Editorial: No student on an empty stomach
Published 5:00 am Tuesday, October 22, 2024
- A school lunch at this New York state school was 30 cents in 1943.
Of all the things that Oregon could do to improve K-12 education, it may be best to invest in ensuring students are on a full stomach.
Most school districts give free breakfast and lunch to all students, about 94%. It doesn’t matter how much money a student’s family has.
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Why not for the remaining 6%?
State Rep. Courtney Neron, D-Wilsonville, and House Majority Leader Ben Bowman, D-Tigard are planning a bill for the 2025 session to expand the program to all districts, as reported by The Oregon Capital Chronicle.
A universal meal program would cost the state about $62 million a year. It would generate more than six times that in matching funds from the federal government.
It’s hard to see what’s wrong with doing it except, of course, if there would be a better way to invest that $62 million in K-12 education.