Lawmaker, Oklahoma Policy Institute weigh in on Ryan Walter's school lunch mandate

State Superintendent Ryan Walters is requiring all school districts to pay for all student meals with money currently in their budgets. Several school districts have since responded by saying the way they allocate their funding is dictated by state law. We spoke with Shiloh Kantz, the Oklahoma Policy Institute Executive Director.

Q: Based on your research, how feasible is it to cover all student meals using current district budgets?

“There’s not any one school that can solely hold that water for their district or for their kids. We are literally asking our schools, who are already struggling to even keep teachers, to fund a mandate that cannot be funded by the school district…our state needs to step up or step back.”

Q: What are your thoughts on this policy?

“Feeding kids in public school should be supported through dedicated state resources, not shifted onto local districts through misrepresentation of their finances…that is a disservice to us and our kids.”

Q: Walters claims many districts have more money in the budget than ever before. What's your response?

"The balances include multiple funds, so not just operating expenses, they also include bond money, and Walters appears to be combining those amounts without acknowledging the specific uses to which those monies are earmarked. Misleading or misguided, or misrepresented data is a disservice to all of us. State laws clear bond funds can’t be used for a repurposed thing like to cover school lunches… it's extremely black and white.”

Q: What compromises or revisions would make this policy more workable for districts?

“The best policies, the best plans are those that are planned for and truly evaluated as you execute them across to make sure you're doing the right thing, and I think the collateral consequences that would come from this unfunded mandate is completely unrecognized."