Cleveland already doing it Sand Springs offers silence
CLEVELAND-SAND SPRINGS — The Oklahoma State Department of Education is ordering school districts to fully fund all students’ meals.
State superintendent Ryan Walters announced the new mandate on July 7 through a statewide email. He says districts must use existing state and federal funding to pay for students’ meals.
While many districts have finalized their budgets for the 2025-26 year, Walters says they will need to turn over a new budget that accounts for free lunches.
While Sand Springs Superintendent Sherry Durkee remains silent about the mandate, Cleveland Public Schools Superintendent Sol Bayouth sent an email out last Tuesday to parents relaying how the school district will address the mandate.
“Recently, you may have received a statewide email from the Oklahoma State Department of Education regarding school meal funding and administrative spending,” he said. “We understand that this message raised some important concerns for families, and we want to provide clarity on how our local district operates.”
Bayouth wrote that Cleveland Public Schools wholeheartedly agree that students deserve nutritious meals and that schools should use taxpayer dollars wisely and transparently.
“We also believe in addressing concerns directly with honesty, accuracy, and respect,” he said. “Which is why we are excited to continue to offer free Breakfast and Lunch every day for every kid. This began last school year and should continue for the next several years.”
Bayouth said Walter’s email references administrative costs.
He wrote that state law defines “administrative costs” very specifically. These include: The superintendent, assistant superintendents, building administrators, maintenance, and athletic directors, and their immediate staff. Staff who handle board relations, negotiations, and district-level coordination. Directors, supervisors, and consultants with administrative duties. Board of Education clerks and related positions. Management services contracted by the district.
“According to state law, a school district our size is not allowed to spend more than 7% of its total expenditures on administrative costs,” Bayouth said. “We are proud to share that Cleveland Public Schools has consistently remained well below that limit, spending only 3.1% of our budget on administrative costs for each of the past two years.”
Bayouth said Cleveland’s total district budget is approximately $15 million per year.
“That means about $465,000 annually is allocated toward administrative roles as defined above,” he said. “The remaining 96.9% of our budget goes directly toward instruction, student services, transportation, nutrition programs, facilities, and other supports that serve our students daily.”
Meanwhile, in Sand Springs
The Sand Springs School District previously announced on its school website that SSPS won’t be able to provide free meals for the 20252026 school year.
A school district spokesperson said last week that SSPS had no statement to make regarding Walter’s free meal mandate.
The SSPS website said for the 2024-25 school year, Sand Springs Public Schools offered breakfast and lunch at no charge to all students through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). “Unfortunately, we are unable to provide free meals for all students in the upcoming school year,” the website stated.
According to the school website:
• SSPS will continue to offer a healthy breakfast and lunch to students during the school day.
• Qualifying households may receive free or reduced-price meals, but an application must first be submitted and approved.
“We encourage all families to apply for free and reducedprice meals, even if they don't think they will qualify. Completing this application not only helps support your family but also impacts funding and resources for our schools,” the website stated.
Rep. Ellen Pogemiller, D-Oklahoma City, released the following statement about Walter’s mandate.
“The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) allows schools to use federal funds to offer no-cost meals to students. Schools qualify if just 25% of students meet the threshold, making it an efficient way to increase access and improve nutrition for all students,” she said. “As of the end of 2024, 267 districts and 849 schools in Oklahoma were participating in CEP. Yet the deadline to apply for CEP 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. Happy to work towards this goal, but the reality is that Walters' approach is an unfunded mandate.”