Hearing set Monday on bill that would provide free school meals for North Dakota students

Both bipartisan bills call for using state funds to pay for the cost of providing free breakfasts and lunches to all students. These bills would offer the free meals regardless of student family incomes. The expected cost is $140 million over two years.

While the bills offer similar outcomes, they differ in where the state funds come from. House Bill 1475uses money from the state’s general fund. House Bill 1553 taps the state’s Legacy Fund, paid for through taxes on oil and gas extractions.

Offering free meals would address a number of concerns ranging from students’ ability to learn to easing family budgets, advocates say.

“Students can’t learn if they’re hungry,” said Michelle Wagner of the North Dakota School Nutrition Association. “And we know that many families are struggling to just keep up with grocery bills.”

In 2023-24, more than 15 million lunches were served to North Dakota school children in public, private and tribal schools. More than 5 million breakfasts were served. Advocates believe those numbers would go up if free meals were offered.

Momentum for the bills is bolstered by the work of the Together for School Meals, a coalition that includes the North Dakota School Nutrition Association, Great Plains Food Bank of North Dakota and local school boards.

Robin Nelson, a member of the coalition and the Fargo School Board, said there is a growing recognition of the link between healthy meals and improved student outcomes.

For example, a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association reviewed information from over 11,000 schools with universal free school meals. It found that students were more likely to eat at lunchtime and that schools saw some improvements in attendance.

Eight states provide free meals to students regardless of income level, according to the Food, Research and Action Center. Those are: California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico and Vermont.

“Overall, student engagement improves. Healthy meals lead to healthier students, which ultimately benefits the entire community,” Nelson said.

It also will help ease growing costs for families, she said. For families who aren’t already eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, the bill would result in an approximate $850 savings per school-aged child.

In addition, offering universal free meals could benefit school budgets, she said.

For example, Fargo Public Schools has about $120,000 in school meal debt at the end of the year, she said. If families don’t or can’t pay, school districts need to cover the debt out of general funds, Nelson said.

“Sometimes a generous donor will help cover some of it, but that’s not sustainable,” she said.

Child nutrition programs across the state are currently self-funded. Any public or private school that participates in the National School Lunch Program receives federal cash subsidies and commodity foods. The rest of the costs, including labor and equipment, is covered through meal prices.

Both bills encourage school districts to adopt policies that would encourage families to complete federal paperwork needed for free and reduced-cost meals. This would ensure schools capture as much federal funding as possible and the entire costs don’t fall to the state.

“There’s been some concern expressed that we could lose federal funding,” Nelson said. “We will work to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

During the 2023 legislative session, a similar free school meal bill failed to pass. In its place, legislators expanded eligibility for free meals to families who met 200% of the federal poverty line. This allowed more – but not all – students to receive free meals. That program has expired.

A recent poll commissioned by the North Dakota News Cooperative shows that 82% of respondents support free meals for students, a sentiment that cuts across political lines.

“The time is right for this,” Wagner said. “With everything else families are facing, providing free school meals is one thing we can do to help.”

A hearing for House Bill 1475 is set for 2:30 p.m. Monday before the House Education Committee in the Coteau AB Room. Testimony can be submitted online until 1:30 p.m. Monday.

A hearing has not yet been scheduled for House Bill 1553.