OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal wants all of the state’s students to get free lunch.
He says he will propose that lawmakers budget $86 million to provide every student with free meals during next year’s legislative session.
The federal government provided waivers allowing students to eat at school for free during the first two years of the pandemic, but those waivers expired this schoolyear.
Reykdal argues students and their families should be focusing their energy on learning and not stressing over basic needs.
He says the proposal would eliminate the stigma associated with free or reduced-price school meals.
If lawmakers pass it, school meals could be free for all students next school year.