Michigan schools may limit free student meals amid budget uncertainty

Michigan public school districts have offered free breakfast and lunch to students for the last two years
State funding expired Tuesday, but state leaders say the next budget will include money for the service
The confusion has some districts are warning parents they may have to start paying for meals

Update: Midland Public Schools said Wednesday it will continue free universal lunch for now after the Legislature passed a stopgap spending bill

Some parents of Michigan public school students may have to start paying for student breakfast and lunch soon, amid ongoing negotiations over the state budget.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and legislative leaders announced Tuesday evening that they’ve agreed to include funding for “free breakfast and lunch” in the budget but said they were still drafting actual bills.

While Whitmer made clear she will not shut down the state government, school officials said Tuesday they do not yet have any certainty how that process might affect them.

Without a finalized budget, Midland Public Schools will continue to offer free breakfast for all students but will start charging students who do not qualify for free lunches through federal programs, said Katie Guyer, director of communications and community relations.

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Guyer said two of the six elementary schools in the district will continue to offer free school meals because of eligibility for a federal program. The district announced possible changes to the meal program in early August.

In the absence of a state budget that funds the program, it’s up to individual districts if they want to use other funds to pay for the cost of meals.

In Bloomfield Hills, the district notified parents in an email Tuesday afternoon that meals would no longer be covered, only to reverse course seven hours later.

The district notified parents at 10:30 p.m. the lunch would remain free to students through at least Friday because of a “reasonable expectation” the state budget would be finalized.

RJ Webber, superintendent of Northville Public Schools, said his district will pay for school meals for all students for a month even if there is no state budget. It’s estimated that will cost the district $400,000.

Webber said his district has a healthy amount in savings and his “heart breaks” for districts that have to ask parents to start paying for meals.

‘No right or wrong answer’

Whitmer has championed the universal free meal program, which removed income restrictions and cost the state $200 million last year. But some conservatives have questioned free meals for affluent families.

Whitmer and legislative leaders have agreed to include funding for free school meals in the pending budget, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, said in a Tuesday evening statement.

Brinks said she’s “proud that we will be voting on a product that secures free breakfast and lunch for kids,” and leaders are committed to “getting the budget done as soon as the bills are ready.”

It’s unclear how much money would be available for free school meals.

Absent a late Tuesday budget vote, Whitmer and lawmakers could instead attempt to pass a continuing resolution by midnight that would maintain current funding levels for state departments and avoid a government shutdown.

Peter Spadafore, executive director of the Michigan Alliance for Student Opportunity, which represents a group of school districts, said Tuesday afternoon that he is not sure what might be in a continuing budget resolution or how long an agreement would fund the government.

If lawmakers include universal school meal funding in some sort of agreement that passed with immediate effect and was quickly signed by Whitmer, then it would make sense for schools to continue universal school meals, he said.

“There’s no right or wrong answer for a superintendent for how to continue,” said Robert McCann, executive director of The K-12 Alliance of Michigan, a group of 123 school districts.

“They are simply trying to do what’s best for their students given all this uncertainty forced on them by this continued legislative failure to get a budget done.”

Warnings

School leaders have been warning parents of the potential change for weeks while also advocating for the Legislature to pass a budget. Parents can still fill out an education benefits form with their local district, which may allow their child to qualify for free meals and other discounts on testing and extracurricular sports.

In recent weeks, Ann Arbor Public Schools has said it will start charging families for meals in October if a budget deal with universal meals is not approved.

Spokesperson Andrew Cluley confirmed Tuesday evening the district would begin charging for meals Wednesday but some schools with high thresholds of economically disadvantaged students will still offer universal free school meals.

Holt Public Schools, meanwhile, recently announced it would continue to offer all students free meals during the 2025-26 school year.

Huron Valley Schools said in a Sept. 12 notice it would use its “Food Service Fund surplus to continue offering free breakfast and lunch to all students for as long as possible.”

Okemos Public Schools officials previously announced the district would not offer free school meals to all students this year, in a move the superintendent blamed on a lack of guaranteed funding from the state.

Crestwood School District in Dearborn Heights said on its website last week it would continue to provide free meals to all students for the entire school year.

Ferndale Public Schools will also continue to provide free school meals for all students this school year.

“This ensures that every child has access to healthy meals, removes barriers for families and helps students stay focused on learning rather than worrying about food,” Superintendent Camille Hibbler told families in a message Tuesday afternoon.