Parents, educators and farmers weighed in on Minnesota’s free school meal program on Wednesday morning in the state senate.

More than 150,000,000 meals were served during the program’s first year. That is millions more to run each year than initially thought, with the total cost at about $250 million a year.

While people involved in the program spoke, no public testimony was given on Wednesday. Several educators called the program a “game changer”, testifying that they’re seeing fewer students falling asleep in class, fewer visits to the nurse’s office and better performances since the free meals program.

Some teachers got emotional Wednesday, saying they remember going hungry as kids, and say this program takes a burden off everyone’s shoulders.

“It’s like a car payment for us to pay for our school meals – probably over $5,000 a year is what we had come to expect,” said Kate Lundquist of the Anoka-Hennepin School District. “I remember getting behind on their payments and my child having to come home with a red X on his hand and say ‘mom, we need to pay the bill.'”

The Department of Education says on average, the program saves families about $1,000 each year per student. More meals are also being eaten overall, including more fruits and vegetables, which farmers also say has really helped them stay local.

However, this all comes at a cost to taxpayers, with 31% more meals being served than anticipated. The program is projected to be $176 million over budget through 2027. Critics of the program say students from families that need financial help were already getting free and reduced meals, only extending free meals to families who can afford them.

Meanwhile, others say the free meals help students with things like behavioral problems and trips to the nurse, as well as providing new jobs in schools and helps families on the financial borderline afford extracurriculars for their kids.

At the start of the school year, officials with Roseville Schools told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS the free meals program meant serving 50% more breakfasts and 30% more lunches.

“We should be able to feed these kiddos just like we provide textbooks to all kids. We don’t charge for textbooks for some kids and provide them free for others,” said Maria Amerman, the Nutrition Services Supervisor at Roseville Schools during an interview with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS last year.

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