Minnesota’s new universal school meals program has proved more popular than originally expected, with more than 2.2 million additional lunches and breakfasts served in the first month of the school year.

Gov. Tim Walz, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Education Commissioner Willie Jett served lunch at Edgerton Elementary School in Maplewood Tuesday to promote that fact. Success, however, has come with a higher price tag.

Universal meals were initially expected to cost around $400 million for two years, but recent budget projections found they’ll cost $80 million more over two years due to higher-than-expected participation in the program.

And, costs are expected to grow by another $95 million in 2026 to 2027.

How many more meals are schools serving now compared to before? From September 2022 to September 2023, the number of breakfasts grew by 31%, and lunches by 11%, according to figures from the Minnesota Department of Education.

The governor stood by the growing costs to support the now 16 million free meals a month being served to K-12 students statewide.

“This is a good problem to have,” he said. “I would say the same thing of our substance use disorder work. If we have more people using that and getting treatment, that’s a good place to spend money.”

Additional funding

Last year’s universal school meals bill appropriated hundreds of millions for the program, which reimburses schools for feeding students who do not qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Eligible schools must participate in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, and the state funding covers the rest of their costs.

But the program now needs more money to continue running, so Walz said he plans to work with state lawmakers to adjust budgets and secure the additional funding. The Legislature reconvenes for the 2024 session on Feb. 12.

The governor said he expects savings in other areas of the budget, which could help with funding the program.

“I kind of look forward to having this discussion because I think it’ll bring more awareness to Minnesotans how great this program is,” he said. “And I’m really curious about the folks who say we just can’t afford to do this, who’ve been advocating for cuts to the wealthiest Minnesotans.”

Republican critics say universal meals are a bad use of state resources as they also apply to students with families not struggling to pay for food.

$2.4 billion surplus

Meals free of charge for all students was just one of many pieces of the more than $70 billion two-year budget passed by Democratic-Farmer-Labor majorities in the Legislature and enacted by the governor last year. It grew spending by nearly 40% over the last budget, though a good portion of that was “one-time.”

Now that DFLers have checked many of the boxes on their legislative wish list, Minnesota’s historic $17.5 billion surplus from last year is now closer to about $2.4 billion, according to the most recent estimates from state budget officials.

Growing costs in human services and education, including in the school meals program, mean the state will likely have to leave the remaining surplus untouched or it could face a shortfall in 2026-2027.

Democratic Farmer Labor backers of the program point to the larger-than-expected participation as a sign of the program’s success, and say it’s saving Minnesota families money.

“That’s millions of dollars back in the pockets of families put towards rent and health care, utility bills, other needs and, just, fun activities,” Flanagan said. “And what happens when kids get fed? They succeed in and outside of the classroom.”

How much are individual families saving on meals? Sen. Heather Gustafson, DFL-Vadnais Heights, a northeast metro lawmaker who sponsored the bill in the Senate last year, said free meals save a family in her district about $1,800 a year.

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