Impact of universal free meals in MN eyed by lawmakers this session
Universal free lunches future in MN
With schools serving an estimated 102 million free lunches and 49 million free breakfasts in the first year, keeping universal free meals in Minnesota schools remains a priority for some Minnesota lawmakers.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Protecting universal school meals is a 2025 priority for Minnesota Democrats.
Popular portions
Universally eating:
The program is one of the most popular passed by the DFL trifecta, especially among parents and teachers.
Students won’t always have the governor and lieutenant governor serving up muffins - as they did in Fridley when universal free meals launched - but a free breakfast is on the menu every day now.
Gov. Walz touts free lunches in Fridley
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan spent Friday morning handing out free school lunches at Fridley Middle School to promote a program that projections say will need more funding in coming years due to an increase in demand.
Parents say it means more than just a guaranteed full belly.
"We do have breakfast options at home, but if we're in a rush, I know they'll get fed at school, and it allows my children to get the extra sleep," said Sophia Sam on Wednesday. "If they're feeling tired, they can sleep in and know that they can eat."
Saved by the meal
By the numbers:
In the first year of the Universal Free Meals program, schools served 102 million lunches and 49 million breakfasts – a huge increase from the year before.
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) estimates families saved $268 million in one year, about $1,000 per child.
"Probably over $5,000 a year is what we had come to expect in paying for our kids to eat," said Kate Lundquist, a mother of six and a teacher in the Anoka-Hennepin district. "And again, that's our responsibility in a sense. But the way that that has alleviated the stress, the stress of feeding our kids is so great."
Impacting kids
Changes in school:
Administrators say free food motivates kids to come to school, so the meals are reducing absences.
Teachers testified that they’ve seen more attentive students, and they’ve personally saved hundreds of dollars on snacks they used to give hungry kids.
Statewide polls show more than 70% support for universal free meals and participation is almost universal, even among charter schools.
But Prior Lake and Byron school districts have opted out, and some legislators have worried about waste.
"In some of the conversations that I've been having with parents and school staff that it is their observation that while the meals themselves are free to the students, there are larger quantities of those meals being thrown away," said Sen. Eric Lucero (R-St. Michael).
But Democrats say administrators figure out how to limit loss.
"Schools can make those adjustments to their food so they know what they're doing," said Sen. Heather Gustafson (DFL-Vadnais Heights), who authored the 2023 Universal Free Meals bill. "I trust that schools can make those decisions."
What's next:
The program costs about $250 million a year, and Democrats have expressed concerns about the possibility of federal funding disappearing.
But for now, there are no plans to make big changes to free meals.