School meal reimbursement program broadened, approved

Students who qualify for reduced-price school meals may receive them at no cost under a bill approved by lawmakers April 10.

LB966, introduced by Omaha Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh, adopts the Hunger-Free Schools Act. The act requires the state Department of Education to reimburse schools for the difference between federal reimbursement rates for free meals and reduced-price meals, allowing eligible students from low-income families to receive meals at no cost. 

During select file debate April 8, Cavanaugh offered an amendment, adopted 36-12, that replaced the bill with a modified proposal. The amendment creates the five-year Hunger Free Schools Pilot Program, funded by a private donor, which will run through the 2031-32 school year.

Schools must apply to participate in the program and report the number of meals served. The department will study the pilot program’s impact on student academic performance and behavior, with findings due to the Legislature by Dec. 1, 2032.

The amendment also creates the Hunger-Free Schools Cash Fund, which will use private donations to cover the meal reimbursement gap for participating public schools.

Cavanaugh said that while the original proposal included both public and private schools, the amendment reflects the donor’s requirement that funding be used for public schools only. 

“We’re trying to feed as many kids as possible with the resources available,” she said. 

Sen. Christy Armendariz of Omaha opposed the amendment. Pilot programs often create expectations, she said, and lawmakers will face pressure to continue funding the program with taxpayer dollars once the private funding expires.

Pushing back on that argument, La Vista Sen. John Arch supported Cavanaugh’s amendment. He said lawmakers should take advantage of an opportunity to help students, even if a program might require future legislative commitments. It would be “shortsighted” to reject private donor funding solely because it may be temporary, he said. 

Lincoln Sen. Carolyn Bosn also opposed the amendment, saying she was disappointed the proposal applied only to public school students. Eligibility for meal assistance should be based on need, she said, and not the type of school a student attends.

Bosn offered an amendment, adopted 37-4, that appropriates general funds to the department to administer the Hunger-Free Schools Act for any school that does not receive funding through the Hunger-Free Schools Cash Fund. 

The amendment appropriates $55,638 in general funds in fiscal year 2026-27 and FY2027-28 to ensure coverage for private schools wishing to participate in the pilot program. Following adoption of the Bosn amendment, lawmakers advanced the bill to final reading by voice vote.

LB966 passed April 10 on a vote of 38-11.