MAPLE GROVE, Minn. — One year into the Minnesota Free School Meals Program , the state's DFL leaders are defending the decision to go millions of dollars over budget to serve nearly 150 million meals to students. A handful of leaders, including Lt.
Gov. Peggy Flanagan, spent Wednesday morning inside the lunch room at Maple Grove's Oak View Elementary School, coinciding with the release of the Minnesota Department of Education's preliminary summary of the program's inaugural year . Flanagan says in the program's first year, the state's 870,000 eligible K-12 students have each been served about 173 meals, saving parents about $1,000 per child.
Flanagan says while funding has ballooned to about $267 million, the program is worth every penny. "We have made the decision that this is absolutely worth the investments," Flanagan said. "We see that attendance numbers have gone up, and I think these investments in feeding children, nutrition, healthy development, when we think about what this means for the long-term overall success of our state, that is a price I think that Minnesotans are absolutely willing to pay.
" The education department says it's looking to offset even more of that cost, and parents WCCO spoke with on Wednesday at Oak View say they're on board with the plan. In August 2023, WCCO heard from several school districts concerned about potential staffing shortages and possible funding cuts due to the program. Specifically, district leaders feared families wouldn't fil.