Statewide school meal mandate raises concerns over funding and implementation

As the new school year approaches, Oklahoma education leaders are at odds over a surprise mandate from the State Department of Education requiring all public schools to provide free meals for every student, without any additional funding to support this initiative.

State Superintendent Issues Directive for Universal Meals

In a video posted to social media, State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced that all public school districts must provide free meals to students beginning this school year, saying the move will stop schools from "triple taxing" parents.

“For far too long, we have seen public schools take taxpayer dollars that are there for students and continue to grow administrative costs, then turn around and charge parents for school lunches,” Walters said.

Walters claimed Oklahoma families spent $42 million out-of-pocket last year on student meals, and argued that districts should "cut the fat" in their budgets to prioritize feeding students.

“We need less administrators and more of the taxpayer dollars to go to kids directly, and we're excited to be the first in the country to do that,” Walters said. “Parents, your kids are going to get nutritious food and we are not going to allow school districts to continue to gorge you of your hard earned taxpayer dollars. We're going to make sure that those are covered this year.”

No Additional Money, Unclear Enforcement

Despite the directive, Walters offered no additional funding or detailed implementation plan, leaving districts unsure how to comply.

As of Tuesday, it remains unclear how the mandate will be enforced or whether districts that are financially unable to comply will face penalties.

News 9 has reached out to multiple districts across Oklahoma for clarification and response.

OKCPS Says Meals Will Continue Under Existing Program

Oklahoma City Public Schools, the state’s largest district, said it will continue offering free meals to all students under the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a program the district has participated in for nearly a decade.

“Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) will continue providing free meals to all students, as we have for nearly a decade through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP),” the district said in a statement. “Our team is committed to serving freshly prepared, USDA-compliant meals each day.”

OKCPS added that it will introduce new menu items when students return Fin August.

Lawmakers Raise Concerns About Timing and Feasibility

Rep. Ellen Pogemiller (D-Oklahoma City), a longtime advocate for child nutrition, expressed skepticism about Walters’ plan and the timing of the announcement.

“There was immediate distrust in his statement because I knew he was not going to be able to force school districts to enact this before the beginning of the school year,” Pogemiller said.

She pointed out that while federal programs like CEP help many districts offer free meals, they are not automatic and require approval before a June 30 deadline.

“If this was a real vision for our state superintendent, then this should have been discussed six months ago,” Pogemiller said. “District budgets are already set.”

Understanding CEP and Who Qualifies

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a federal program that allows schools with a high percentage of low-income students, at least 25% of whom qualify for SNAP, Medicaid, or other forms of aid, to offer free meals to all students.

According to Pogemiller, roughly 850 Oklahoma schools now participate, up from 382 a year ago, largely due to policy changes that include Medicaid data in eligibility.

“OKCPS is a very low-income district. Their entire district meets the threshold, so every child in OKCPS has access to a free meal,” Pogemiller said.

But she said not all districts have those resources. 

Hunger Free Oklahoma Responds

Nonprofit Hunger Free Oklahoma, a key advocate for universal meals, also criticized the mandate, saying it lacks the financial support districts need.

“Put simply, ensuring every child has access to no-cost meals every school day and throughout the summer is a goal we should all share and that we can achieve,” the group said. “But it will take additional investment from our state and leveraging every federal dollar available to make it happen.”

In a June report, the group highlighted the dramatic expansion of CEP participation in Oklahoma schools, a jump from 382 to 849 schools and nearly 300,000 students gaining access to no-cost meals.

Still, the organization warned that “eligibility is not the same as feasibility” and that many schools still face a gap between food service costs and federal reimbursements.

A Call for Long-Term Planning and Leadership

Pogemiller and Hunger Free Oklahoma both emphasized that Oklahoma could reach full universal meal coverage — but only with serious planning, collaboration, and investment.

“We would have to step in as a state,” Pogemiller said. “The last I heard, it would take about $70 million to offer universal meals across the board. That’s an investment that is absolutely worth it for our kids.”

She urged Walters and state leaders to convene urban, rural, and suburban districts to develop a statewide plan.

“It starts with a leader who believes in a vision and brings stakeholders together to enact that,” she said.

Norman Public Schools Statement

Norman Public Schools has not received any formal guidance from the Oklahoma State Department of Education regarding the recent statements by Superintendent Walters about school meal requirements.

There is currently no state law requiring districts to provide free meals to all students, nor have we seen any official rules or directives. While we are monitoring the situation, there is nothing at this time that requires action or causes concern. We are focused on facts, not headlines.

We remain committed to meeting the needs of our students. That includes taking advantage of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which allows us to provide free meals to more students. Like many districts, we would welcome greater flexibility in how child nutrition funds can be used. If restrictions were lifted, we could better serve families by covering more meal costs.

We are reviewing our data and will continue to be prepared should anything change. But until we receive actual guidance, not just public statements, we will not shift resources away from our day-to-day work. The sky is not falling, and we are not panicking. We are staying focused on students and ready to respond if needed.

After confirming with state lawmakers that the State Superintendent cannot implement this mandate without additional state or federal dollars, we sent a list of additional questions to the Superintendent, and received a new statement response: 

“Parents already pay for lunches when the federal and local government tax them. They shouldn’t be taxed again with a lunch invoice. We will be requiring all school districts provide FULL funding for student meals using operational costs that come from federal and local taxes. It is unacceptable to me that Oklahoma taxpayers are stuck with additional costs just to make sure their child is fed, especially while administrative salaries have skyrocketed at the same time. In Oklahoma, we put kids first - not bureaucrats.”