31-07-2025
OSBE members press Supt. Walters on partnership with out-of-state private school
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KFOR) – State school board members questioned Public School Superintendent Ryan Walters' push for parents to enroll in an out-of-state private school Thursday.
Board members voice concern with new ranking of 50th in education
Officials said the school doesn't have an Oklahoma address, and it hasn't even applied with the Oklahoma Tax Commission. But Supt. Walters said it's eligible for the Private School Tax Credit.
'Is there not an Oklahoma school or company that can provide the same thing? So we're not having to seek that from out of state,' asked board member Becky Carson.
It's American Virtual Academy, also called American Virtual LLC. Supt. Walters sent an email out that claimed, 'Left-wing indoctrination in schools poses a serious threat to our students, and all parents deserve more options for their kids. OSDE is proud to be one of the first states in the country to do this.'
AVA is a charter school facing a potential shutdown in Arizona, where officials have stated that the school's students are performing so poorly that it could be shut down.
'We will continue to fight back against a woke, liberal agenda in our schools,' said Supt. Walters in a video he posted online.
Board members had many questions Thursday at the monthly board meeting, questions that Supt. Walters gave answers to but that didn't add up.
Supt. Walters said that this out-of-state school is eligible for the Private School Tax Credit. The credit in Oklahoma is based on the tax dollars per student they have enrolled. The parents are then able to file a credit on their taxes.
'But isn't that only for schools that are in Oklahoma?' asked board member Michael Tinney.
'They have an Oklahoma address,' responded Supt. Walters.
But they don't, according to the Secretary of State's office. News 4 called their office just after Supt. Walters claimed they had an address; they said they don't. Neither does Primavera, which is an online charter school in Arizona that AVA operates.
Supt. Walters told board members Thursday that the press somehow got it all wrong about AVA, that it wasn't the same school 'out in Arizona.' But it's run by the same founder, Damian Creamer.
He posted on social media after the announcement of the OSDE partnership, 'Huge win. School choice is about putting power back in the hands of families. Celebrating Oklahoma families
Another issue, it seems like AVA hasn't applied to be a private school with the Oklahoma Tax Commission.
After Thursday's meeting, Jennifer Palmer with Oklahoma Watch pressed Supt. Walters on that several times, to which he replied, 'They are already eligible.'
Palmer then asked again, 'They have not applied according to the tax commission.'
He said, 'We'll have to get the tax commission going on that then.'
Then News 4 asked, 'And the Secretary of State said they don't have an address, you said they had an address in Oklahoma. What's that address?'
Supt. Walters replied, 'I don't know all the details on that. I know that we're going to have them available for students this fall. I know that they are working through all of those hoops. I don't know the address.'
School starts in around two weeks for many Oklahoma students.
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