A spokesperson for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican who has centered much of his administration on children’s wellbeing, raised concerns with this outlet about the price tag.
“Such a program is very expensive to implement in Ohio if paid by the state only with no federal assistance,” said spokesman Dan Tierney.
If the full amount is a non-starter, the Hunger-Free Schools Ohio said it’d be willing to ditch breakfasts, which would lower the state’s overall cost by $50 million per year.
“We’re here today because Ohio’s children deserve better,” said Hunger-Free Schools Ohio member Cyndy Rees at a Statehouse press conference on Tuesday. “They deserve better nutrition, better academic development, and they really deserve to be able to go to school and not worried about being hungry for the day.”
Central to the group’s argument is that well-fed students are more likely to learn. Rees said students under a universal free lunch system score higher on tests, have better attendance, and see their behavior improve. Families also save money.
To the Ohio House Education Committee, Rees argued that the state should go beyond the National School Lunch Program that Ohio relies on, which subsidizes school lunches for kids in families that make anywhere from 130% to 180% of the federal poverty level, and gives free lunch to kids at 130% of the FPL or below.
“Too many students still fall through the cracks,” Rees said. “Federal meal programs primarily target high-poverty schools, leaving many middle-income families who fall just above the eligibility threshold struggling to afford meals.”
Madison Whetstone, a student at Lima Shawnee High School who traveled to the Statehouse Tuesday to advocate for the cause, told this outlet that she’s witnessed problems for families who fall just above the federal cutoff.
“Many families are just at that borderline and they still aren’t able to buy lunches every single day of the week,” she said, noting that she saw her peers forego meals and opt for a bag of chips instead “because they’re cheaper than the whole lunch.”
“Every day, we’ve seen people just not eating school lunch,” Whetstone said, “and then the rest of the day they just aren’t able to focus, aren’t able to properly learn, and they just don’t get that nutrition they need.”
Rep. Andrea White, R-Kettering, told this outlet that she was still considering the implications of the ask, along with hundreds of other budgetary asks the House has received throughout its budgetary process.
On Wednesday, House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, told this outlet that she and her caucus support the ask.
“Food insecurity does not create a conducive learning environment, and I think anything that we can do to address that issue in our schools and ensure that our students are well fed, have nutritious meals while they’re at school, is beneficial for all students,” she said.
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Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
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