GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Michigan House Republicans have proposed increasing per-pupil funding for schools while reducing funding for free breakfast and lunch programs that currently serve hundreds of thousands of children across the state.
According to Feeding America, 402,000 children face food insecurity in Michigan.
The proposal comes just two years after Michigan expanded free meals to all students, a program that many families have come to rely on.
"They're going to hurt my family. They're going to make things harder for me," Elissa Penczar said.
Penczar had recently lost her husband when Michigan started offering free breakfast and lunch to all K-12 students.
"I was like, Oh, thank goodness, something I don't have to worry about. Like it was hard enough to just get out the door in the morning and get through our day," Penczar said.
Data from the Michigan Department of Education shows Penczar's twins are among 491,000 kids who utilized free school breakfast last year.
In mid-June, Michigan House Republicans passed a spending plan eliminating around $200 million earmarked for meal programs like Healthy School Meals for All.
"The reality is, we increase per-pupil funding by $2,392 per student. The idea being that that way local school districts have the ability to continue that programming if they feel it's beneficial," said Rep. Bryan Posthumus, Republican from the 90th House District.
Posthumus says this isn't necessarily a loss of meals but a gain of flexibility for school districts.
"The benefit of doing it this way, is those local school districts will be held accountable. They are elected representatives, right? They are local school boards. They will be held accountable to the voters," Posthumus said.
Registered dietitian Kristen Lorenz believes there's a benefit to dedicating money strictly for free, healthy food.
"I've seen kids eat more fruits and vegetables. I've seen them have more accessibility to fruits and vegetables," Lorenz said.
Penczar says she's seen the impact on her kids.
"Oh, for sure, my son, ever since he was a toddler, we figured out that he got 'hangry.' 'Hangry' in a moment he didn't have a snack, and he'd be so out of sorts…they'll tell you, we're never hungry at school. We're good," Penczar said.
This proposal isn't a done deal. It still requires approval from the Democratic-controlled Senate and the governor's signature to become law.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
