Report: NM's free school meals initiative boosting participation rates — with hefty bill

SANTA FE — New Mexico’s push to provide free school meals for all K-12 public school students statewide is still being fully digested two years after being approved.

A legislative report released Thursday found the 2023 law has boosted school meals participation rates around the state as intended, but at a rapidly growing cost.

Meanwhile, complying with a new Public Education Department rule that 50% of school breakfasts and lunches are made from scratch has proven challenging for many districts, due primarily to staffing and infrastructure issues, the Legislative Finance Committee report found.

But some lawmakers said the free school meals program is trending in the right direction, despite the logistical challenges.

“I don’t care how long it takes them to get this done, I just want it done right,” Senate Majority Whip Michael Padilla, D-Albuquerque, said in an interview after a Thursday legislative hearing in Las Cruces.

He also said implementing the initiative will be different in rural school districts than it will be in larger ones like Albuquerque Public Schools, which has a centralized kitchen.

The free school meals law was unanimously passed by lawmakers in 2023 to address one of the nation’s highest food insecurity rates.

It specifically requires K-12 public schools to establish programs to offer “high-quality meals” — both breakfast and lunch — to all students at no charge. But schools were given a two-year period to prepare for the healthy meals provision.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham claimed when signing the bill it could boost academic outcomes in New Mexico, saying, “Kids learn better when their stomachs are full and they’re not worried about their next meal.”

Since the free school meals legislation was signed in 2023, the percentage of students eating school breakfasts and lunches has increased in all 10 of New Mexico’s largest school districts, the LFC report found. That includes a 9.7% increase in APS and a 14.7% jump in Rio Rancho Public Schools.

However, the school meals participation increases have been greatest among students from higher-income families who would not have qualified for free or reduced-price meals under the previous eligibility rules, the report found.

The free school meals are paid for with a mix of state and federal funds, with the federal government primarily picking up the tab for children whose families fall under a federal poverty threshold.

The overall cost has increased in recent years — jumping from $206 million in the 2022-23 school year to $248 million in the following school year, according to the LFC report. In addition, total spending on food per student has gone from $486 in 2018 to $830 in 2024.

“The state’s investment is leading to increased participation, but we’re also seeing increased expenditures,” LFC program evaluator Ryan Tolman said during Thursday’s hearing.

Greg Frostad, the Public Education Department’s assistant secretary of policy and technology, said looming federal changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, could leave the state on the hook for an increased share of the school meals program.

But he said the PED has identified other federal funding streams that could alleviate the state’s financial burden.

Meanwhile, Laura Henry-Hand, the deputy director of PED’s Student Success and Wellness Bureau, said trainings on the health meals guidelines have been provided for school districts around New Mexico. She also said many districts have entered into contracts to buy locally sourced food.

Specifically, she cited the Roswell Independent Schools’ use of local beef, Bernalillo Public Schools’ decision to rely on dry beans and Farmington Municipal Schools using 10% of its allocated food budget to purchase local products.

Padilla, who was one of the sponsors of the 2023 legislation, said many school kitchens will have to be expanded or rebuilt to allow for more on-site meal preparation.

“We knew there was going to be a cost to make this program work,” Padilla told the Journal.

At least some lawmakers said they’re hopeful the program will eventually provide cost savings — along with healthier meals.

“Dry beans are cheaper than a can of beans, I know that,” Rep. Jackie Chatfield, R-Mosquero, said during Thursday’s hearing.