NYS budget eyes expanding free school lunches amid concerns over federal funding

ALBANY — New York’s proposed state budget includes $340 million to cover the cost of school meals for all of the state’s 2.76 million students, but education advocates and state lawmakers worry the investment could be undercut by federal cuts under the Trump administration.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a "general agreement" on a budget deal with legislative leaders on a $254 billion state spending plan on Monday, which included funds to expand eligibility for what’s known as the "Universal Free School Meals program" to nearly 300,000 additional students in public and private schools starting next school year.

"We know these programs are part of the solution to addressing poverty in New York State, particularly amongst children," Assemb. Jessica González-Rojas (D-Queens), who sponsored universal meals legislation, told Newsday. "As a mom, I know how important it is for children to have healthy nutritious food for both breakfast and lunch in school ... you cannot teach a hungry child."

Access to meals in school has been shown to boost academic performance and health outcomes, and improve attendance and classroom behavior, according to education experts and nutrition advocacy groups.

The current program, which includes a mixture of federal and state funding, covers the cost of breakfast and lunch for 2.46 million K-12 students who meet certain poverty requirements, according to state Education Department data.

On Long Island, the expansion is expected to help 260 schools and 135,000 students, according to Hunger Solutions New York, a statewide nonprofit focused on alleviating hunger.

While education advocates and state lawmakers applauded the expansion, they expressed concern over proposed cuts from the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress that could put the school meals program in jeopardy or shift billions of dollars in costs to states.

"There has been that cloud of uncertainty," said Caroline Bobick, deputy director of governmental and external relations for the New York State School Boards Association. "Changes to federal school meal programs ... could dramatically increase the financial burden on New York State, who has committed to providing free breakfasts and lunches to all students."

Federal proposals aimed at reducing spending include cuts to funding for national school breakfast and lunch programs, as well as cuts to safety net programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, both of which are used to automatically certify students for free school meal programs.

Federal reimbursements to New York for the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program total about $1.5 billion, according to Hunger Solutions New York.

"While the Trump administration makes threats to these critical food programs, the governor is doing everything in her power to ensure our students have access to the food they need to be successful in the classroom," Hochul spokesperson Emma Wallner said in an emailed statement.

While Republican state lawmakers agree on funding the school meals program, some take issue with Democrats blaming the federal government while dramatically increasing state spending.

"I haven’t seen any cuts in those programs for lunches made, all I've seen is saving taxpayers money," said State Sen. James Tedisco (R-Ballston Lake), the ranking Republican on the Senate Education Committee, about actions by the Trump administration.

Democrats should focus on keeping state spending down and putting taxpayer dollars toward important programs such as ensuring students have lunch instead of things such as funding for a new stadium, he told Newsday, adding, "Now they blame a guy sitting there three to four months and he's to blame that they can’t spend appropriately."

'We're definitely moving forward'

Under the national school breakfast and lunch programs, public and private schools can receive state and federal reimbursements for meals served to students who qualify based on their income levels. Students, for example, whose families receive Medicaid or SNAP would automatically be certified and receive the meals.

A community eligibility provision allows schools or districts to provide free meals either districtwide or for all students in an individual school building if 25% or more of their student population qualifies. The higher the percentage of students in poverty, the greater the reimbursement the district receives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

New York State provides funding to support schools that are not fully reimbursed by the federal government to help close the gap of providing free meals to all districts.

"With universal school meals made complete across the state, no student will have to struggle to learn while battling hunger pangs," said Melinda Person, president of New York State United Teachers, the state’s largest teachers union, representing nearly 700,000 members. Person in a statement applauded the State Legislature and Hochul for "recognizing that feeding kids isn’t just compassionate — it’s essential to their success."

Federal proposals, however, could impact school meal programs in several ways depending on what Congress and President Donald Trump move forward with. Proposals include raising the community eligibility threshold so districts would need a higher percentage of eligible students to qualify and requiring multiple forms of income verification from parents.

As a result, a large number of schools could lose their community eligibility, creating a greater price tag for the state and individual paperwork required for every student, Bobick said.

Proposed changes and cuts to Medicaid and SNAP eligibility could also mean families are cut from the programs or no longer qualify, and the state might not be able to afford picking up the cost, nutrition program experts said.

Students would lose direct certification, which "removes the burdens from staff and lets them focus on helping the kids," said Salaam Bhatti, SNAP director for the Food Research & Action Center, or FRAC, a nonprofit focused on strengthening federal nutrition programs to end poverty-related hunger. Without it some parents may not even know the program is available, he said. "We could also see children going hungry and incurring school meal debt."

The current state budget deal makes the assumption that the federal government will pick up its share of the school meal funding, Wallner said. 

"We’re definitely moving forward," González-Rojas told Newsday. "We’re hopeful that the federal government won’t undermine it because we’re certainly making this commitment."