No such thing as a free lunch? CT lawmakers drop bid for universal school lunches
State Senate Democrats made free lunches for all students a priority this year. But on Monday, a key budget committee dropped the proposal in favor of Gov. Ned Lamont's universal breakfast option.
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You’ve heard the phrase, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
In Connecticut schools, that will remain mostly true.
On Monday, state lawmakers abandoned a push to offer no-cost lunch to all students. Instead, they are backing Gov. Ned Lamont’s universal breakfast proposal – with free lunches limited to lower-income students.
“REALLY EXPENSIVE”
Rachal Hovey, of Cromwell, is raising two little girls. Getting them both fed is expensive.
“Breakfast used to be the cheapest meal of the day, but when you add in fruits and all the extra stuff, it can get really expensive,” Hovey said.
That could soon change.
Lamont is proposing $12 million in his latest budget to offer no-cost breakfast to every student.
“Free breakfast and no more reduced-price lunch. Anybody eligible [for reduced-price lunch] will get a free lunch,” the governor said on Monday.
BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS
Lamont’s proposal would feed an estimated 164,000 additional kids. Right now, only 31% of Connecticut school districts offer universal breakfast, according to the state Department of Education.
“Schools that have breakfast have fewer office referrals mid-morning, so when those kids don’t have something to eat in the morning, they’re irritable,” said CSDE School Health and Child Nutrition director John Frassinelli. “They come in tired; they come in irritable.”
All students ate for free during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that ended when federal American Rescue Plan Act funds ran out.
Since then, Hartford Public Schools social worker Eddie Diaz has noticed a difference.
“We have students who walk in tired, struggling to focus,” he said. “It may look like a behavior issue, but when we look deeper, we see that they’re hungry.”
Nine other states already offer universal breakfast. In New York State, all students get free lunch, too.
UNIVERSAL LUNCHES DROPPED
Lamont’s fellow Democrats wanted to join New York. State Senate Democrats included free lunches in their 2026 affordability agenda.
But on Monday, the General Assembly’s Appropriations Committee dropped the free lunch proposal. It would add another $64 million to the price tag, according to the nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis.
“Everybody wants to do more. That’s great. I’ve got a balanced budget. Tell me how you want to do it,” Lamont said. “I can’t afford everything, so you’re going to have to set priorities in life.”
In previous years, similar efforts failed when poorer communities objected to funding free meals in wealthy school districts.
WARNING FROM FOOD BANKS
But food banks warned that childhood hunger will only get worse with cuts coming to federal SNAP benefits.
“People are having a really hard time right now making it all work. Between childcare, health care, housing, you name it, people are having to make tough decisions,” said Miranda Muno with Connecticut Foodshare. “A lot of people might think, ‘Well, the food bank can fix it. There’s enough; just go to the food pantry.’ Well, food pantries don’t have enough.”
Hovey would be happy with free breakfast, but said that adding lunch would definitely benefit her kids.
“What we spend as a family of four on groceries each week, knowing that if we could cut costs with lunch and that they’re going to get, you know, hit all the nutritional food groups, I think that would be worth it,” she said.
In 56 school districts, including Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport and Stratford, all students already get free meals through a separate federal program.
