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Minnesota schools serve 2 million more meals per month
Two million more school meals were served in September compared to the previous year.
MAPLEWOOD, Minn. — Minnesota’s universal free school meals program appears to be catching on quickly with parents across the state, based on the first month’s data.
More than two million more meals were served by schools in Sept. 2023 compared to the same month in 2022, according to the Minn. Dept. of Education. That means that 1.2 million additional breakfasts were served, for a year-to-year increase of 31%, plus 1.1 million more lunches served, for an increase of 11% from the previous year.
Gov. Tim Walz, Lieutenant Gov. Peggy Flanagan, and Education Commissioner Willie Jett stepped into the role of “lunch ladies” Wednesday at Edgerton Elementary School in Maplewood to highlight the encouraging statistics.
“Our educators who I’ve met, and we’ve talked to this entire fall consistently tell me that their students are more attentive and they’re ready to learn and they directly attribute this to nutritious meals all across the state of Minnesota throughout the day,” Jett told reporters.
Lt. Gov. Flanagan, who championed this cause as a state legislator and kept pressing the case for it in the governor’s office, said it’s clear the new law is helping children grow and learn. Flanagan relied on free and reduced school lunches as a child and later learned her mother would go without food so her family could eat.
“Seeing the impact in the lunchroom today, and analyzing the data thus far, affirmed what we just simply knew to be true, what advocates knew to be true, that Minnesota is a better and healthier state because of free school meals. Full stop.”
Leaders cautioned that the increased number of meals served doesn’t directly translate to the additional number of children served, because the new law allows children the option to buy a second meal or a la carte items. The new law provides one free breakfast and one free lunch per student per day.
But it’s clear that more children are eating healthy meals because of the bill the Minnesota Legislature passed and Gov. Walz signed into law last spring.
“The other thing that makes me feel so excited is seeing other states follow our lead,” Rep. Sydney Jordan, the Minneapolis Democrat who was the lead author of the bill, told reporters. “We see other states reference the Minnesota law and the work we did here in Minnesota as they make steps to feed their kids as well!”
Vadnais Heights Democrat Heather Gustafson, who led the effort in the Minnesota Senate, said the meals program should be viewed as a tax break for families with children in school.
“I’m a teacher. I also have four children. This is game-changing for parents, and I think that sometimes gets overlooked that this is putting money back in the pockets of lots of families,” Sen. Gustafson said. “The average family in White Bear Lake is saving about $1,800 a year.”
Roseville Superintendent Jenny Loeck said the new program has built upon the district’s ongoing efforts to make sure children are ready and able to learn.
“We’ve always taken care of our students and families, and we’re very proud of that, and really appreciate the state taking that on, and certainly, the mental health support, stress off of families,” Loeck said. “And the nutrition staff are doing what they’re hired to do, feed our students healthy, nutritious meals.”
Opponents of the idea have asserted that there is more food going to waste, now that families don’t have to pay for it. But Edgerton Elementary Principal Maura Weyandt pushed back against that narrative, citing all the programs within the school to minimize waste.
“We have children that bring their own snack to school, and then they take what’s left over from lunch. We don’t waste any food here,” Wyandt told reporters.
That includes using the offer versus serve system, so children are choosing what they want. There’s also a share table system for items that haven’t been unwrapped yet.
“And they take that to have for their snack. Many also take it home,” Wyandt said. “Food waste here is not an issue.”
The state’s budget gurus originally thought this program would cost $200 million per year, or $400 million per biennium. But that figure has now been revised to $240 million per year, or $480 million per biennium.
Gov. Walz, a former high school teacher who often pulled lunchroom duty, said the increased demand for the meals shouldn’t be considered a problem.
“This is good news, but it also should be a wake-up call. We’ve got a lot of folks out there that may be more food insecure than we thought, that are right on that edge.”
December’s state budget forecast projected a $2.4 billion surplus for the two-year budget cycle that ends June 30, 2025, but a much tighter ending balance in the fiscal cycle that ends June 30, 2027.
That prompted Republicans to suggest the state return to a means-tested model, based on family income. They contend that higher-income families didn’t need this benefit.
