SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and a first grader try new school lunches made by City Fresh Food at the Boston Haley Pilot School in Roslindale on September 16, 2022.
(Photo: Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
'Will Literally Change Lives': Massachusetts Legislature Approves Universal Free School Meals
"Congress must follow suit and make this a reality for every child who calls America home," said U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley.
Aug 01, 2023
The Massachusetts Legislature on Monday approved a budget proposal that requires the state's public schools to provide all K-12 students with free meals, making permanent a highly successful pandemic-era program.
Maura Healey, the state's Democratic governor, is expected to sign the budget into law, which would make Massachusetts the eighth U.S. state to make universal free school meals permanent—joining California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico, Vermont, and Michigan.
"We would not be where we are today without the voices and activism of thousands of advocates and organizations, who made it clear that feeding our kids must be a statewide priority," Erin McAleer, president and CEO of the Massachusetts anti-hunger group Project Bread, said in a statement Monday. "We are grateful to all of our partners across the state and in the Legislature who enabled this victory."
Early in the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government approved waivers that allowed public schools across the U.S. to provide free school meals to all students. After federal funding expired last year amid GOP opposition, several states moved to establish free school meal programs financed by state dollars.
The proposed Massachusetts budget includes $171.5 million for the state's universal free school meal initiative.
School superintendents from across Massachusetts wrote in a June letter that they view universal free meals as "a needed part of education, not simply a nice add-on." Free school meals have been linked to a number of positive outcomes, including a decline in child hunger and better academic performance.
"Last year, the Legislature made the wise investment to extend school meals through the current school year in the FY2023 budget," the superintendents wrote. "Because of this extension, an additional 80,000 students ate lunch in October 2022 compared to October 2019 in schools not previously serving universal free meals."
"The promise of this country ought to be that no child ever goes hungry in any school."
U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), one of the most outspoken anti-hunger advocates in Congress, applauded the Massachusetts Legislature for making free school meals permanent and said the move "will literally change lives, full stop."
"No child in Massachusetts will ever have to wonder how to get through the school day on an empty stomach," said McGovern. "The promise of this country ought to be that no child ever goes hungry in any school."
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) echoed McGovern, saying in a statement that "Congress must follow suit and make this a reality for every child who calls America home."
"In one of the richest nations in the world, no child should ever go hungry, and including universal meals in schools is a step in the right direction towards addressing America's hunger crisis," Pressley said. "I'm grateful for the Massachusetts Legislature and to the advocates and organizers who fought relentlessly to make this possible."
In May, Pressley and McGovern joined other progressive lawmakers in introducing the Universal School Meals Program Act of 2023, a measure that would offer free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack to all students in preschool through high school.
The bill has yet to receive a vote in the House or the Senate.
A large group of House Republicans, meanwhile, has openly declared its opposition to free school meals.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The Massachusetts Legislature on Monday approved a budget proposal that requires the state's public schools to provide all K-12 students with free meals, making permanent a highly successful pandemic-era program.
Maura Healey, the state's Democratic governor, is expected to sign the budget into law, which would make Massachusetts the eighth U.S. state to make universal free school meals permanent—joining California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico, Vermont, and Michigan.
"We would not be where we are today without the voices and activism of thousands of advocates and organizations, who made it clear that feeding our kids must be a statewide priority," Erin McAleer, president and CEO of the Massachusetts anti-hunger group Project Bread, said in a statement Monday. "We are grateful to all of our partners across the state and in the Legislature who enabled this victory."
Early in the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government approved waivers that allowed public schools across the U.S. to provide free school meals to all students. After federal funding expired last year amid GOP opposition, several states moved to establish free school meal programs financed by state dollars.
The proposed Massachusetts budget includes $171.5 million for the state's universal free school meal initiative.
School superintendents from across Massachusetts wrote in a June letter that they view universal free meals as "a needed part of education, not simply a nice add-on." Free school meals have been linked to a number of positive outcomes, including a decline in child hunger and better academic performance.
