State lawmakers are pushing to expand the free school lunch program to everyone in Oregon

Child health advocates and state lawmakers are planning to expand the state’s school lunch program so that all Oregon students have access to free meals at school.

Most public schools already participate in the state’s School Meals for All program, which provides free breakfast and lunch to students regardless of their family’s income level. Nearly 1,200 schools across the state participate, about 94% of public schools. But for a variety of reasons, this is not the case for 65 schools that house approximately hundreds of students. To close this gap, Rep. Courtney Neron, D-Wilsonville, and House Majority Leader Ben Bowman, D-Tigard, are planning a bill for the 2025 session.

Lawmakers met Monday with anti-hunger advocates for the bill at Durham Elementary School in Tigard, a school that provides free meals. Advocates say feeding all of Oregon’s more than 547,000 public school students would lead to better academic outcomes and better overall health.

“For many years, I witnessed the impact of hunger on my students,” said Neron, a former world languages ​​teacher at Tigard High School and chairman of the House Education Committee. “Not only did it manifest itself in fatigue and stress, but I also remember high school students skipping lunch rather than dealing with the stigma of the free and reduced lunch line. If we remove this stigma and create the opportunity for breakfast and lunch together, it helps build community and certainly leads to better academic performance.”

Related: Free meals in Oregon’s largest school district reflect a nationwide effort to serve students across the state

The cost of free meals is split between state funding and the federal government. The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides a subsidy estimated at more than $3 for every dollar the government spends.

There is already a federal program that provides universal meals to schools if they meet a threshold of at least 25% of students enrolled in other benefits such as federal food aid.

The 65 schools that do not offer universal meals do so for a variety of reasons. Many do not meet the federal participation threshold or have employees who are unfamiliar with how to operate the program.

The Oregon Department of Education estimates the state could afford the universal meal program, which is estimated to cost about $62 million a year. Advocates say that’s comparable to the state’s current cost of school meals.

This would generate approximately $417.4 million in federal funds.

Related: In Southern Oregon, the Curry Public Library offers free lunch for children

The 2025 legislative session proposal supported by Bowman builds on the expanded access to school meals in the Student Success Act of 2019, which the Oregon Legislature passed.

“We agree on a simple premise: Students learn better when their stomachs are full,” Bowman said. “In Oregon, we must fully focus on improving student outcomes and remember all the factors that contribute to a student’s ability to learn.”

It would also help Oregon families with rising food costs. According to Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, over 300,000 students in Oregon are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, but fewer than half of eligible students participate.

A coalition that includes Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators and the Oregon Pediatric Society has launched a School Meals for All initiative to support the proposal, which has support from child advocates becomes.

“We are on the cusp of making school meals a reality for all here in Oregon and fulfilling our shared responsibility to ensure children are healthy, fed and well-educated,” said Grace Fortson, policy and advocacy manager at Our Children Oregon, an advocacy group for children’s issues.

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