All Michigan School Students Could Get Free Breakfast and Lunch Under New Proposal

A new proposal in Lansing could mean free breakfast and lunch for school students in Michigan, regardless of economic status.

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Proposed Budget Recommendation

In a proposed budget recommendation from Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan school students could get free breakfast and lunch. Under the plan, the state would need approximately $160 million from the School Aid Fund.

Thomas Morgan is a representative from the Michigan Education Association. He says the proposal would not only be beneficial for students but for educators as well.

“This is going to make it so school staff - who are already overworked, and we have an educator shortage in our state - it’s going to make it so that school staff can focus on more academic needs,” Morgan says.

According to WILX-TV, the free lunch program could save Michigan families approximately $850 per year.

Free Lunch During Pandemic

Free lunch was provided for Michigan's 1.3 million schoolchildren during the coronavirus pandemic. The program was initiated in order to provide support to Michigan families who were experiencing economic hardship during the pandemic and to protect children who may have experienced food insecurity.

That program was discontinued just before the beginning of the current school year, as congress failed to renew the program.

Keep reading to see how school cafeteria food has changed over the last 100 years.

Take a look at these Michigan candy shops and confectionary stores between 1890 and 1964.