Contact: Johanna Elsemore at jelsemore@strength.org
San Antonio, TX — The Texas Legislature today adopted its budget for the 2024-2025 biennium, containing $3.3 million per year to cover the cost of school breakfast for students eligible for reduced price meals. The funding is projected to lead to nearly 70,000 more students eating school breakfast each day, totalling 11 million more breakfasts for Texas kids. The following is a statement from No Kid Hungry Texas Director Stacie Sanchez Hare:
“We applaud the Texas Legislature for this smart investment toward ensuring every child can start each day fueled and ready to learn. As Texas families face shockingly high prices at the grocery store, alongside the expiration of pandemic-era benefits, this investment could not have come at a more critical moment.
“With 73% of Texans reporting it is harder to afford groceries this year than it was last, too many children are falling through the cracks as the gap grows between those who need help and get help. The cost of school meals – even at the reduced rate – adds up quickly for families living paycheck to paycheck, especially those with multiple children.
“Eliminating this expense will eliminate a barrier to children getting a morning meal, while helping hardworking families cover things like school supplies, new shoes for growing kids or filling their gas tank to get to and from work. It will also relieve schools of the administrative burden of collecting unpaid meal debt, and help ensure the heroes who work in our schools; cafeterias aren’t forced to deny a child a hot breakfast because they don’t have the ability to pay.
“We’re especially grateful to Representative Toni Rose for championing this budget item throughout the 88th legislative session. No Kid Hungry Texas looks forward to working closely with school partners across our state to expand their breakfast programs, and will continue to advocate for smart policy solutions that ensure all Texas children are well nourished every single day.”