SPOKANE, Wash. — Free school lunches could soon be available to all students in Washington.
Lawmakers have been pushing to make universal free lunches a reality for students at public schools in Washington for several years. While progress has been made, more than 300,000 students in the state still do not get free meals throughout the day.
“It is difficult to focus on your education when you are hungry,” Governor-elect Bob Ferguson said. “Right now, we have too many kids who are not able to access that.”
Ferguson and Senator-elect Marcus Riccelli made a visit to Whitman Elementary in Spokane on Friday to express their commitment towards trying to make free breakfasts and lunches a reality for all of Washington’s kids starting next year.
“You hear legislators talk about test scores. We can’t talk about test scores until every kid has access to nutritious meals,” Riccelli said. “This is basic stuff.”
Advocates pushed for this bill last year and failed to make it a reality. This year, they also face a multi-billion-dollar state budget shortfall. But Ferguson and Riccelli stressed the necessity of this for students in our state.
“There is no greater priority for us as a state than to make sure our kids have a great education and that we make sure they are fed so they can focus on that education,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson says Washington has the fourth highest weekly grocery bills among the 48 contiguous states. He said this investment is needed to help with the economic difficulties parents face.
The estimated cost of this program would be $480,000,000 over four years. The draft for this bill is still being finalized. The bill is expected to be introduced by Riccelli this legislative session.
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