Though negotiations are still underway on New York State’s 2024 fiscal year budget, local school officials joined both the Assembly and Senate in supporting funding for universal free school meals in public schools.
Federal waivers enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic providing free school meals for all students across the nation, with more than 726,000 students across New York losing access to free meals at school.
The New York State Assembly and Senate included $280 million in funding for universal free school meals in their one-house budget bills and are hoping Governor Kathy Hochul will sign on. If approved, New York would join California, Colorado, Nevada, Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont in implementing a program that, according to advocacy group Healthy School Meals for All is supported by nearly 90 percent of all New Yorkers.
The policy would provide breakfast and lunch at no cost for all students each school day, regardless of income; would ensure nutritious meals aligned with federal National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program guidelines; and maximize federal reimbursement by leveraging existing provisions and federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program outreach.
According to experts, universal free school meals levels the educational playing field by eliminating the social stigma associated with free and reduced cost meals being tied to family income; supports families, who save an estimated $140 per child in grocery spending each month; and supports the community by eliminating school meal debt, which is a burden for both families and school districts.
Kingston City School District (KCSD) Superintendent Paul Padalino said around 65 percent of the district’s students receive free breakfast and lunch, with around 3,000 breakfasts and 5,300 lunches served each day. He added that the number of students who currently qualify is unclear.
“We think we have many students who would qualify, but they don’t fill out the application whether it’s they don’t want people to know that they get free or reduced lunch or it’s a complicated form,” he said. “And then the other thing is there are families that are right on the (economic) margin, that they don’t quite make it to free or reduced lunch, but it’s still a burden for them if they have two or three students in the district to pay full price for breakfast and lunch. Universal free school meals just ensures that all of our students who need breakfast and lunch will get it, and that some of our families who struggle just above the free and reduced lunch line won’t have to struggle to make sure their students get two meals a day here.”
Padalino added that the KCSD does not let any student go hungry.
“If they come through that line and they don’t have any money, we feed them, period,” he said. “We don’t collect. I don’t send someone to your house to collect if a student doesn’t pay for their lunch.”
In Kingston, state funding for free meals would allow the district to operate its cafeterias differently.
“We could shift from almost like a point of sale kind of thing to more of a service type of thing,” he said. “Making sure that the kids have food and that we have enough people making the right food, and making it well.”
Padalino said he didn’t see a drawback to a statewide universal free school meals policy.
“I think it increases attendance, I think it increases student achievement, and it’s just an all-around good idea.”
As in Kingston, New Paltz Central School District Superintendent Stephen Gratto said that students are not forced to go hungry if they’re technically ineligible for free meals but cannot afford to pay for them.
“We do have a certain number of parents who are unable to pay their kids’ lunch bill, and of course we feed the children anyway,” Gratto said. “Because that’s the right thing to do.”
Gratto said a statewide policy would alleviate some of the burden on both parents and school districts, an equitable solution to a difficult problem. Gratto came to the NPCSD earlier this year from the Schroon Lake Central School District, which unlike New Paltz received a community eligibility grant.
“So for the last seven years, I’ve never had to worry about a breakfast or a lunch,” he said. “Every child would get free breakfast and lunch and it was a fabulous benefit to the community.”
Onteora Central School District Superintendent Victoria McLaren also supports universal free meals in schools.
“Students should not have to be concerned about being able to purchase food and should never have to try to learn if they are hungry,” McLaren said. “There are many reasons why a family might not qualify for free or reduced-price meals and still not be able to afford to pay for a nutritious breakfast and lunch. We should ensure that children can learn without worrying about whether they will be able to eat on a particular day.”
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