Wisconsin K-12 officials offer free school lunch to all students

Wisconsin’s top K-12 public education official wants to make school breakfast and lunch free for all students, regardless of their family income.

“Access to food is one of the most basic human needs, yet many Wisconsin children tell us they don’t know when—or if—they will next eat,” said Jill Underly, state superintendent of public instruction. , in a prepared statement.

IN statewide survey last year, One in four Wisconsin high school students reported going hungry in the past month because they didn’t have enough food at home. The Department of Education cited the data Friday when it announced a request for nearly $294 million for universal free school meals, part of a larger 2025-2027 nutrition-related budget request.

The meal offer will apply to schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program, which includes public schools, private schools and independent charters.

“When we make sure all our children are properly nourished, we are creating the leaders of tomorrow. My budget proposal will ensure that every child, no matter their background, has free access to the nutrition they need to succeed,” Underly said.

But the DPI proposal is just a request that needs approval from the Wisconsin Legislature. Gov. Tony Evers tried to propose universal free meals last session, but lawmakers failed to do so.

DPI’s total 2025-2027 budget request related to school nutrition is $311 million. It includes other measures, such as expanding existing breakfast and milk programs and encouraging school districts to buy products from local farmers and producers.

Nationally, the list of states implementing universal free school meals is long. This policy has become more common since the COVID-19 pandemic, as families became accustomed to free school meals provided through federal aid from March 2020 to June 2022.

If it moves forward, Wisconsin will join eight other states that have already have already taken similar long-term actions: California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota and Vermont.

DPI’s full budget request for 2025-2027 is expected to be released in November.

More: State Superintendent Jill Underly: Wisconsin has ‘more than enough money’ to fund public schools

“Good people don’t want children to go hungry”

Speaking last month in Madison, agriculture teacher Rachel Sauvola described what hunger looks like in the New Richmond School District where she works: Children looking for food in each other’s lockers and teachers using their own money to buy snacks for students and store boxes. classrooms are full of granola bars.

Sauvola is one of the cities in Wisconsin. five teachers of the year 2025 who were honored as part of the annual State of Education Address in September. This is the same official event where Underly outlined its current K-12 policy priorities.

Speaking during a ceremony at the State Capitol, Sauvola described how some New Richmond families are missing the current free school lunch eligibility limit by $2 or less.

“Giving every student access to free, healthy breakfast and lunch removes the stigma of receiving free school meals,” she said.

Sauvola said she grew up on a farm with a single father and still remembers going to the grocery store with a calculator to help the family stick to a tight budget.

“Guys, it’s pretty simple. Good people don’t want children to go hungry. Good people don’t look at those who have less and think those people are worth less,” she said.

Cleo Krejci covers higher education, job training and job training as a Report For America corps member based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @_CleoKrejci. For more information on Report for America, visit jsonline.com/rfa.