“For all the low-income students who need it — and we want to make sure no one goes hungry — they were getting it through the free and reduced lunch program,” said Rep. Kristin Robbins, a Maple Grove Republican.
“This gave it — free lunch — to all the wealthy families, that’s a place we need to look at. Is that really a priority?”
Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson said the money might be better spent on other methods of raising student achievement.
“This is $400 million every biennium. Is that going to have the impact we really want? Is it going to change it from what it was before? We’ll see what that looks like, but we’re really concerned about having nation-leading education in this state.”
Governor Walz said the old means-tested system was a paperwork pain for parents and an administrative burden on schools, tracking who should receive free or reduced meals.
“I think this is just the way to go. We don’t means test for the electricity, we don’t means test for the carpet. We have the resources. And we’ll put it in, make a difference.”
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At least one of the sites was immediately cleared in response to the shootings.
MINNEAPOLIS — By Monday afternoon, there wasn’t a tent in site along the railroad tracks off of E 44th St between Hiawatha and Snelling Avenues. There was only some leftover crime tape.
Just 24 hours prior, two men were killed and a woman was critically hurt in a triple shooting there.
Sunday, a neighbor told KARE what started with one tent in August grew in recent weeks. Police Chief Brian O’Hara and Mayor Jacob Frey held a press conference that day.
“The Third Precinct, this part of the city, has the greatest concentration of homeless encampments so it remains a very serious public safety issue,” O’Hara said. “As soon as these encampments move in, we have a significant increase in crime in the general area and once we’re able to clear them, crime generally does go down.”
Monday, a City of Minneapolis spokesperson confirmed the encampment was “closed earlier today” and that “debris was cleared” from a smaller encampment where yet another triple shooting occurred early Saturday morning.
This one was near E 21st St and 15th Ave S. Three men were shot and one of them died.
Monday afternoon, there was a small fire going and a couple of adults seated outside. A memorial was also placed beside the fencing. The city says there weren’t any structures to remove from the location.
Frey’s office confirmed the immediate closure of the E 44th St encampment was a result of the shootings. However, there were prior discussions about closing it in the near future.
The Mayor’s Office sent KARE 11 the following statement Monday evening:
“The tragic and unacceptable loss of life at homeless encampments underscores the need for immediate action. Encampments are plagued by fentanyl abuse, drug trafficking, and gun violence, and they do not provide a dignified way to live—not for encampment residents and not for the neighbors in surrounding communities.”
“As new encampments form, we are committed to closing them while continuously offering shelter, addiction recovery resources, and support to our homeless residents.”
– Office of Mayor Jacob Frey
A city spokesperson also sent a statement saying the “Minneapolis Homeless Response Team is working right now with the Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County and other service providers to offer unsheltered individuals at both locations the necessary resources, services and shelter.”
“We want to help our residents find suitable arrangements in the most supportive and humane way we can. All of our Minneapolis residents deserve better,” the statement continued.
A police spokesperson confirmed no arrests have been made in either case.
The suspect was 17 at the time of the shooting, but he was charged as an adult.
A St. Paul man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, more than two years after a drive-by shooting left a 17-year-old dead.
Casimir Semlak, of St. Paul, was charged with shooting 17-year-old Anthony Skelley in May 2022 during an apparent drug deal in South St. Paul. Police say a search of Skelley’s cell phone uncovered that the last number he was in communication with was linked to the suspect.
Semlak was also 17 at the time but was charged in the adult court system.
Following his death, family members told KARE 11 in a statement that Skelley was a junior attending St. Paul Public Schools’ Gateway to College program, and had “a beautiful soul with a cheerful presence and a joyful spirit.”
Semlak will be sentenced in January 2025.
The Moorhead Police Department said Paige Reinke was last seen Sunday wearing a blue sweatshirt and gray sweatpants.
MOORHEAD, Minn. — Officials are asking for the public’s help locating a 17-year-old Moorhead girl that is believed to be endangered.
According to the Moorhead Police Department, Paige Reinke was last seen Sunday near the 2600 block of River Drive North wearing a blue sweatshirt and gray sweatpants. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) describes her as 5-foot-4, 155 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Moorhead Police Department at 701-451-7660.
