Educators and parents testify about success of Minnesota school meals program, ask for continued funding
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Schools served more than 150 million meals last year for students, under the new state program providing breakfast and lunch at no cost to families, regardless of their income, state education leaders said Wednesday.
That's 15% more children getting lunch compared to the previous school year and 40% more eating breakfasts before class. The state picks up the tab for the meals that aren't covered by the national program, which has limits depending on how much money a family makes.
Daron Korte, assistant commissioner at the Department of Education, told a Minnesota Senate education committee that families are saving $1,000 per student as a result. All public school districts participate, along with 167 charter schools and 163 private schools.
Several educators, parents and advocates also testified to the panel, praising the universal school meals program, which they say is a success. They shared anecdotes that children are more engaged while learning because they are fed and that families are saving valuable cash at a time when the high cost of living eats away at household budgets.
"It's like a car payment for us to pay for school meals. Probably over $5,000 a year is what we had come to expect in paying for our kids to eat," said Kate Lundquist, a parent with six children enrolled in the Anoka Hennepin School District. "That's our responsibility in a sense. But the way that that has alleviated the stress of feeding our kids is so great."
Stacey Koppen, director of nutrition services at St. Paul Public Schools, said before the program took effect, she would often encounter families who made just above the income threshold to qualify for the national free and reduced lunch program, but still couldn't afford to pay.
"Something that will never escape me is the desperation that I witnessed from parents who were struggling with making a decision to balance their child's nutritional needs during the day against some really complicated financial struggles at home," she said.
"Providing meals is not a privilege, it's actually a responsibility. And meals are just as necessary as textbooks and buses," she added.
Because school meals are so popular, the expansion of who qualifies ended up costing the state more than originally planned. Now the big task for the Minnesota Legislature is to write the next two-year budget—and they'll have to act wisely to avoid a projected $5 billion deficit in future years.
Republicans in the past have suggested expanding who qualifies for free meals, but wanted to stop short of a no-cost program for everyone because wealthy families don't need that same assistance. They warned of the growing cost of the program and its impact on state spending.
DFL Gov. Tim Walz's budget request to lawmakers would keep the program fully funded in the next budget—an ask that will cost $541 million over the next two years, according to his budget documents.
He reiterated that support on Wednesday. The DFL-led legislature approved it in 2023, but now lawmakers will be forced to work together to pass a budget in a divided capitol.
During the pandemic, COVID relief funds subsidized meals for all students. After the money expired, some states opted to extend the program through their own general funds. Minnesota is one of eight states with this policy.
"We know that you have a difficult job of balancing the state budget and carefully considering our investments," said Leah Gardner with the Hunger-Free School Coalition. "Members, this investment is already paying dividends."
