Childhood health advocates and state lawmakers are planning a push to expand the state’s school meals 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 breakfasts and lunches to students regardless of their family’s income level. Nearly 1,200 schools statewide participate, about 94% of public schools. But for various reasons, 65 schools that serve about hundreds of students do not. To bridge that gap, Rep. Courtney Neron, D-Wilsonville, and House Majority Leader Ben Bowman, D-Tigard, are planning a bill for the 2025 session.

The lawmakers gathered with anti-hunger advocates for the legislation on Monday at Durham Elementary School in Tigard, a school that provides free meals. Feeding all of the more than 547,000 students in Oregon public schools would lead to better academic outcomes and overall health, supporters say.

“For many years, I witnessed the impact of hunger on my students,” said Neron, a former world languages teacher at Tigard High School and chair of the House Education Committee. “It showed up not only in fatigue and stress, but also I remember high schoolers who chose to skip lunch rather than face the stigma of the free and reduced lunch line. When we remove that stigma and create the opportunity for shared breakfast and lunches, it helps build community and certainly leads to improved academic performance.”

Related: Free meals at Oregon’s largest school district echo a statewide effort to serve students all over the state

The cost of free meals is split between state funding and the federal government. The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides a match estimated at more than $3 for every $1 the state spends.

Already, there is a federal program that provides universal meals for schools after they reach a threshold of at least 25% of students who enrolled in other benefits like federal food assistance.

The 65 schools that don’t provide universal meals do so for a variety of reasons. Many don’t reach the federal threshold to participate or they may have staffers unfamiliar with how to navigate the program.

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

That would generate about $417.4 million in federal matching funds.

Related: In Southern Oregon, Curry Public Library offers free lunches for kids

The proposal for the 2025 legislative session, which has Bowman’s support, builds upon the expanded access to school meals in the 2019 Student Success Act the Oregon Legislature passed.

“We agree on a simple premise: Students learn better with a full stomach,” Bowman said. “In Oregon, we need to be laser focused on improving student outcomes, and we need to remember all the factors that contribute to a student’s ability to learn.”

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

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

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

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