HARRISBURG, Pa. — At Pennsylvania public schools, empty tables mean empty stomachs.
One in eight kids go hungry in Pennsylvania every day, according to Feeding America.
"Breakfast and lunch are just as important as technology, transportation and textbooks," said Nicole Melia, food service director for Great Valley School District in Chester County.
Last year, the state decided to pay for one of those meals, offering free breakfast to every student regardless of income.
The $46.5 million funding increase was included in the state budget.
Melia believes the state should tell students “Lunch is on us, too.”
"We had this during the pandemic. All students were able to get meals of charge," she said. "It created such a sense of community and the feeling that lunch was just part of the school day."
Melia says the free and reduced lunch system creates a stigma in schools, one she says would be eliminated with a universal program.
Pennsylvania House Bill 180 would introduce a Universal School Meal Program and establish and accompanying fund to pay for the food. I was referred to the Education Committee in March.
Chadds Ford Elementary School second-grader Ryan Sunberg believes all students should have lunch.
"Because they’re healthy and they can help you focus in class," she said.
"Attendance goes up, disciplinary issues go down," added Christi Beazley with Carol Gilbert Consulting, an organization that advises schools across the state. "Kids are better fed and when they’re better fed they’re better behaved and they do a better job in school."
A universal lunch program would cost the state an estimated $290 million; an investment Melia believes would help teachers spoon-feed more knowledge in the classroom.
"When that child is hungry and they’re sitting in their chair and not paying attention because their stomach is growling, you’re wasting your education dollars," she said.
With other school funding considerations on their plate, state lawmakers will decide whether to dismiss free school lunches.