13-02-2025
Lawmakers tap brakes on call for universal free school meals for Utah kids
Universal free school lunch and breakfast is not coming to Utah schools — at least not anytime soon.
Lawmakers on Thursday tabled Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla's bill calling for free school meals for every K-12 student enrolled in Utah's public schools, regardless of a family's ability to pay.
The Senate Education Committee opted not to pass the bill to the Senate floor — instead asking Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, to fine-tune details in her universal free school meals bill details regarding federal government support issues.
'I'm excited for the work you're going to be doing over the summer,' Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, told her colleague.
'I know that there's a lot of controversy behind this, but I think there is a way forward. I would love to see Utah come forward and come up with a parallel program that provides (support) from our own state to provide opportunities for our kids.'
Escamilla's SB173 called for the creation of the Universal Free School Meals Program to be funded by a restricted account that would include legislative appropriations, federal grants and private contributions.
All families, according to bill provisions, would be automatically enrolled in the program, allowing families the option to pay for meals to offset program costs.
This won't be the last time lawmakers talk school lunch during the 2025 Legislative session. HB100 is more limited in reach — calling for free breakfast and lunch to 'eligible' students, while also prohibiting schools from publicly identifying free meal recipients and potentially embarrassing students or their families.
Presenting her bill Thursday, Escamilla emphasized that hunger and learning can't coexist.
'When children are hungry, it creates a barrier and impacts our students' academic performance and well-being,' she said. 'We know that hunger affects their cognitive functions like concentration, memory and problem solving.
'One in six children are hungry in our state of Utah — they don't know where they're going to get their meal this evening.'
Escamilla acknowledged that the bill's $160 million is 'a lot of money.' Drawing down sizable federal funds would be necessary to cover much of the remaining costs beyond the state's fiscal commitment.
But given the current climate of federal uncertainties, Escamilla said future iterations of her universal free school meal would likely have to include a trigger to shutter the program without federal support.
'I will be working during interim on that idea,' she added.
Committee chair Sen. John Johnson, R-North Ogden, said food security issues justify legislative discussion — especially when it involves hungry students.
But he was skeptical that many Utah families, regardless of financial circumstances, would voluntarily pay for lunch if it was offered for free.
'I don't think that's fair to taxpayers,' he said.
Escamilla warned it's risky assuming children are shielded from food insecurity simply based upon their ZIP code.
'We're seeing some instances where certain families — very middle-class working families — struggle …. and they're a paycheck away from homelessness or catastrophic illness, and now they don't have money.
'That burden shouldn't be on a child that is trying to learn.'
Several voiced support of SB173 during the public comment period, while another questioned the bill's 'opt-out' provision, instead of being an 'opt-out' program.
Granite School District Superintendent Ben Horsley took a few moments from visiting a government class at Granger High School to express, electronically, his support 'of this conversation.'
Horsley noted that 62% of Granite's students are from impoverished households that qualify for free or reduced lunch.
'We invariably end up with several hundreds of thousands of dollars, and sometimes millions of dollars, in debt from our families who ... for one reason or another, do not participate in the free and reduced lunch program.'
Covering those school lunch debts, he added, typically comes from the district's maintenance and operation funds. Such funds would have otherwise been used to support classrooms and teachers to ensure 'high quality instruction.'
There are no perfect solutions, said Horsley.
But 'I would encourage the committee to continue with this discussion.'
