SENATOR ANDREW GOUNARDES
AS I WRITE THIS IN EARLY MARCH, MY COLLEAGUES IN THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE AND I ARE CURRENTLY NEGOTIATING THE STATE BUDGET — A DOCUMENT OUTLINING ROUGHLY $227 BILLION OF SPENDING PRIORITIES THAT REFLECT OUR VALUES. I’M FIGHTING HARD TO MAKE SURE THE BUDGET INCLUDES THE HEALTHY SCHOOL MEALS FOR ALL PROGRAM, WHICH WOULD PROVIDE ALL STUDENTS ACROSS OUR STATE — IN EVERY SCHOOL SETTING — WITH FREE SCHOOL MEALS EACH DAY.
Hunger is a daily problem for nearly a million of New York’s students across the state — and we know that students experiencing hunger struggle to focus, have lower attendance rates than their peers, and are at significantly higher risk of developing mental and physical health problems. In New York City alone, statistics have shown that providing free school meals to all students improved math and reading test scores. Providing free universal school meals to all students at a school also decreases the stigma of receiving free school meals by equalizing the lunchroom dynamics. This can also decrease bullying, and improve students’ relationships and self-esteem: two crucial factors in childhood development.
And there are millions of families across New York State right now whose lives would be changed by knowing their children could eat a healthy, nutritious breakfast and lunch at school each day for free. I know — because I’ve spoken with them at length about how they’re feeling a pinch in their pockets each day as they work hard to make ends meet, and because there is clear evidence that more New York children are in unpaid lunch debt than ever before. Our proposal would save families, on average, $140 per school-aged child per month: that’s over $3,000 per school year for a family with two school-aged children. That’s a significant amount of money that could go towards healthcare, buying groceries, paying rent, refilling MetroCards, and more.
With just a tiny fraction of the state’s $227 billion budget, we could make a huge difference in working families’ lives this year. Just $280 million — 0.01% of the state budget — would fully fund free school meals for all students across New York State, regardless of their meal debt, their application status, or their family’s income.
Up in Albany, it’s one of a number of measures to ease families’ financial burdens that I’m fighting hard to include in the state budget. From our Healthy School Meals for All program to my NYS Working Families Tax Credit bill — which would give working families across the state up to $1,500 per child to help make ends meet — fighting to make life more affordable on an everyday basis is my top priority this year, and I’m committed to seeing it through.
I am committed to doing everything I can to fully fund the Healthy School Meals For All program in this year’s budget. It has the chance to change the daily realities and the future possibilities for children all across New York, because no matter how engaging the lesson or how experienced the teacher, students can’t learn if they’re starving. It’s as simple as that.
“State Senator Andrew Gounardes represents New York’s 26th State Senate District, which includes the neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Sunset Park, Red Hook, Park Slope, Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Downtown Brooklyn, Fort Greene, Brooklyn Heights, Vinegar Hill, and DUMBO. He was elected in November 2018.
