Florida's school districts cite funding cuts for meal option changes
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State and federal budget cuts — plus the end of pandemic-era relief funds — are changing how school districts across Florida are feeding public school students.
Why it matters: Research has long suggested that free meals in schools increase positive outcomes for students. Doing away with programs that support universal free lunches could negatively impact the millions of Florida's public school students who rely on them.
- Depending on the district, some families will have to pay for lunch for the first time in years.
By the numbers: More than 50% of Florida's public school students last year received free or reduced meals while at school, according to the Florida Department of Health.
- In Miami-Dade, more than 78,600 students, or more than 55%, were eligible.
- In the Tampa Bay region, there were more than 72,700 students. More than 50% of students qualified in both Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, per the state.
The latest: In recent weeks, school districts across Florida have announced they are no longer offering free lunches for all students in the 2025-26 school year and are returning to a previously used application process.
- Other districts have raised the cost of lunches for students.
Case in point: In Broward County, officials in a news release said the district will no longer offer free lunches for all students in the 2025-26 school year, citing "changes in program funding." It's also increasing lunch prices by $1.
- Duval County Public Schools said it was doing away with free universal lunches for 37 schools, reported News4Jax.
- Pasco County schools announced it was increasing prices for elementary and middle school lunches by 15 cents and high school prices by 20 cents, WUSF reported.
- A spokesperson for Hillsborough County schools told WUSF it was not raising lunch prices.
How it works: Federal funding is available to schools that qualify for the Community Eligibility Program, which provides free lunches for all students at schools if 40% or more students qualify for free or reduced meals.
- In recent years, districts have provided free lunches in schools that don't meet the CEP criteria, but budget cuts and the end of stimulus funds have made those alternatives harder to sustain.
Miami-Dade County schools still qualify for CEP and will continue offering universal free lunches for the 2025-26 year, but officials told Axios they "are evaluating all options for future years."
State of play: Both the Broward and Duval districts had used excess federal relief dollars to offer free lunches for all students at schools that no longer qualified for CEP.
- Those programs, officials said, can't be supported without the additional federal dollars.
- In Broward County, free school lunches cost about $9 million annually, according to the Miami Herald.
Yes, but: That doesn't mean free meals won't be available. Beginning July 14, families who qualify can apply for their student to receive free or reduced lunches, officials said.
- And all students can still receive free breakfasts through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Universal Free Breakfast Program.
Meanwhile, a bill that was introduced in the Florida Senate this year to create a universal free breakfast and lunch program for all public school students failed to move forward during the legislative session.