DENVER — Colorado lawmakers are weighing the future of the state’s free school meals program which serves Kindergartners through 12th graders.
In 2022, Colorado voters approved Proposition FF, which raised $116.2 million for free school meals.
But according to Chalkbeat, during a Joint Budget Committee hearing, lawmakers discussed how to address a $56 million program shortfall from last year after more students than expected took part in the program.
“There were a few factors that we really couldn't anticipate. The first of those is definitely the rising cost of food, inflation, definitely adding extra cost to what we thought it would cost. And then the other aspect is really student participation," Erika Cervantes, the director of organizing and community partnerships for Hunger Free Colorado, the nonprofit that led the effort to get the free meals proposition passed, told Denver7 Friday.
Cervantes said the nonprofit is seeing an increase in student participation in both the breakfast and the lunch program by at least 30% in both of those categories.
Chalkbeat reports some lawmakers are hearing proposals that would decrease the cost of the program, including limiting who's eligible, removing high schoolers from the program, and only covering lunch, not breakfast.
"I have no interest in shifting the burden of the cost to complete this program to our school districts. If they are forced to do that, that will mean cutting academic programs in most cases, and that's something that I'm not willing to consider," said State Rep. Shannon Bird, a Democrat who is part of the key legislative committee working to address the shortfall.
“We need to be able to secure long-term funding for the program now that we see that there is this increase in participation. We really want to make sure that we are able to keep the meals free for students across Colorado, but that we're also implementing the rest of the pieces of the program that have been put on pause until now until further funding. And a lot of those pieces were really going to make the meals healthier,” Cervantes said. “The program is Healthy School Meals for All, and so, I think, you know, across the state, folks are really excited to see it come to fruition as it was passed back in 2022."
Cervantes said her organization is aware of the budget challenges lawmakers are facing but they’re hopeful that the state will find a way to continue funding the program.
“We completely understand both legislators and the Joint Budget Committee have very difficult decisions to make when it comes to how funds are allocated. But you know, given the increase in participation and just the huge need from families around food access and economic relief, this would be one of those programs that would be, not just a benefit for students, but for our entire state, workers, farmers included, and so I would really urge legislators to really find the support for this amazing program,” Cervantes.
Lawmakers will finalize the state budget this spring.
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