Oklahoma school districts are scrambling to come up with millions of dollars to foot the bill for student lunches after a state mandate this week requiring districts to provide free meals for all students. The memo was sent out Monday by State Superintendent Ryan Walters, demanding schools pay for every student lunch. School leaders have said this ask is unrealistic with just weeks left before students head back to classrooms. “This is a conversation that should be had before parents are notified about it or the media is notified about it,” said Jason Perez, superintendent of Deer Creek Public Schools. “As a superintendent, I did not receive the memo.” >> Video Below: FULL INTERVIEW: State Superintendent Ryan Walters discusses plan for how districts can provide free lunch for studentsSo, how will this work? Walters said school districts need to look at their budgets and make cuts as needed. “What we’re telling school districts is, ‘You’ve grown administrative costs 13% over the last four years, over $660 million spent on administrative salaries. We’re seeing this tremendous bloat in growth, in admin salaries. We want to cut those,” Walters said. Perez said if Deer Creek eliminated the superintendent and every principal in the district, they would still be $4.5 million short of providing these meals. “We put those numbers to the test to see, and for us, if we cut 6% of our admin costs, we would be able to feed 118 kids. We have more kids in our band program at our high school than what we’d be able to feed that,” Perez said. >> Video Below: Implementing free school lunches in Oklahoma comes with concerns on tight deadlineSome schools, such as Oklahoma City Public Schools, Putnam City and Moore already use federal money for school lunches. But districts like Deer Creek don’t qualify for full funding. “It’s not realistic,” Perez said. “I think it’s great that we’re having this conversation. The problem is, we actually get down to how does that work in a school district.”Other districts told KOCO 5 the same thing. Piedmont Public Schools said it would cost $4 million that the district simply doesn’t have. “We agree providing every student with free breakfast and lunch every day would have significant positive results in our schools. At Piedmont Schools, the total daily cost to feed all students is $23,292.70, which adds up to more than $4 million annually. Unfortunately, our budget cannot absorb this financial impact. We’re hopeful additional funding will become available to help make free meals available to all students in our state,” Piedmont said in a statement. >> Video Below: How will every Oklahoma school district fund free lunches? Walters says they must make it a priorityPerez also acknowledged that this could lead to some confusion or frustration from those in the district. “I just don’t want them to be confused and thinking that this is going to happen or to be angry that this didn’t happen, that they were promised something that realistically isn’t going to come to fruition,” Perez said. Walters said the Oklahoma State Department of Education is working on a school support team and a child nutrition team to help districts with their plan. He said he ultimately will not approve a school’s budget unless lunches are free. “Parents already pay for lunches when the federal and local government tax them. They shouldn’t be taxed again with a lunch invoice,” Walters said in a statement Wednesday. “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.”Below are statements from school districts regarding the free school lunches mandate. Oklahoma City Public Schools 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). Our team is committed to serving freshly prepared, USDA-compliant meals each day. We’re excited to welcome our students back next month and to introduce some new menu items along with returning student favorites! Yukon Public SchoolsYukon Public Schools will continue to honor our mission and belief that every child deserves access to nutritious meals. Studies show that when students are well-fed, they are better prepared to focus, learn, and succeed in the classroom. As we, along with other districts, await further guidance, we strongly encourage all families to complete the Free and Reduced Lunch application. Applying, even if you think your income might disqualify you, benefits both families and the school district by unlocking valuable financial support, enhancing educational services, and strengthening food security for all students. The process is easy, confidential, and can be done online or via paper form every school year.If you’d like help with the online application or need paper copies, Yukon Public Schools offers them in English and Spanish, and you can apply through MySchoolApps.com or at summer feeding sites through July 25We remain committed to doing everything we can to serve our students and ensure they have the nourishment they need to thrive.Deer Creek Public SchoolsDeer Creek School District has not received official communication from the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) regarding school meal requirements or expectations to change our budgets accordingly. We have reviewed the information sent to parents by OSDE on July 7th and analyzed the financial impact of adhering to this memo. It would cost Deer Creek Schools nearly $6.5 million annually to feed all of our students, not including those who qualify for the free and reduced meal program. Superintendent Walters has suggested that districts reduce their administrative expenses by 6% in order to cover the cost of feeding all students, claiming that school districts across Oklahoma have bloated administrative