Should school lunch be free for all Utah K-12 students — even if they can pay?

Yahoo

28-01-2025

Senate Minorty Leader Luz Escamilla knows the first question that she will likely be asked when she presents her recently introduced bill calling for free school meals for all students enrolled in Utah's public schools — regardless of financial need:
'Why should the state help pay for meals that many students can afford?'
It's a fair query, the Democrat's ranking leader in the Utah Senate told the Deseret News.
But the state's primary concern, she added, should not be which kids can pay for meals and which kids cannot. Instead, it should be ensuring that every Utah child is ready to learn because their bellies are full.
Providing universal free school meals, she said, accomplishes that goal.
First, 'let's have all the kids be ready to eat,' said Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City. 'And then anyone who wants to can opt out of that process — either because they can pay or because they're sending their kids with meals (from home).
'But (free school meals) should be an 'Opt-out' — not an 'Opt-in' choice.'
Escamilla's SB173 establishes the creation of the 'Universal School Meals Program.' If it passes, funding would come via a restricted account of legislative appropriations, federal grants, private contributions and other sources. All families would be automatically enrolled in the program, but would still have the option to pay for meals if they choose, offsetting program costs.
'We should have a more honest and transparent conversation about what it costs to have the quality of life that we want for all children, and not exclude some. And I think breakfast and lunch at school, as part of their education journey, should be one of those costs.'
Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City
The Universal School Meals Program would be administered by the Utah State School Board, coordinating with individual schools to maximize federal funding.
A fiscal note has not yet been attached to Escamilla's bill, but on Tuesday she estimated the fiscal note to be approximately $100 million.
During her 16-plus years as a state lawmaker, Escamilla has focused much of her attention on the needs of Utah's kids, including food security issues.
She's learned that it's difficult to accurately determine how many Utah families are facing food insecurity.
No two Utah families are the same, she added. Food insecurity 'can impact any family at any time.'
So simply determining which child might be best-served by a free or reduced-cost school meal cannot always be easily measured by, say, family pay stubs or tax returns.
And even families not traditionally classified as 'economically vulnerable' might not consistently have reliable access to food.
'Feeding America and other national (hunger relief) organizations tell us that in Utah, 1 in every 6 kiddos do not know where their meal is going to come in the evenings after school,' she said.
Absenteeism, poor reading skills and other educational challenges facing many Utah school children are often directly connected to hunger, added Escamilla. 'We can't expect our children to learn adequately when they are hungry.'
And then there are the emotional costs exacted on kids — the embarrassment or shame — after being classified as a 'free school lunch' kid.
A universal school meal program, she said, would prevent a Utah child from ever being 'placed in a box to label a child. This will keep the labels out because everyone will be treated the same.'
Escamilla believes in the goodwill of her Utah neighbors. She's confident that families who are financially able will voluntarily opt out of the automatic universal school meal program.
'I trust that the families in Utah understand how valuable our taxpayers are — and that if they can pay, they will pay for their kiddos meal.
'But I don't want to ever put the burden on the child. … A child should never have to make those decisions or feel embarrassed or worried that their parents may not support them having breakfast or lunch at school.'
SB173 is not the only school meal-related bill in front of the Legislature this session. HB100 focuses on providing free breakfast and lunch to 'eligible' students, while prohibiting schools from publicly identifying free meal recipients and causing embarrassment.
'But the right thing to do is to make (free school meals) comprehensive and truly a part of the education piece for all children in our state,' said Escamilla.
The senator said her bill reflects Utah's Senate Democrats who are committed to asking how many Utah families are not enjoying the economic prosperities experienced by others in the state.
'We should have a more honest and transparent conversation about what it costs to have the quality of life that we want for all children, and not exclude some,' she said. 'And I think breakfast and lunch at school, as part of their education journey, should be one of those costs.'
Escamilla said there are numerous federal programs that make it permissible to draw-down federal dollars — but they first require state participation. 'This bill will fully put the state at full participation that will allow us to explore all of those programs, and we want to do that.
'And it also opens up a restricted account where anyone can contribute towards this fund, which I think is critical. It matches the culture in our state of giving.'
Ratifying the universal school meals program into a law would come with a high price tag. But it's worth the cost, said Escamilla.
'We recognize how valuable it is to have children not experiencing hunger,' she said. 'We don't want any Utah children to feel insecure and hungry. We can take care of that as part of their education.'