Iowa Needs to Offer FREE School Meals for All Students [OPINION]

This article is labeled 'opinion.' The words here are mine, although I doubt very many people reading this will think my views on this topic are controversial. Here we go. I believe that no child in the state of Iowa should ever go hungry in school. Regardless of income, it's time for the state of Iowa to step up and feed the students in our schools. Crazy, right?

I understand that anytime you offer something 'free' it can rub people the wrong way. But these are our children we're talking about. They're in school, learning, preparing for their future. Is it too much to ask that we find a way to make sure they eat while they're there? Some states have already adopted universal free meal programs. NYCFoodPolicy reports that California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Vermont have all found ways to pay for school meals. Each state does things a bit differently. But for the sake of a comparison, I thought we'd look at what Minnesota does and how Iowa could too.

Minnesota's free lunch program began last school year. NYCFoodPolicy states that schools are eligible for free meal reimbursement from the state if they participate in the USDA's National School Lunch Program. Free meals do not apply to a la carte items or second servings. As you might imagine the program has been very popular. Demand for school meals rose 20%, according to MPRNews. The cost? $81 million over the next two years, and $95 million for the two years after that, according to MPRNews. So how do they pay for it? The Minnesota House of Representatives reports that the state's budget surplus is expected to grow to $3.7 billion, more than double earlier projections. That surplus will help feed Minnesota's 993,000 school-age children this year.

So what about the state of Iowa? According to Iowa.gov, the state has over 519,000 school-age children. And, according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the state ended fiscal year 2023 with a budget surplus of nearly $1.9 billion. It has another $2.7 billion in the Taxpayer Relief Fund and $902 million in reserve funds. Is that enough to buy school kids lunches? At least some Iowa lawmakers think so. NYCFoodPolicy reports that the Iowa Senate introduced bill SF 303 last session. It suggested free meals for all Iowa school children funded by the Iowa Department of Education. Sadly, the bill never got out of committee.

Maybe it's just me, but feeding our kids in school seems like an issue both sides of the political aisle can get behind. The state has the money to make a program like Minnesota's work. Think of all the families who will have one less thing to worry about. One less bill to pay. Yes, there are programs in place for low-income individuals to get free meals at school. But what about all the moderate-income and middle-class families that are struggling that don't meet those requirements?

Food insecurity is a problem in many states, including Iowa. And it appears it is one we can afford to get rid of.

Get our free mobile app