PA Pushing Free Breakfast And Lunch For All Students

HARRISBURG, PA — Less than six months after former Gov. Tom Wolf made free breakfast for every student in Pennsylvania a reality for the 2022-23 school year, lawmakers are hoping to expand the program, and more importantly, make the change permanent.

A forthcoming bill would guarantee free breakfast and lunch to all K-12 students in Pennsylvania into the future. Wolf's program ends with the conclusion of the school year in June.

"The past three years have shown us how students and educators benefit when school meals are free for all kids," State Rep. Emily Kinkead (D-Allegheny) said in a co-sponsorship memorandum. "With the challenges of the pandemic persisting and families facing higher costs across the board, now is not the time to take a step backwards – especially when the estimated cost to feed every student in Pennsylvania would be a small fraction of our overall budget."

It's not yet clear what the cost of the initiative would be into the future, though Wolf earmarked $21.5 million for the 2022-23 free breakfast program.

Several other states, including California, Maine, Colorado, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Nevada, have passed similar bills into law. And more states are considering legislation similar to Kinkead's.

The proposal would apply to all public and private school students who are not already covered under the federal assistance program. It's estimated that 1.7 million students could benefit.

If the program is not passed, Pennsylvania would revert to its pre-pandemic, pre-inflation crisis standard of only offering free meals to students with a family income of 185 percent of the poverty level or below. Basically, it means that a family of four would have to be living on $36,075 or less to be eligible for free meals.

"This will be especially difficult for families who fall just outside the USDA’s income-eligibility guidelines," Kinkead added. "Additionally, because of rising supply chain costs, some schools have been forced to raise meal prices, meaning that families who were paying for meals before will now pay even more."

Wolf's program was the continuation of a pandemic program that provided free meals through the U.S. Department of Agriculture until the end of last school year. Breakfast consumption in Pennsylvania schools increased by 16 percent during the time when it was provided for free, according to state statistics.

"Research supports that a well-nourished child who starts the day with breakfast is more likely to be at school, has improved concentration and is more willing to participate in the classroom," School Nutrition Association of Pennsylvania Communications Chair Melissa Froehlich said at the time. "Universal free breakfast for all students in Pennsylvania will strengthen child nutrition programs and address equity and stigma around school breakfast so that more children will have access to nutritious meals and set our students up for success in the classroom.”

It remains unclear what level of support the measure will see in the legislature, both from Republicans and from Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has made numerous comments that place him well to the right of Gov. Wolf. A large bevy of Democrats signed on to similar legislation in the last House session, including former state representative and current Lt. Governor Austin Davis.