School meal costs on hold pending Michigan state budget approval
The temporary extension of a State of Michigan budget announced early Wednesday came with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's announcement that a plan is in the works that includes "feed our kids at school."
But that doesn't answer the question for individual families on if — and when — they might need to pay out of pocket for school breakfast and lunch service.
The question of who will get free school meals in Michigan has been up in the air since August, when school districts had to make decisions without an estimate of the state funding they might receive starting in October.
All public school students in Michigan had been getting a free breakfast and a free lunch since the fall of 2023 under a program known as Michigan School Meals, which combined federal and state funds to cover the entire cost. Without confirmation of that support, districts made decisions on a case-by-case basis for the start of the academic year on whether known budgets could make up the gap, or they would have to charge again for breakfast and lunch.
The delay for a final state budget, when that plan was supposed to be in place by Oct. 1, resulted in another flurry of announcements at the local level on Wednesday.
Those examples include:
- Plymouth-Canton Community Schools in Wayne County, which requested payment from families for breakfast on Wednesday morning, issued a follow-up note to parents that free meals would resume with Wednesday lunch.
- Dundee Community Schools in Monroe County announced they would continue free breakfast and lunch to all students through Oct. 10.
- Rochester Community Schools in Oakland County said it will provide free meals to all students through Oct. 3.
Parents should check their school emails or contact their school office for additional details.
