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House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted:	September 9, 2022 03:45 PM
From:	Representative Emily Kinkead
To:	All House members
Subject:	Providing Free School Meals for All Pennsylvania Students

I will soon be introducing legislation that provides free school meals – breakfast and lunch – to all K-12 students. No child should go hungry or feel shame about not being able to afford a meal in school. Research has also shown time and again that school meals are as critical to learning as textbooks and teachers. Unfortunately, despite having meals covered during the pandemic, low-income students and families will once again need to pay for school meals in the upcoming school year. At the start of the pandemic, the Federal government provided waivers from regulations and funding to ensure that all students had access to breakfast and lunch – whether they were learning in person or remotely. Recently, Congress extended these pandemic school meal waivers through the summer months and provided supply chain flexibilities and increased federal reimbursements for schools through the 2022-23 school year. While these changes help schools facing rising food, gas, and labor costs, the federal action unfortunately does little to help the students and families enduring the same financial strain. Once again, only students with a family income of 185% of the poverty level or below will qualify for free or reduced school meals this school year. The end of the federal waivers will be especially difficult for families who fall just outside the USDA’s income-eligibility guidelines. Additionally, because of rising supply chain costs, some schools are being forced to raise meal prices, meaning that families who were paying for meals before the pandemic will now pay even more for students’ breakfasts and lunches – and more children will go hungry as a result. The pandemic has shown us how students and educators benefit when school meals are free for all kids. 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. States around the country have recognized the need to take decisive action on school meals. California and Maine have both passed universal free school meal programs. Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Wisconsin, and Vermont have proposed or passed universal free-lunch bills, and Colorado will have a proposal on the ballot in November, signaling a growing recognition for this change. Given the ongoing economic challenges facing Pennsylvania families, now is the time to provide free school meals to all students who are not already covered through the federal free and reduced-price-meal and Community Eligibility Provision programs. Governor Wolf just announced that the 1.7 million public and private school students in Pennsylvania will be able to get free breakfast for this school year and I hope that an administrative solution can still be found to ensure that our students are fed for lunch as well to best allow them to learn and grow. However, as legislators we can do more and make this program permanent, while expanding it to include lunches as well. It is incumbent upon us as legislators to use the public funds for the public good and nothing is more important than ensuring that each and every student in Pennsylvania is fed so that they have the best opportunity to learn to be the leaders of tomorrow.  Please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation to ensure every student is nourished and ready to learn.

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