Free lunch for students is a good investment

One in four Wisconsin high school students report hunger due to a lack of food in their home.

According to data from the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior, 25.4% of high school students report struggling with food insecurity in their homes. The survey is conducted every other year and is part of a national effort by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor the health risk behaviors of the nation’s high school students.

The struggle with food insecurity at home flows over into school performance and sets up young people to fail later in life.

Multiple studies have directly linked food insecurity in homes with lower academic performance and with an increase in behavioral issues. But you don’t need a scholarly degree and university studies to tell you what every person who has lived with hunger knows from personal experiences. You can’t learn if you are concerned about where your next meal will come from.

State School Superintendent Dr. Jill Underley wants to change that. She is calling on state leaders to make a $294 million investment in Wisconsin students and families by providing universal free meals for all Wisconsin students regardless of income level.

“Access to food is one of the most basic human needs, and yet many Wisconsin kids are telling us they don’t know when – or if – they will have their next meal,” Dr. Underly said in a statement announcing the proposal. “When we make sure all our kids are properly nourished, we are nurturing the leaders of tomorrow.”

The proposal is a good investment in Wisconsin’s young people and families and an effective way to spend some of the state’s $4.6 billion dollar budget surplus by directly helping students and families.

Currently eight states, including Wisconsin’s neighbors Michigan and Minnesota, have adopted laws to provide meals at no cost to students and families. Other states include California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont, with a much longer list of states considering similar proposals.

As much as it will be beneficial for the health and wellbeing of Wisconsin’s students, providing universal meals to students in schools will also be a boost to the state’s economy. Agriculture and food production is a major part of the state’s economy and expanding school food programs opens up markets for Wisconsin agriculture and dairy products.

In addition, the proposal would remove an economic burden on Wisconsin families, freeing up money to be spent on other goods and services which in turn generates economic growth and additional tax revenues. Beyond this, the change would end forcing school staff from being the school lunch collection cops.

Wisconsin lawmakers should make the investment in students and families and join neighboring states by using state budget surplus funds to fund school meals for all students.