Public school students in Vermont will continue to get free meals after a Universal School Meals bill became law on Wednesday. Gov. Phil Scott allowed H.165 to become law without his signature.Scott said he made the decision because he knew if he vetoed the bill, the legislature would have overridden his decision. However, Scott asked the legislature to rethink the policy, which he called “regressive.”The free school meals program began during the COVID-19 pandemic but was extended by the legislature and funded by the state throughout the current school year.Bill H.165 proposed creating universal free school meals for students. Scott pushed back, saying that Vermonters would not want to pay for the program.Currently, the money for the program will come from the state’s education fund, costing taxpayers $29 million more per year.”The Legislature has added $20-30 million in property tax pressure to pay for school meals for all students, including those from affluent families,” Scott said in a statement. “This will be paid for by all Vermonters, including those with low incomes. That’s not progressive education funding policy, it’s regressive policy that hurts the very families we are trying to help.” However, legislators in favor of the bill said that Vermont families with children are four times more likely to need help paying for meals. But opponents are worried about added burden on taxpayers.”So, it’s $20 million we’re talking about. Let’s take the $5 or $6 million to feed the kids that need it the most, and let’s take the other 3/4 of that money and put it back into where kids need it the most,” said Republican Sen. Russ Ingalls. Others said since the pandemic, universal school meals help those who qualify for free lunches and students in what they call “the missing middle.”Teddy Waszazak of Hunger Free Vermont said the bill will ultimately help thousands of children.”There are about 30,000 kids who are in that window of their families made too much money to qualify for free and reduced meals, but they were not hitting their basic needs budget,” Waszazak said.Hunger Free Vermont said making meals free for everyone reduces the stigma that can come with food insecurity.”There were kids who, before universal school meals, qualified on paper for free and reduced meals, but they were not filling out the paperwork necessary because they did not want to be singled out or labeled in school as a kid who ‘needed’ the free meals as opposed to someone who did not,” said Waszazak.But Ingalls said he doesn’t think that is necessarily true. “The kids know who the poor kids are, they do,” said Ingalls. “And it’s not just by whether they’re getting free lunch. It’s the way that they dress, or how they get to school, or what their appearance is, they know.” Vermont is the sixth state in the country to enact a permanent universal school meals program, including California, Maine, Colorado, Minnesota and New Mexico, according to Hunger Free Vermont.
Public school students in Vermont will continue to get free meals after a Universal School Meals bill became law on Wednesday.
Gov. Phil Scott allowed H.165 to become law without his signature.
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Scott said he made the decision because he knew if he vetoed the bill, the legislature would have overridden his decision. However, Scott asked the legislature to rethink the policy, which he called “regressive.”
The free school meals program began during the COVID-19 pandemic but was extended by the legislature and funded by the state throughout the current school year.
Bill H.165 proposed creating universal free school meals for students. Scott pushed back, saying that Vermonters would not want to pay for the program.
Currently, the money for the program will come from the state’s education fund, costing taxpayers $29 million more per year.
“The Legislature has added $20-30 million in property tax pressure to pay for school meals for all students, including those from affluent families,” Scott said in a statement. “This will be paid for by all Vermonters, including those with low incomes. That’s not progressive education funding policy, it’s regressive policy that hurts the very families we are trying to help.”
However, legislators in favor of the bill said that Vermont families with children are four times more likely to need help paying for meals. But opponents are worried about added burden on taxpayers.
“So, it’s $20 million we’re talking about. Let’s take the $5 or $6 million to feed the kids that need it the most, and let’s take the other 3/4 of that money and put it back into where kids need it the most,” said Republican Sen. Russ Ingalls.
Others said since the pandemic, universal school meals help those who qualify for free lunches and students in what they call “the missing middle.”
Teddy Waszazak of Hunger Free Vermont said the bill will ultimately help thousands of children.
“There are about 30,000 kids who are in that window of their families made too much money to qualify for free and reduced meals, but they were not hitting their basic needs budget,” Waszazak said.
Hunger Free Vermont said making meals free for everyone reduces the stigma that can come with food insecurity.
“There were kids who, before universal school meals, qualified on paper for free and reduced meals, but they were not filling out the paperwork necessary because they did not want to be singled out or labeled in school as a kid who ‘needed’ the free meals as opposed to someone who did not,” said Waszazak.
But Ingalls said he doesn’t think that is necessarily true.
“The kids know who the poor kids are, they do,” said Ingalls. “And it’s not just by whether they’re getting free lunch. It’s the way that they dress, or how they get to school, or what their appearance is, they know.”
Vermont is the sixth state in the country to enact a permanent universal school meals program, including California, Maine, Colorado, Minnesota and New Mexico, according to Hunger Free Vermont.