budgets. However, Oklahoma statutes limit the amount of administrative expenses any district may incur. Deer Creek operates on an administrative budget of 1.8%, which is significantly lower than the state allotted 5%. As a result, a cut of 6% from our administrative budget would feed only 118 students for the year. Although we agree free meals for all students would be beneficial, an unfunded mandate of this magnitude would cripple the learning environment of all children. We are focusing on preparing for another great school year in our district and will not be making drastic changes based on public statements.Piedmont Public Schools We agree providing every student with free breakfast and lunch every day would have significant positive results in our schools. At Piedmont Schools, the total daily cost to feed all students is $23,292.70, which adds up to more than $4 million annually. Unfortunately, our budget cannot absorb this financial impact. We’re hopeful additional funding will become available to help make free meals available to all students in our state. Putnam City Schools Meals are already free. They are a CEP, which covers lunch and breakfast. They also have a program for snacks and dinner for extracurricular activities for students. Edmond Public SchoolsWe still haven’t received anything directly from the state departmentOklahoma State School Board AssociationWe’ve received questions from districts about the release and email. Here’s what we know as of this afternoon: At this time, we aren’t aware of SDE guidance directly to school officials regarding changes to school nutrition programs. State statute provides certain limits related to school budgets. These limits include items like minimum teacher salaries and restrictions on administrative costs. There is no state law requiring school districts to provide free meals to every student. Local school boards maintain primary authority over district budgets, enabling them to make decisions based on local priorities and needs. While some districts choose to use discretionary funds to offset meal costs for students not qualifying for free meals, this is strictly a local decision. There is no provision in state law for SDE to demand a financial audit or sanction a district for not providing free meals for all students. The communication referred to potential SDE emergency rules regarding child nutrition. The State Board of Education must approve emergency rules before they could be considered by the governor. No such proposed rule has been published nor has one appeared on a State Board of Education agenda.Top Headlines Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department closing state park restaurants until further notice TIMELINE: Storms with risk of damaging wind, flash flooding possible Tuesday in Oklahoma Ambulance and police respond after vehicle crashes into stone sign outside SW OKC neighborhood Man arrested for alleged role in shooting death of 3-year-old boy in northwest Oklahoma City Amazon Prime Day 2025 live updates: The best deals we’re finding on Day 1 of Prime Day
Oklahoma school districts are scrambling to come up with millions of dollars to foot the bill for student lunches after a state mandate this week requiring districts to provide free meals for all students.
The memo was sent out Monday by State Superintendent Ryan Walters, demanding schools pay for every student lunch. School leaders have said this ask is unrealistic with just weeks left before students head back to classrooms.
“This is a conversation that should be had before parents are notified about it or the media is notified about it,” said Jason Perez, superintendent of Deer Creek Public Schools. “As a superintendent, I did not receive the memo.”
>> Video Below: FULL INTERVIEW: State Superintendent Ryan Walters discusses plan for how districts can provide free lunch for students
So, how will this work?
Walters said school districts need to look at their budgets and make cuts as needed.
“What we’re telling school districts is, ‘You’ve grown administrative costs 13% over the last four years, over $660 million spent on administrative salaries. We’re seeing this tremendous bloat in growth, in admin salaries. We want to cut those,” Walters said.
Perez said if Deer Creek eliminated the superintendent and every principal in the district, they would still be $4.5 million short of providing these meals.
“We put those numbers to the test to see, and for us, if we cut 6% of our admin costs, we would be able to feed 118 kids. We have more kids in our band program at our high school than what we’d be able to feed that,” Perez said.
>> Video Below: Implementing free school lunches in Oklahoma comes with concerns on tight deadline
Some schools, such as Oklahoma City Public Schools, Putnam City and Moore already use federal money for school lunches. But districts like Deer Creek don’t qualify for full funding.
“It’s not realistic,” Perez said. “I think it’s great that we’re having this conversation. The problem is, we actually get down to how does that work in a school district.”
Other districts told KOCO 5 the same thing. Piedmont Public Schools said it would cost $4 million that the district simply doesn’t have.
“We agree providing every student with free breakfast and lunch every day would have significant positive results in our schools. At Piedmont Schools, the total daily cost to feed all students is $23,292.70, which adds up to more than $4 million annually. Unfortunately, our budget cannot absorb this financial impact. We’re hopeful additional funding will become available to help make free meals available to all students in our state,” Piedmont said in a statement.
