Wisconsin student free meals proposal, $294M budget request
KENOSHA, Wis. - Wisconsin Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly on Friday proposed increasing access to school meals for all students at no cost to families.
The proposal would mean breakfast and lunch as, Underly said, students and families continue to struggle with food insecurity. A Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction survey found one in four of the state's high school students reported hunger due to a lack of food in their home.
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In Kenosha, Underly called for "universal free meals" as part of her 2025-27 biennial budget request. DPI said the proposal would total nearly $294 million.
"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. "When we make sure all our kids are properly nourished, we are nurturing the leaders of tomorrow. My budget proposal makes sure that every kid, no matter their background, has access to the nutrition they need to succeed at no cost."
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Under the proposal, the DPI said it would create a new supplemental nutrition aid program that offsets costs to students and families for meals received while at school. In addition to the universal free meals proposal, Underly’s budget request would:
- Fund the School Breakfast Program at a reimbursement rate of $0.15 per meal and expand participation to include independent charter schools, the state’s residential schools, and residential childcare centers ($6.1 million over the biennium).
- Strengthen local food supply chains by creating a new program encouraging school districts to buy directly from local farmers and producers and incorporate fresh, high quality, locally grown foods into school meal and snack programs ($10 million over the biennium).
- Fully fund the School Day Milk Program so more Wisconsin students have access to milk while at school ($458,900 over the biennium).
- Create a new grant program to allow schools to purchase milk coolers or equipment to convert to bulk milk dispensers ($150,000 over the biennium).
These nutrition provisions add up to an additional $311 million in investment in nutrition for kids, DPI said. For more information on school nutrition, visit DPI’s website.