Advocate warns of cuts to free school meals as federal funding shifts to states

The Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP, is a federal program designed to increase access to free and reduced-price school meals while reducing administrative costs.

Joe Dorman, CEO of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, said schools are eligible if at least 25% of their students receive benefits like SNAP or Medicaid.

"Financially, it makes sense for the school districts to look at this," Dorman said. "So many of these programs are tied together based on the same income levels."

In 2024, 267 school districts in Oklahoma participated in CEP. The program allows schools to offer no-cost meals districtwide, covering about 280,000 students. However, following the passage of the "Big Beautiful Bill", which shifts Medicaid and SNAP funding responsibilities to individual states, the future of the program could be at risk.

"This is approaching a very critical situation where services are simply just going to have to be cut," Dorman said.

If federal funding is reduced, local school districts or the state would have to cover the cost, estimated at $70 million to $100 million annually.

"The state hasn't paid for this in the past. They don't have that built into their budget, and if they built that in, that means other services are cut or taxes are going up," Dorman said. "We truly believe CEP is a way to make sure that you reduce down the number of hungry kids in your school."

Dorman added that many eligible districts still haven’t applied for the program. Although the application period is closed for this year, he said it’s not too early to start planning for next year.