Wisconsin Congresswoman Kristina Shelton is pushing to make free and healthier meals a regular experience in the lives of all public school students by including them as a staple in the 2023/2024 state budget.
“With an *enormous* budget surplus, now is the time to improve our school meals!” Shelton posted on Twitter this week. “The Healthy School Meals for All Act would ensure a free, healthy breakfast/lunch to all students — because hungry kids can’t learn.”
This year’s surplus is expected to grow to approximately $6.6 billion by next July, a recent PBS Wisconsin report said. Shelton will be working diligently to convince Gov. Tony Evers that no need for the surplus funds qualifies as being more worthy.
The Healthy School Meals for All Act also seeks to provide permanent free school breakfast and lunch for all Wisconsin school students while maximizing federal reimbursements for school meals. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic approximately three years ago, all school meals have come free of charge, but the move was not considered permanent.
