By Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY — A mandate that public schools offer free meals to all students appears to have failed to capture widespread support in the GOP-controlled Oklahoma Legislature after being ignored by school districts.
Former state Superintendent Ryan Walters in July ordered all districts in the state to eliminate their cafeteria fees and provide breakfasts and lunches for free. Walters, who resigned from office a few months later to lead a nonprofit, contended public schools had plenty of funds already in their coffers to afford it.
But, state lawmakers have “turned the page and quit worrying about what he said,” Rep. Dick Lowe, R-Amber, told Oklahoma Voice.
Lowe, who leads the House Common Education Committee, said the state might be “tight on income” next year, and providing universal free meals would require a major expense.
Collections in the state’s General Revenue Fund have been lower over the first five months of the 2026 fiscal year than in the same span the year before, according to the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.
Hunger Free Oklahoma, an organization advocating for free meal expansion, estimates it would cost the state $80 million to $100 million to fund free meals for all public school students.
Lawmakers expect to be “hyper-focused” on other issues, particularly improving childhood literacy, Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant. He said there’s little appetite for eliminating cafeteria costs.
“I think right now, you have kids that can pay for it, and if they can, then let the parents pay for the meal, and let’s focus on getting kids a high-quality education,” Bullard said.
Democrats, though, will continue to advocate for the policy, said House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City.
House Bill 2092 from Rep. Annie Menz, D-Norman, and Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, would expand universal free meals to more districts. The bill will carry over into the 2026 legislative session after failing to get a committee hearing in 2025.
“Oklahoma continues to face difficult challenges when it comes to public education,” Munson said in a statement. “That is due in part to the disservice of Ryan Walters, who made several promises that he left unfulfilled when he resigned. Universal school meals for public school students has always and will remain a priority policy change supported by House Democrats.”
Families whose household income is at or near the federal poverty line qualify for free or reduced-priced meals in any public school.
Nearly 280,000 Oklahoma students attended a public school that provided meals at no cost to all enrolled in 2024, according to a June report from Hunger Free Oklahoma.
Across the state, 267 districts and 849 individual public schools offer free meals to all of their students through a federal program known as the Community Eligibility Provision. The program provides federal reimbursements to schools based on their student poverty levels.
Districts that aren’t eligible or that qualify for minimal federal support from the program said Walters’ order would be financially unviable, even with drastic cuts to other expenses. Multiple district leaders said they had no plans to comply with the mandate, despite Walters’ threat of sanctions.
His order also sought to ban from school meals any “ultra-processed” foods, certain artificial dyes, seed oils and produce grown with pesticides. School kitchens would struggle to comply without extra funding, added training and reliable access to fresh, local ingredients, the School Nutrition Association of Oklahoma said.
Walters issued his mandate a week after the yearly deadline to apply for Community Eligibility Provision funding, exacerbating frustrations about the viability of his order. Lawmakers and policy experts said Walters had no authority to singlehandedly create such a requirement.
New state Superintendent Lindel Fields, appointed after Walters’ resignation, hasn’t attempted to enforce the order or pursue it further.
“I believe we can all agree that students learn best when their basic needs are met, including having a full stomach,” Fields said in a statement. “This is an important issue, and I think it would be worthwhile to discuss potential solutions that benefit all students.”
