PULASKI, WI (WTAQ) — Democrats in the Wisconsin legislature have unveiled a new bill that would fund two school meals a day for all Wisconsin children, with no qualifications necessary.
In an elementary school cafeteria in Pulaski Thursday, Democratic State Representative Kristina Shelton made her pitch for the bill alongside State Superintendent Jill Underly.
It’s called the “Healthy School Meals for All Act”.
“Schools that participate,” Shelton explained. “Will be able to provide any student that requests one, at no cost, one lunch and one breakfast that meets the federal food and nutrition requirements.”
There isn’t an estimate of how much it could cost, but Shelton says surplus funds would pay for the it, saying that school lunches provided during the pandemic with excess state funds proved that Wisconsin could afford the cost.
“No matter what the cost is, it’s worth it,” Shelton told WTAQ. “The state of Wisconsin is sitting on $2.6 billion in the state’s coffers. We have the money to feed all kids.”
Underly says it would be a boon to school districts, who would no longer have to make up for unpaid student lunch debt.
“School districts at the end of the year often have to transfer funds into their food service program to make the program whole,” Underly, a former Superintendent at the Pecatonica area school district, said. “That would eliminate that stress on school districts if we were to have this program in place.”
The bill was unveiled at Glenbrook Elementary School
Elementary school in Pulaski. Shelton announced it alongside Underly, State Representative Franchesa Hong (D-Madison), State Senator Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee), and Maureen Fitzgerald of Feeding America.
The bill faces an uphill battle in the Republican controlled legislature.
