Over the past week, controversy has arisen regarding the provision of free lunches for students in Michigan. However, the state legislature has fulfilled its promise to secure free lunches and funding after months of struggle.
For the past week in Forest Hills Public Schools (FHPS), the state budgeting has not only affected the students—considering whether or not free and reduced lunches will continue to be served—but also the school board and principals, who are being blamed for implementing the charging for the once-free lunches.
FHC Principal Jonathan Haga emphasizes that many students may not realize how complex the school meal funding is.
“First of all, I think it’s important to understand that, at a very low level, how school funding works. There are two branches of school funding for Michigan meals,” Haga said. “One is called the CER branch, which is federal funding, and then one is the Michigan Meals funding, which is state funding. To qualify for the federal funding, a school must be 40% or greater for free-reduced lunch, and since FHC is not anywhere near 40%, we don’t qualify for that federal funding.”
As the government disputes disagreements over the state budget and whether it should be allocated for free school lunches, Haga believes that the most crucial aspect of this decision lies in its impact on the students.
Throughout the past few weeks, Kent County superintendents have met in various ways to develop solutions regarding students’ free lunches.
“What’s great about Kent County is that all the Kent County superintendents get together and they all have discussions around, ‘Okay, what are we going to do about this issue?’” Haga said. “School districts in terms of percentages of free and reduced lunch and in terms of what funding resources they get money from, [superintendents] have gotten together in ways to align what they’re going to do to make sure all students are supported.”
Only a few days ago, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, along with other state leaders, allocated $201.6 million to provide free breakfast and lunch for all public schools across the state, making school lunches available at no cost once again. Not only was this news exciting for the students, but also for the superintendents who worked for the good of the students since the beginning.
Kristen Fauson, the Forest Hills School Board President, believes that, above all, ensuring that the money for which FHPS is being funded directly benefits the students is paramount.
“The board advocates for student well-being via our votes for financial support for programs that the superintendent brings to us. Everything costs money, whether it is for staff to run a program, materials that need to be purchased, etc,” Fauson said. “The board works with the administration to ensure that we have the funds we need allocated to the programs that best serve our students.”
The district leaders advocated for free school lunches to ensure that every student is fed, but also to support students’ mental health during this situation. Making lunches before school every night can be not only very stressful for many students but also costly. This makes it difficult for students’ mental health—to be worried not only about school, but also about money.
As the School Board President, Fauson decided that the issue of free lunches needed to be addressed, along with the impact this would have on students’ mental health. To do this, she ensured that the students were provided with other supports, ranging from school counselors to trustworthy coaches for athletics.
The state government’s handling of budgets will continue to be a topic of debate. Although school lunches are, for now, cost-free, the state of accessible lunch and breakfast will fluctuate for many years to come. Most importantly, Kent County officials and the school board will continue to prioritize the well-being of their students in such situations.
“Everything we do as a district is supporting the students in some way,” Fauson said. “We support students with excellent teachers, books, materials, and other items that directly impact learning; counselors, social workers, PRIDE Pups, and other resources to support student mental health and well-being; athletic facilities, coaches, playground equipment that support physical and social needs, etc. As a district, we try to make sure that the whole student [body] is being taken care of.”
