How are school meals funded?
School nutrition programs are funded by student participation, which means that when more students eat, the more revenue the school nutrition program has to invest in ingredients, staff, and kitchen infrastructure. When fewer students participate, funding declines, yet schools must still serve meals, often with fewer staff and more reliance on processed foods.
With greater and consistent funding through increased student participation, school nutrition programs can source high-quality ingredients from local farms, invest in their workforce, and equip kitchen infrastructure to grow their programs.
What about free, reduced-price, and paid meals?
School meals are offered to students on a tiered price system: free, reduced-price, and full price. Households qualify for free or reduced-price meals through an application process at the school district or through participation in other federal assistance programs.
In turn, school nutrition programs are reimbursed at different rates depending on whether a meal is served at the free, reduced-price, or paid rate. Free meals receive the highest reimbursement, paid meals the lowest, as the student’s payment is meant to supplement this reimbursement level.
This tiered system is not only an administrative burden on school districts, but it can also stigmatize students based on financial need and allows for meal debt to accumulate when students cannot afford school meals.
In March 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued waivers that allowed schools nationwide to serve meals at no charge to all students, easing the burden of processing and tracking eligibility for free, reduced, or paid meals at the height of the pandemic. Participation rose while childhood hunger decreased. But the waiver authorizing free school meals for all students expired in June 2022.
The pandemic served as a valuable lesson on the critical importance of providing healthy school meals to all students.
How would this work in Wisconsin?
Every Wisconsin school participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) would be able to provide a free breakfast and lunch to every student who wants one. Parents would still have the option to provide lunch or breakfast for their child.
With Healthy School Meals for All Wisconsin, the state would provide supplemental funding to ensure every student meal served is reimbursed at the free reimbursement level. To keep costs manageable, Wisconsin would utilize existing federal reimbursements.
What is the history of no-cost school meals in Wisconsin?
In the 2021-2022 State Assembly session, Assembly Bill 805 was introduced to reimburse meal costs for schools that provide free school meals to all students. This bill had planned to extend the state funding framework for free breakfast and lunch to cover all K-12 students. This bill was not passed.
In his 2023-2025 proposed state budget, Governor Evers prioritized free school meals for all Wisconsin students, along with increased state breakfast reimbursement and a local food reimbursement incentive in his Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids plan. Both Healthy School Meals for All and the local food reimbursement incentive were removed from the proposed budget by the Joint Committee on Finance in May of 2023.
The Healthy School Meals for All Wisconsin Coalition will continue to advocate for school meals at no charge for all Wisconsin children, joining many other states across this country that have made these investments in their students!
Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
Healthy School Meals for All movement by state
Nine states have adopted policies ensuring every student has access to free school meals. Wisconsin and many others are working toward the same goal. Stay connected with the nationwide movement through the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC).