District superintendent's advocacy for providing free school meals raises financial worries among school districts
Oklahoma Schools Scramble to Cover Costs of Free Meals Mandate
Oklahoma school districts are facing financial challenges as they prepare to implement State Superintendent Ryan Walters' mandate to provide free school meals to all students starting in the 2025-2026 school year. The mandate, aimed at eliminating meal costs for parents and prioritizing student nutrition, is currently unfunded, leaving districts to figure out how to cover these costs.
To address this, the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) plans to examine local districts' budgets, make budget recommendations, require annual financial and expenditure reports, and encourage collaboration between state and local districts to develop financial plans that guarantee educational opportunities, including nutrition programs.
However, many districts, like Perry Public Schools, have expressed that covering costs for all students' meals is not financially feasible without cutting essential programs or finding new funding sources. Perry Public Schools announced they plan to continue charging for meals during the 2025-2026 school year until funding issues are resolved. Other districts, like Tulsa Public Schools, already provide free lunches to all students, potentially using different funding mechanisms.
The mandate's implementation faces additional challenges. It is currently unfunded at the state level, requiring districts to reallocate existing budget dollars or reduce spending elsewhere. Dependence on federal programs such as the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which only applies to high-poverty districts and does not cover all schools statewide, also poses a problem. Administrative and logistical hurdles in increasing meal participation and managing food service under new financial constraints further complicate matters.
Despite these challenges, all schools interviewed maintain that they prioritize providing meals to all students, despite potential financial challenges. Most schools in Oklahoma utilize the CEP program, a federal program that allows high-poverty schools and districts to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students. Schools that are not eligible for the CEP program and have ISP rates below 62.5% will need to find other means to fund the remaining meal costs, often from their own budgets.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters is proud of Oklahoma for being the first state to provide free nutritious lunches for all students. He believes parents already pay more than their fair share for school lunches, with federal, local, and property taxes going to school lunch programs, and some schools charging parents additional fees. Schools that are not eligible for the CEP program will need to find other means to fund the remaining meal costs, often from their own budgets.
The announcement was made just about a month before school started for most districts, and after most budgets for the new year went into effect on July 1. Jenks Public Schools, in a statement, said, "We've got to fix this. We have got to move away from an education system that has favored administrators and bureaucrats over kids, and we've got to shift."
Schools anticipate significant costs associated with the mandate. Bixby Public Schools anticipate funding meals will cost them $5 million, Broken Arrow Public Schools $8 million, and Jenks Public Schools $1.5 million. As the implementation date approaches, Oklahoma school districts continue to grapple with how to provide free meals to all students while maintaining essential programs and staying within their budgets.
[1] Oklahoma Watch [2] Tulsa World [3] The Journal Record [4] The Oklahoman [5] NewsOK
The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) is examining local districts' budgets and making budget recommendations to help schools cover the costs of the mandate to provide free school meals, but districts like Perry Public Schools believe it is financially infeasible without cutting essential programs or finding new funding sources. In the meantime, Tulsa Public Schools, which already provides free lunches to all students, may be using different funding mechanisms.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters believes the mandate is a step towards eliminating meal costs for parents and prioritizing student nutrition, yet a significant portion of the costs associated with the mandate will need to come from schools' own budgets, which could lead to cuts in other educational and self-development programs, as well as politics and general news matters.
