we鈥檝e got personnel and inflationary costs,鈥� including a major surge in insurance premiums, said Mark Moring, superintendent of the 900-student Davis school district in the southern part of the state.
Moring鈥檚 district had no DEI spending to report.
Rob Friesen, superintendent of the Thomas-Fay-Custer district, said he got a call from the state accreditation office asking for a report on the district鈥檚 DEI spending. Friesen replied that his majority-white district hadn鈥檛 invested money in any initiatives specifically centered around DEI.
He also said he thinks the furor over DEI is misguided.
鈥淚 just think we鈥檙e wasting a lot of time spending a lot of energy on stuff that shouldn鈥檛 be worried about,鈥� Friesen said. 鈥淚f I spent a lot of energy on things that didn鈥檛 matter here at school, I wouldn鈥檛 be taking care of the stuff that did.鈥�
He鈥檚 more concerned, he said, with the long waits he often endures to get answers to important questions from the state department of education. 鈥淚鈥檇 like to talk to somebody and get it resolved, as opposed to leaving a message and hoping and praying I get an answer back,鈥� he said.
At least one district鈥攖he Ponca City schools near the Kansas-Oklahoma border鈥攄idn鈥檛 submit a report because leaders weren鈥檛 aware they were required to until an Education Week reporter called. Brenda Storie, executive director of business and finance for the 4,600-student district, said she never received a message from the state seeking the information.
Districts are wary of the state board
April Grace, who served as superintendent of Shawnee Public 69传媒 until she retired last month, said she believes the board is targeting DEI to penalize district spending on things members don鈥檛 believe are important.
Across the state, districts are wary of the DEI spending reporting requirement because of the districts that lost accreditation without warning, Grace said.
鈥淧eople are scared because of what we鈥檝e seen with downgrades of accreditation and things like that,鈥� Grace said. 鈥淭hey have a concern about being targeted given some of the things that we saw play out over the last six months.鈥�
The DEI spending reporting requirement will make district leaders even more cautious, Grace said. District leaders have already been wary of consequences they could face under Oklahoma鈥檚 divisive concepts law.
鈥淚 do think if people aren鈥檛 careful, there can be a spillover, where we aren鈥檛 creating an inclusive school environment for individuals that walk through your door that you鈥檙e expected to serve,鈥� she said.
Superintendents and districts can still prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion by changing the terms they use to refer to the work, Grace said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about providing students access and opportunity, and having them feel a part of a school community,鈥� she said.
