Push to fund free school meals for all NY students

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)---Advocates are hoping this year, all kids in the state will be able to receive free school meals.

According to lawmakers, over 80% of children in New York are able to receive free school meals because of funding in last year’s state budget. A bill to make all kids eligible has gained bipartisan support and has been included in this year’s proposed Senate and Assembly budgets.

"We’re putting $200 million in the budget in order to ensure every single school district will get this funding," explained Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas. "It’s on top of the funding we’ve already allocated so it will fully meet, I think, beyond the need of our budget ask."

Advocates say this will help reduce the stigma for low-income students. At a rally at the New York State Capitol, Assemblymember Chris Eachus shared his experience as a teacher.

"Forty years in the classroom means I have forty years of lunch duty," said Eachus. "So I’m there, watching the kids on line. I’m there seeing the embarrassment of some of the children who feel getting a free meal is somehow denigrating."

Patrick Kenneally of the NY School Nutrition Association is also a school lunch director in the Capital Region. He believes this will help school districts financially, since they no longer would have to pay for student accrued lunch debt.

"The school could be using that money for building improvements, for teachers' salaries, for putting more teacher’s aides in the classroom, yet they’re paying for unpaid meal debt," said Kenneally. "The universal meal program just ends that in our schools."

The final state budget is due on April 1st.