(The Center Square) – When Ohio Senators return from spring break next week, a plan to give all students taxpayer-funded breakfast and lunch is expected to be on the table.
A bipartisan bill that expands the school meal program to students who don’t currently qualify for the federal free-meal program sits in the Senate Finance Committee, and a majority of state economists surveyed believe the proposal will help student outcomes.
The bill, sponsored by Reps. Louis Blessing III, R-Colerain Township, and Kent Smith, D-Euclid, would require each public and private charter school be part of the National School Breakfast and Lunch program to provide free school meals to all students.
The state would be responsible for reimbursing the districts for students who do not qualify for the national free- and reduced-price breakfast and lunch program.
A group of economists surveyed by the Columbus-based policy analytical group Scioto Analysis overwhelmingly said the plan would boost test scores and graduation rates.
Fourteen out of 17 agreed with the possible benefits. Three economists did not disagree but were uncertain of the impact.
“Universal benefits are more equitable than means-tested benefits because they literally treat everyone the same. They increase equitability of social status by eliminating the stigma of singling out the needy for special help,” Jonathan Andreas, from Bluffton University, said in the analysis. “They also increase equality of opportunity by eliminating a high shadow-tax-rate whereby higher earned income can be completely ‘taxed’ away by radically reduced benefits thereby eliminating the marginal incentive to increase earnings. The tradeoff is that they are a lot more expensive to fund than means-tested benefits, so they are a relatively inefficient way to increase equity.”
University of Cincinnati Economist Michael Jones, however, argued moving food from a parental responsibility to a government responsibility could send the wrong message.
“Encouraging children to eat breakfast at school rather than at home shifts parental responsibilities to government programs. This sends the message that providing basic needs such as food is something families can opt out of rather than prioritize,” Jones said. “Parents who value family time together should not be put at a financial disadvantage simply because they do not use a free school breakfast. Families are strengthened when children see their parents taking care of them.”
