Schools
Minnesota DFL Leaders Defend Rising Cost Of State's Free School Meals Program
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan says while funding has ballooned to about $267 million, the program is worth every penny.
October 24, 2024
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.
Find out what's happening in Across Minnesotafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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.
Find out what's happening in Across Minnesotafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan/WCCO
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