NYS to Expand Free School Meal Program

By Reuvain Borchardt

NEW YORK — New York State will provide $134 million toward breakfast and lunch served in public and private schools, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday evening, the first time the state has provided meal funding and a significant win for school advocates, though it is short of the amount the advocates had been seeking to provide free meals for all students.

The federal government has long provided free or reduced-cost meals based on a student’s family income. If at least 62.5% of students in a particular school system are verified low-income — as is the case in some private schools as well as New York City public schools— students in that entire system get free meals, under the federal “Community Eligibility Provision.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, with businesses suffering and unemployment high, the federal government began providing free meals for all students, regardless of income — initially, when schools were closed, in the form of “grab and go” packages, and later, for regular school meals. But that program ended last June, leaving 726,000 students without access to free meals.

School advocates have been pushing since last year for the state to provide funding for meals for all students who are not eligible for the free federal meals, estimating its cost at $200 million or more a year.

In the initial round of proposed Fiscal 2024 budgets released earlier this year, the Senate and Assembly — but not the governor — had included this funding in their budget proposals. But as the executive and Legislature negotiated on a final budget, school-advocacy groups, including Agudath Israel, the Orthodox Union’s Teach Coalition, yeshivas, Catholic schools and anti-hunger groups lobbied heavily for this funding to be provided.

On Thursday evening, Hochul announced that an agreement had been reached on a budget for Fiscal Year 2024 totaling $229 billion, including $134 million for the meal program.

This amount is not sufficient to cover free meals for all students, but, per details released Monday, it will cover all schools whose student body is comprised of at least 40% low-income students, and choose to participate in the meal program. (This threshold may be lowered, pending a possible amendment to the federal meal program.)

Yeshiva advocates celebrated the news as a historic first step in what they hope will ease the burden of at least some parents of private-school students, who are already struggling to pay thousands of dollars in annual tuition per student.

Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, director of New York government relations for Agudath Israel, told Hamodia that getting the funding passed was “a major item on our advocacy agenda,” and that Hochul’s announcement is “wonderful news for parents and children throughout New York State.”

Maury Litwack, managing director of the Orthodox Union, called the budget agreement “a major victory for New York families.”

“The coalition of parents, organizations, and individuals who raised their voice on this and made this happen was unprecedented,” said Litwack. “As this program is finalized and rolled out, we look forward to working with schools and communities to make free meals for all a reality for every student.”

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rborchardt@hamodia.com