"Last year, the Legislature made the wise investment to extend school meals through the current school year in the FY2023 budget," the superintendents wrote. "Because of this extension, an additional 80,000 students ate lunch in October 2022 compared to October 2019 in schools not previously serving universal free meals."
"The promise of this country ought to be that no child ever goes hungry in any school."
U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), one of the most outspoken anti-hunger advocates in Congress, applauded the Massachusetts Legislature for making free school meals permanent and said the move "will literally change lives, full stop."
"No child in Massachusetts will ever have to wonder how to get through the school day on an empty stomach," said McGovern. "The promise of this country ought to be that no child ever goes hungry in any school."
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) echoed McGovern, saying in a statement that "Congress must follow suit and make this a reality for every child who calls America home."
"In one of the richest nations in the world, no child should ever go hungry, and including universal meals in schools is a step in the right direction towards addressing America's hunger crisis," Pressley said. "I'm grateful for the Massachusetts Legislature and to the advocates and organizers who fought relentlessly to make this possible."
In May, Pressley and McGovern joined other progressive lawmakers in introducing the Universal School Meals Program Act of 2023, a measure that would offer free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack to all students in preschool through high school.
The bill has yet to receive a vote in the House or the Senate.
A large group of House Republicans, meanwhile, has openly declared its opposition to free school meals.
The Massachusetts Legislature on Monday approved a budget proposal that requires the state's public schools to provide all K-12 students with free meals, making permanent a highly successful pandemic-era program.
Maura Healey, the state's Democratic governor, is expected to sign the budget into law, which would make Massachusetts the eighth U.S. state to make universal free school meals permanent—joining California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico, Vermont, and Michigan.
"We would not be where we are today without the voices and activism of thousands of advocates and organizations, who made it clear that feeding our kids must be a statewide priority," Erin McAleer, president and CEO of the Massachusetts anti-hunger group Project Bread, said in a statement Monday. "We are grateful to all of our partners across the state and in the Legislature who enabled this victory."
Early in the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government approved waivers that allowed public schools across the U.S. to provide free school meals to all students. After federal funding expired last year amid GOP opposition, several states moved to establish free school meal programs financed by state dollars.
The proposed Massachusetts budget includes $171.5 million for the state's universal free school meal initiative.
School superintendents from across Massachusetts wrote in a June letter that they view universal free meals as "a needed part of education, not simply a nice add-on." Free school meals have been linked to a number of positive outcomes, including a decline in child hunger and better academic performance.
"Last year, the Legislature made the wise investment to extend school meals through the current school year in the FY2023 budget," the superintendents wrote. "Because of this extension, an additional 80,000 students ate lunch in October 2022 compared to October 2019 in schools not previously serving universal free meals."
"The promise of this country ought to be that no child ever goes hungry in any school."
U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), one of the most outspoken anti-hunger advocates in Congress, applauded the Massachusetts Legislature for making free school meals permanent and said the move "will literally change lives, full stop."
"No child in Massachusetts will ever have to wonder how to get through the school day on an empty stomach," said McGovern. "The promise of this country ought to be that no child ever goes hungry in any school."
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) echoed McGovern, saying in a statement that "Congress must follow suit and make this a reality for every child who calls America home."
"In one of the richest nations in the world, no child should ever go hungry, and including universal meals in schools is a step in the right direction towards addressing America's hunger crisis," Pressley said. "I'm grateful for the Massachusetts Legislature and to the advocates and organizers who fought relentlessly to make this possible."
In May, Pressley and McGovern joined other progressive lawmakers in introducing the Universal School Meals Program Act of 2023, a measure that would offer free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack to all students in preschool through high school.
The bill has yet to receive a vote in the House or the Senate.
A large group of House Republicans, meanwhile, has openly declared its opposition to free school meals.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.