All districts — With the state’s budget still in limbo, the future of the Michigan School Meals program — which ensures free breakfast and lunch for all of the state’s pre-K-12 students — is uncertain. And Kent County school districts are starting to reckon with the possibility that a service that’s been benefitting students since the 2023-24 school year could be coming to an end.
Districts making use of the program sent out communications to families at the start of the year stating that funding is secured only through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. What its status will look like after that point has yet to be determined, districts said.
Dan Behm, executive director of Education Advocates of West Michigan at Kent ISD, said districts likely won’t know until late September whether the state budget will include funding for the continuation of the program. Both the State Senate and the governor’s budget proposals support the program, but the State House of Representatives’ proposal does not, Behm said, adding that negotiations on the state budget are ongoing…