NORTH COUNTY -- The number of free meals being served to school children in California has increased in the past year and could soon jump even more as parents deal with dwindling income and unemployment, officials said Tuesday.

In North County, some districts such as Oceanside Unified and San Marcos Unified have also seen an increase in the number of children qualifying for the state free and reduced-price lunch program. Officials in other districts said the numbers haven't gone up much, but they're still bracing for an increase.

"We expect it, but we haven't seen it yet," said Steve Gregg, operations supervisor for Poway Unified School District's nutrition department.

Statewide, more than half of all students are getting the reduced-priced meals, officials said. The percentage of students participating in the program has held steady over the past several years, even as the actual number of students has dropped as school enrollment has declined.

But the number of meals served is higher than ever before, in part because many campuses have started offering breakfast. Schools across the state served about 771 million meals last year, 28 million more than they did the year before, officials said.

Because of that increase, State Superintendent of Schools Jack O'Connell announced Tuesday that funding for the program may run out before the end of the school year. The program is paid for mostly by federal funds, with some state money.

O'Connell said so many kids signed up at the end of last year, the program ran out of money to pay back districts. He's asking Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for another $31 million for the meals.

Countywide, 1.5 percent more students got free or discounted meals last year compared with the year before. State and county numbers for the current school year aren't available yet.

In Oceanside Unified, the number of students getting free or discounted meals jumped this year, said Vino Mitra, director of the district's nutrition department.

"It's more than last year, and it's directly because of the economy," Mitra said.

There are roughly 200 more students who qualify this year compared with last year. About 55 percent of the district's 20,000 students qualify for the program.

Usually, the number of students who qualify remains relatively steady, Mitra said.

Still, it's not uncommon for schools to see an increase when a recession hits, said Dena England, director of San Marcos Unified's nutrition department.

"It does fluctuate a lot based on the economy," she said.

In the San Marcos district, the percentage of students in the program has gone from 38 percent last year to about 42 percent this year, England said.

In Poway Unified, one of the region's more affluent districts, the number of students in the program hasn't changed much this year, Gregg said. Fewer than 13 percent of the 31,000 students enrolled in the district qualify for the program.

In the nearby Escondido Union School District, nearly 65 percent of students get free or reduced-price lunches. That number has increased slightly over the last decade, but remains relatively steady this year, said Virginia Carter, director of the district's nutrition department.

"We have not seen much of a difference at all," she said.

If there is going to be an increase based on the nationwide recession, it will probably come over the next month or two, Carter said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact staff writer Stacy Brandt at (760) 901-4009 or sbrandt@nctimes.com.