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How Will Every Oklahoma School District Fund Free Lunches? Walters Says They Must Make It a Priority | News Channel 3-12

OKLAHOMA, JUL 8 – State Superintendent Ryan Walters mandates full funding for free student lunches with budget compliance required by Oct. 1 to ensure no student pays for meals, impacting all districts.

  • On Monday, State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced that all Oklahoma school districts are now required to cover the cost of free lunches for students in the upcoming school year.
  • Walters made the directive to address what he called bureaucratic bloat and to prevent parents from being triple-taxed through federal, local, and invoice payments.
  • Walters warned districts to submit budgets including lunch funding by October 1 or risk rejection and loss of accreditation until resolved, while requiring proof of compliance with nutritional standards to be published.
  • A district spokeswoman estimated the mandate could cost between $5 million and $8 million, and Walters stated that if the budget proposal does not cover the cost of school lunches, she will reject it until the issue is resolved.
  • The announcement prompted concerns about unfunded mandates and legal authority, while many districts learned of the order simultaneously with the media and were assessing budget impacts.
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Oklahoman broke the news in Oklahoma City, United States on Monday, July 7, 2025.
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