All NY students could get free school lunch, breakfast in 2026 under new state pitch

All New York schools could offer free lunch and breakfast to every student starting next year, with Gov. Kathy Hochul now backing the funding to make that benefit available in every cafeteria across the state.

In a preview of the State of the State speech she is set to give on Tuesday, Jan. 14, Hochul announced last week her support for universal free school meals, a cause taken up in Albany for the last three years by a coalition of advocacy groups and led by two lawmakers. That means boosting state funds to expand an existing program and reach roughly 280,000 kids in schools that aren’t already covered.

“The research is clear: good food in the lunchroom creates good grades in the classroom,” Hochul said in her announcement. “I’m proposing free school meals for every student in New York — giving kids the sustenance they need and putting more money back in parents’ pockets.”

How will the free lunches in NY be funded?

Hochul proposes to close the final coverage gap by bumping state funding to $340 million, from $180 million last year, her office said. That money supplements the federal money New York schools get through a 10-year-old, national lunch program known as the Community Eligibility Provision, which is largely funded by the federal government and meant for schools in low-income areas.

The funding proposal is a shift for Hochul, who resisted efforts by the legislature last year to make free school meals available for all. Both the Senate and Assembly had pitched increases in state funding — $125 million and $120 million, respectively — that were dropped during budget negotiations with the governor.

State Sen. Michelle Hinchey, an Ulster County Democrat who helped lead the push, cheered Hochul’s announcement last week, calling it “a monumental step forward for New York.” She and other supporters argue that across-the-board free lunches combat food insecurity, save families money and boost student performance — while bypassing the social stigma associated with past lunch programs.

How many other states have free lunch programs?

If approved, New York would join at least eight other states that enable all students to eat for free, regardless of income levels. Many other states are considering similar proposals.

In New York, that means free daily meals for more than 2.7 million children enrolled in nearly 6,200 public and private schools. Many already attend schools with no-charge cafeterias since the Community Eligibility Provision program made its nationwide debut in 2014. Yonkers, for example, was approved for the program in 2018; Peekskill schools had joined two years earlier.

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Could the program save New Yorkers money?

Hochul echoed the argument about dispelling stigma while promoting her proposal on Long Island last week, saying lower-income students shouldn’t “have to be singled out” by being the only ones with subsidized lunches. She also touted the potential cost savings for families, making it another pocketbook item for the “affordability agenda” she is promising this year.

“And it’s also money out of your pocket if your kids are buying lunch,” she said. “We’ve calculated the savings is $2,000 a year per child in savings. Think about that. The money that’s not being spent on food for them. So, this is a game changer. This is absolutely a game changer.”

Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA Today Network. Reach him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Free school meals could come to all NY students under new state pitch