State Superintendent Ryan Walters issued a mandate Sunday requiring all Oklahoma public schools pay for free cafeteria meals for every student without any additional funding.
The mandate calls to prioritize student nutrition using existing state and federal funds, with Walters claiming school districts should cut back on administrator salaries.
The mandate states school districts are required to submit their budgets to the Oklahoma State Board of Education for review as soon as possible. If a district’s budget cannot cover the cost of meals for all students, the department will suggest cost-cutting measures and request the budget be resubmitted.
Walters threatened to withhold state funds and penalize the accreditation of a district if it does not comply with the mandate.
“We need less administrators in our schools,” Walters wrote in a statement. “We need to get taxpayers dollars to the students, not to grow bureaucracy.”
In a Monday statement, Rep. Annie Menz (D-Norman) who has been a long-standing advocate for free student lunches, wrote she was stunned and thrilled to read about the mandate.
“I have filed and cosponsored legislation, cohosted bipartisan interim studies, published op-eds and held countless meetings all toward the goal of expanding the free lunch program in our schools, and I am glad someone in statewide leadership is finally listening to me,” Menz wrote. “Hungry kids can’t learn, and every child deserves access to healthy nutritious meals.”
How will the mandate affect Norman Public Schools?
Norman Public School is the eighth largest district in Oklahoma with 16,048 enrolled students, of which 53% receive free or reduced cost lunches, according to the Norman Public Schools website.
In April, the NPS Board of Education approved raising the cost of meals by 10 cents beginning next school year. At an elementary school, a student would pay 90 cents for breakfast and $3.20 for lunch. At a middle and high school, a student would pay 95 cents for breakfast and $3.35 for lunch.
Under the district’s free and reduced meals program, a student would pay 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch regardless of school standing.
On June 23, the NPS board approved its amended 2025-26 budget, which shows a revenue of roughly $4.9 million in federal child nutrition programs.
Courtney Scott, NPS chief communications officer, wrote in an email to OU Daily that the total annual cost to operate the district’s Child Nutrition Program is approximately $6.5 million, which not only includes the cost of meals but it also covers utilities, equipment, facility maintenance and other essential services.
“The program’s financial model relies in part on payments from families who do not qualify for free or reduced-price meals,” Scott wrote. “If those revenues were eliminated, the district would need to raise an additional $1.7 million annually to make up the difference.”
In June 2024, the board approved 10 NPS schools to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision program, which gives students free meals regardless of income, for the 2024-25 academic year.
Scott wrote the program was a success in NPS, with over 550,000 free meals being served over the school year, and the district has decided to include nine more schools in the program for the 2025-26 academic year.
The schools enrolled in the program include:
• Adams Elementary.
• Dimensions Academy.
• Jackson Elementary.
• Jefferson Elementary.
• Kennedy Elementary.
• Lincoln Elementary.
• Madison Elementary.
• Reagan Elementary.
• Wilson Elementary.
• Cleveland Elementary.
• Eisenhower Elementary.
• Lakeview Elementary.
• Monroe Elementary.
• Truman Elementary and Primary.
• Washington Elementary.
• Alcott Middle School.
• Irving Middle School.
• Longfellow Middle School.
Rep. Ellen Pogemiller (D-Oklahoma City) wrote in a statement that the mandate is unfunded and comes a week after the deadline for schools to apply for the Community Eligibility Provision. As of the end of 2024, 267 districts and 849 schools in Oklahoma participated in the program, according to Pogemiller.
“The deadline to apply for (Community Eligibility Provision) was June 30 — meaning this new potential mandate arrived too late for districts to adjust their plans, and our state won’t have the chance to prioritize this in the budget until next year,” Pogemiller wrote. “Happy to work towards this goal, but the reality is that Walters' approach is an unfunded mandate.”
Scott wrote that the district has not received any formal guidance from the Oklahoma State Department of Education about school meal requirements and while the district is monitoring the situation, it will not make changes until further information is provided.
“Until we receive actual guidance, not just public statements, we will not shift resources away from our day-to-day work,” Scott wrote. “The sky is not falling, and we are not panicking. We are staying focused on students and ready to respond if needed.”
This story was edited by Natalie Armour. Madisson Cameron and Sophie Hemker copy edited this story.
