Democrats consider the universal meals program in Minnesota schools one of their signature achievements in the 2023 budget. They object to making changes to the program even in the face of a projected long-term $6 billion budget deficit.

“What I’m trying to do here is bring a pragmatic approach to school meals while also trying to bring balance and focus on funding our schools,” Rep. Andrew Myers, R-Tonka Bay, said while introducing a bill to have some families pay for their kids’ school lunches.

Under his bill, all breakfast meals would still be paid for by the state, but families earning more than $150,000 per year would pay for school lunches.

Myers says he talks to a lot of parents who are willing to pay for the lunches. “You hear a lot of them say, ‘I’m frustrated because I can pay for my meals, but what I can’t do is give the school more money to hire more teachers,'” he said at a House Education Finance Committee meeting. 

Under his bill, the estimated $85 million in annual savings would be reallocated to other education finance needs.

A Minnetonka School Board member testified in support of the legislation. “This lives up to the spirit of the historic legislation the governor and DFL majority passed in 2023 ensuring that no child will go hungry while also recognizing that many families also have the means to bear the modest expense of school meals,” Olson testified. “I sincerely believe that kids can’t learn well if they’re hungry, but laying off dozens of kids and paras hurts kids as well.”

Some Democrats objected to the plan because of the income threshold. 

“You talk about $150,000,” said Rep. Cheryl Youakim, DFL-Hopkins. “That can be a police officer and a nurse who may be struggling to pay off student loans and pay for day care or thinking about that third child on the way.”

Other Democrats oppose the bill as the first step toward bigger rollbacks. 

“I don’t think this is a place we should make any cuts,” said Rep. Lucy Rehm, DFL-Chanhassen, while comparing school meals to libraries. “You go into a library. No one checks what your family’s income level is. You get to borrow a book. I think food should be the same way in our schools.”

“This does not take rocket science,” said Rep. Kristin Bahner, DFL-Maple Grove. “Kids that are hungry can’t learn.”

Republicans pushed back, saying no one is trying to take school meals away. They’re just proposing wealthier families pay for lunches.

“If you can’t feed your kid lunch on that [$150,000] income, there’s a more fundamental problem here,” Rep. Walter Hudson, R-Albertville, told the committee. “We are not taking food away from kids. We are just reallocating resources that never needed to be spent on households that can already provide for their own children.”

No vote was taken on the bill Tuesday, but it will be considered to be included in the education finance bill later in the session.