The Minnesota State Senate passed a new piece of legislation that will guarantee free school meals to students in all public and charter K-12 schools around the state.
The Universal School Meals Bill was introduced by state Sen. Heather Gustafson (DFL-Vadnais Heights) and will now see schools provide lunch and breakfast to students at no charge, regardless of household income.
“Today is a tremendous victory for students, families, and schools across the state. I’ve been a teacher for over a decade, and I can tell you, firsthand, that when kids come to school hungry, learning becomes almost impossible,” Gustafson said in a press release.
The program will be run through a fund that covers the costs of the meals for school districts, charter schools, and some parochial schools.
“Roughly one in six children are food insecure. That means they don’t know where or when their next meal will be available if it comes at all,” Gustafson said before the measure was voted on.
Those who were against the legislation claimed that well-off families should not be allowed free meals along with kids who have a clear financial need. They say the bill will only raise taxes for Minnesotans.
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch. But we have a bill before us that says there’s a free lunch in the title. That’s not true. There is no such thing as a free lunch,” Republican state Sen. Steve Drazkowski said from the Senate floor. “The people in Minnesota are paying, in this bill, over $400 million in taxes.”
Nonetheless, the DFL-controlled state legislature passed the measure.
The governor is expected to sign the bill into law once it hits his desk, as soon as this week.
“Now that school lunch and breakfast will be available to all k-12 students, regardless of household income, we are eliminating a significant barrier to accessing an equitable and world-class education that every child in Minnesota deserves,” Gustafson said.
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