(The Center Square) — New York could join a handful of states that make meals ‘free’ for public school students, regardless of their incomes.
A proposal set to be pitched by Gov. Kathy Hochul during her State of the State address on Tuesday would require the state to provide breakfast and lunch free for all K-12 school students. The plan would impact about 2.7 million students and save families about $165 per child in monthly grocery costs.
Hochul didn’t say how much the plan would cost taxpayers, but previous estimates of universal free lunch have exceeded $250 million.
“The research is clear: good food in the lunchroom creates good grades in the classroom,” Hochul said in a statement. “I’m proposing free school meals for every student in New York – giving kids the sustenance they need and putting more money back in parents’ pockets.”
Supporters said the changes, if approved by the state Legislature, will help alleviate food insecurity and provide much-needed economic relief for families paying more for groceries and other basic necessities amid the lingering pinch of inflation and other financial pressures.
“This bold and compassionate move ensures that every child, regardless of background, has access to the nourishment they need to succeed in the classroom,” Jennifer Martin, New York School Nutrition Association CEO, said in a statement. “A hungry child is a child distracted from their potential, and by providing meals to all students, we are investing in their health, their education, and their future.”
New York has offered free discounted lunches for low-income public school students for years, relying on federal programs to pay a portion of the cost. About 90% of students in the state already have access to universal free meals.
The Hochul administration said making free school meals universal will expand the program to include another 300,000 students. The state also receives federal funding for high-poverty districts to provide free or reduced-price meals, which supporters say would offset the costs.
The COVID-19 pandemic opened up a wellspring of federal funding for districts to provide free lunches regardless of a family’s income. But much of that federal money dried up in 2022, and Congress hasn’t provided more funding.
So far, only a handful of states — including Massachusetts, California, Maine, Nevada and Vermont — have decided to extend the federal universal free lunch program through the 2022-23 school year after it ended.
About one in seven families in New York are food insecure, meaning they don’t have consistent, reliable access to nutritious and affordable food, according to the group Feeding America. About one in five children have faced hunger in the state, according to the group. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows the state is among two dozen with the nation’s highest rates of food insecurity.
Hochul is scheduled to deliver her State of the State address on Tuesday in the Assembly chamber in Albany, where she is expected to provide more details about her agenda.