>> Video Below: How will every Oklahoma school district fund free lunches? Walters says they must make it a priority
Perez also acknowledged that this could lead to some confusion or frustration from those in the district.
“I just don’t want them to be confused and thinking that this is going to happen or to be angry that this didn’t happen, that they were promised something that realistically isn’t going to come to fruition,” Perez said.
Walters said the Oklahoma State Department of Education is working on a school support team and a child nutrition team to help districts with their plan. He said he ultimately will not approve a school’s budget unless lunches are free.
“Parents already pay for lunches when the federal and local government tax them. They shouldn’t be taxed again with a lunch invoice,” Walters said in a statement Wednesday. “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.”
Below are statements from school districts regarding the free school lunches mandate.
Oklahoma City Public Schools
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). Our team is committed to serving freshly prepared, USDA-compliant meals each day. We’re excited to welcome our students back next month and to introduce some new menu items along with returning student favorites!
Yukon Public Schools
Yukon Public Schools will continue to honor our mission and belief that every child deserves access to nutritious meals. Studies show that when students are well-fed, they are better prepared to focus, learn, and succeed in the classroom.
As we, along with other districts, await further guidance, we strongly encourage all families to complete the Free and Reduced Lunch application. Applying, even if you think your income might disqualify you, benefits both families and the school district by unlocking valuable financial support, enhancing educational services, and strengthening food security for all students. The process is easy, confidential, and can be done online or via paper form every school year.
If you’d like help with the online application or need paper copies, Yukon Public Schools offers them in English and Spanish, and you can apply through MySchoolApps.com or at summer feeding sites through July 25
We remain committed to doing everything we can to serve our students and ensure they have the nourishment they need to thrive.
Deer Creek Public Schools
Deer Creek School District has not received official communication from the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) regarding school meal requirements or expectations to change our budgets accordingly. We have reviewed the information sent to parents by OSDE on July 7th and analyzed the financial impact of adhering to this memo.
It would cost Deer Creek Schools nearly $6.5 million annually to feed all of our students, not including those who qualify for the free and reduced meal program.
Superintendent Walters has suggested that districts reduce their administrative expenses by 6% in order to cover the cost of feeding all students, claiming that school districts across Oklahoma have bloated administrative budgets. However, Oklahoma statutes limit the amount of administrative expenses any district may incur. Deer Creek operates on an administrative budget of 1.8%, which is significantly lower than the state allotted 5%. As a result, a cut of 6% from our administrative budget would feed only 118 students for the year.
Although we agree free meals for all students would be beneficial, an unfunded mandate of this magnitude would cripple the learning environment of all children. We are focusing on preparing for another great school year in our district and will not be making drastic changes based on public statements.
Piedmont Public Schools
We agree providing every student with free breakfast and lunch every day would have significant positive results in our schools. At Piedmont Schools, the total daily cost to feed all students is $23,292.70, which adds up to more than $4 million annually. Unfortunately, our budget cannot absorb this financial impact. We’re hopeful additional funding will become available to help make free meals available to all students in our state.
Putnam City Schools
Meals are already free. They are a CEP, which covers lunch and breakfast. They also have a program for snacks and dinner for extracurricular activities for students.
Edmond Public Schools
We still haven’t received anything directly from the state department
Oklahoma State School Board Association
We’ve received questions from districts about the release and email. Here’s what we know as of this afternoon:
At this time, we aren’t aware of SDE guidance directly to school officials regarding changes to school nutrition programs. State statute provides certain limits related to school budgets. These limits include items like minimum teacher salaries and restrictions on administrative costs. There is no state law requiring school districts to provide free meals to every student. Local school boards maintain primary authority over district budgets, enabling them to make decisions based on local priorities and needs. While some districts choose to use discretionary funds to offset meal costs for students not qualifying for free meals, this is strictly a local decision. There is no provision in state law for SDE to demand a financial audit or sanction a district for not providing free meals for all students. The communication referred to potential SDE emergency rules regarding child nutrition. The State Board of Education must approve emergency rules before they could be considered by the governor. No such proposed rule has been published nor has one appeared on a State Board of Education agenda.
