Make Sure State Lawmakers Prioritize School Meal Funding!
We are now in the final stretch of the Arizona Legislative Session, which means one thing: budget negotiations. We probably won’t see any more action on bills this year, as our lawmakers must agree on a budget before adjourning.
Our #1 priority for this year’s budget is the inclusions of funding to cover the copays for free and reduced price school lunches, so that ALL children in Arizona can access the food they need. Healthy school meals for all have been on our priority list since all the way back at Lutheran Day at the Legislature, and even though Rep. Gutierrez (LD18) introduced an appropriations bill, the legislature has yet taken care of this funding necessity. Gov. Hobbs has included school meal funding in her budget proposal; now we have to make sure that our lawmakers also include it!
School Meals In AZ
We know that nutritious school meals are instrumental in alleviating childhood hunger. School breakfasts allow students to meet the day well-fed, and participation in school meal programs is shown to result in better classroom performance and better attendance. When school meals are made accessible to low-income students through free and reduced meal programs, school attendance improves, and children gain stable access to food, which is linked to positive health outcomes.
During the pandemic, both the state of Arizona and the federal government provided funding to guarantee free school meals for all students. Accessible school meals helped lower stress for families, alleviated school meal debt for many districts, improved classroom performance and attendance, and, most of all, made sure hungry kids got fed. Unfortunately, federal funding for free meals for all has since ended, but the USDA still maintains the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), which helps schools offset the costs of purchasing food.
Last year, the state of Arizona provided funding to offset the cost of meals for students qualifying for free and reduced lunch. This has made sure that kids from low income families are able to eat and that schools are able to secure enough food for all their students. Teachers around the state have shared the importance of this funding and how school meals are an integral support to students in need. Despite the program’s popularity with parents, teachers, and admin staff, this funding is set to expire in June 2024, at the end of this school year.
In Arizona, 52% of students in schools operating the NSLP qualified for free or reduced price lunch. More than 12 million meals were made available to low income students! These meals supported everyone from young students in early development to students preparing to graduate high school. The price to continue covering these meal copays is just $0.70 per day per eligible student — totaling $4.5 million for the school year.
For more data on school meals in Arizona, click here for the 2023 Healthy School Meals For All Study done by Arizona State University and the Arizona Food Bank Network. Across all demographics interviewed, regardless of race, political affiliation, or economic status, the vast majority of Arizonans support free school meals for all!
Sample Letter
Below is a sample letter that you can copy and paste an email. As always, we encourage you to include your own perspectives and stories, and to tell your lawmakers why this issue matters to you personally— especially if you are a parent, teacher, or former student who has seen the importance of school meals.
Find the contact information for your two state representative and state senator here.
Dear Rep./Sen. ____,
I am (insert your name), a constituent of yours in legislative district __. I am writing to you today about extending funding for healthy school meals into the next fiscal year. With budget negotiations beginning, I am asking you to ensure that the $4.5 million needed to continue funding free and reduced price school meals is included in the upcoming budget.
More than 12 million meals have been made available to students from low income families, thanks to funding covering the co-pays for free and reduced price school meals. This funding has reduced school lunch debt, improved school meal participation, and positively impacted classroom performance and attendance across the state. 52% of Arizona students attending school’s that participate in the USDA’s National School Lunch Program meet the income requirements for free and reduced lunch, so this funding is an important investment in our schools. However, the funding is set to expire in June.
Teachers and students from across the state have attested to the importance of accessible school meals, especially for students who face financial hardships. These meals offer a consistent support to students, improve learning and early childhood development, and are linked to positive health outcome long into the future. Moreover, according to the 2023 Healthy School Meals for All study done by the ASU and the Arizona Food Bank Network, the vast majority of Arizonans are in favor of funding school meals for all students.
I firmly believe that no one deserves to go hungry, especially not children. As a Christian, I am called to walk alongside those in need and to feed the hungry. Our churches and food banks are not able to meet that demand on our own, and school meals are an incredibly important way for children to access the food they need. The $4.5 million needed to cover the co-pays for free and reduced lunches is a concrete investment in our future; by feeding students now, we will help the next generation of Arizonans grow up to be smart, healthy citizens.
I urge you to keep the importance of healthy school meals for all in mind when budget negotiations begin, and to allocate the $4.5 million to offset the cost of free and reduced priced school meals.
Thank you for your hard work,
_____
Thank you for your advocacy!
