MADISON, Wis. — To address food insecurity for Wisconsin students, State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly is proposing free, nutritious breakfast and lunches for all students.
As part of the Department of Public Instruction‘s 2025-2027 biennial budget request, Dr. Underly’s proposal to expand access to the meals for all students would cost nearly $294 million dollars.
“Access to food is one of the most basic human needs, and yet many Wisconsin kids are telling us they don’t know when – or if – they will have their next meal,” Dr. Underly said. “When we make sure all our kids are properly nourished, we are nurturing the leaders of tomorrow. My budget proposal makes sure that every kid, no matter their background, has access to the nutrition they need to succeed at no cost.”
As part of the proposal, DPI would create a new supplemental nutrition aid program to offset the costs to students and families for the school meals. In addition to the universal free meals proposal, Dr. Underly’s 2025-27 Biennial Budget Request will:
- Fund the School Breakfast Program at a reimbursement rate of $0.15 per meal and expand participation to include independent charter schools, the state’s residential schools, and residential childcare centers ($6.1 million over the biennium).
- Strengthen local food supply chains by creating a new program encouraging school districts to buy directly from local farmers and producers and incorporate fresh, high quality, locally grown foods into school meal and snack programs ($10 million over the biennium).
- Fully fund the School Day Milk Program so more Wisconsin students have access to milk while at school ($458,900 over the biennium).
- Create a new grant program to allow schools to purchase milk coolers or equipment to convert to bulk milk dispensers ($150,000 over the biennium).
Earlier this week, Dr. Underly proposed more than $304 million to support Wisconsin youth mental health, and more information will be released in the coming weeks.
The DPI’s budget request will be released in full in November.
