Free breakfast and lunch for all Ann Arbor Public Schools students will come to an end tomorrow Oct. 1 if the Legislature does not approve a School Aid budget that continues funding for Michigan’s universal meals program.
“AAPS currently provides free breakfast and lunch to all students in AAPS. Yearly AAPS serves approximately 2.1 million meals,” said Mike DeVries, the district’s director of food services.
The state budget process has been stalled for months. While both the House and Senate have advanced their own proposals, the two versions differ significantly. The Senate plan preserves funding for free meals, while the House version eliminates the dedicated line item and instead rolls the money into the per-pupil foundation allowance.
“The House version doesn’t include universal school meals. It also ‘rolls up’ a lot of specific types of funding into a larger per-pupil foundation allowance, and it takes shots at vulnerable targets like trans student athletes,” said Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor. “Differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget must be reconciled through negotiation.”
Lawmakers missed the July 1 deadline for passing the state budget, creating uncertainty for districts across Michigan. If no agreement is reached, the universal meals program will expire Sept. 30, 2025, according to state and district officials.
Ann Arbor administrators say they are preparing for that possibility. “Free meals for all students will no longer be available as of Oct. 1, 2025, if the state does not pass the School Aid Fund to include the free meal funding,” said Liz Margolis, executive director of communications for AAPS. Students who qualify under federal income guidelines would still receive free or reduced-price meals.
The district is encouraging families to complete the Education Benefit Form, which determines eligibility and affects state and federal grant funding. “It is critical for all families to fill out this form,” Margolis said.
Families can complete the form online through the district’s Family Portal or request paper copies from school offices. Superintendent Jazz Parks has already notified families about the potential change, and the district said updates will continue in weekly communications.
Irwin emphasized that Ann Arbor would be unable to cover the cost of universal meals without state support. Even with fundraising or PTO efforts, he said, it would be a big lift. Irwin urged residents to contact House Republicans, particularly Speaker Matt Hall, to push for restoring funding in the final budget.
“Funding our public schools is the most important responsibility of the state Legislature,” Irwin said. “The longer the uncertainty goes on, the harder it is for communities and school districts to plan ahead.”
Since the launch of the program, Michigan schools have served more than 76 million breakfasts and 135 million lunches in a single year. State data also shows breakfast participation rose 31% and lunch participation 25% compared to pre-program levels.
If the Legislature does not act, Ann Arbor will revert to offering free meals only to students who qualify by income. For thousands of families who have come to rely on free breakfast and lunch, the impact will be immediate.
Please complete the Education Benefit Form (EBF) either through the Meal Magic site or by returning a hard copy to your school.
Apply here: https://annarbor.familyportal.cloud/ (select Apply for Benefits).
