Gov. Kathy Hochul is getting behind a proposal for universal free school lunches in an about-face after dismal poll numbers — but the program’s massive price tag remains a mystery for now.
The Democrat is proposing expanding free breakfast and lunch offerings to all public school students as part of her State of the State address next week after she let similar proposals die on the bargaining table in budget negotiations the last two years.
“We’re fighting for every child in the state of New York, to have the best outcome in life,” Hochul told a crowd at Westbury Middle School in Nassau County Friday morning.
“So we are going to be talking about ensuring that New York state has the universal school breakfast and lunch program launched everywhere,” she added. “The data is clear. It sets our kids up for a life of positivity, engagement with others.”
The move is another flip flop for Hochul, who let proposals for universal free school lunches from the legislature die in state budget talks for at least the last two years.
Provisions to expand access to free school meals were included in both the state Senate and Assembly’s one-house budget proposals last year before they fizzled during negotiations.
Two years ago, students even piled empty school lunch trays in front of the governor’s offices in the state capitol to protest her evident unwillingness to expand the program.
Some lawmakers praised the resurrected proposal.
“Across the state working families are asking us to address affordability and the rising rates of hunger,” Assemblywoman Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas (D-Queens) wrote in a statement. “Today is a step forward in ensuring that no student in New York goes hungry as they learn in our schools.”
Gonzalez-Rojas, along with state Sen. Michelle Hinchey (D-Ulster), have sponsored legislation enacting a universal free school meals program for several years.
“The Governor’s pledge to fund our vision for a Universal School Meals program in her Executive Budget is a monumental step forward for New York,” Hinchey said.
The governor admitted to reporters after her Friday announcement that the proposal has already been introduced in the legislature.
“It is something that has been championed by a number of assemblymembers and senators for a long time,” Hochul said. “Attorney General Tish James has been advocating for this. Anyone who deeply cares about families, understands how transformative this is.”
Hochul’s office did not include an estimate on how much the initiative would cost overall, though previous estimates have billed the program at around $280 million a year for the state.
The most recent public polling released by Siena College showed 57% of voters want someone other than Hochul as Governor in 2026. That poll follows months of negative net favorability ratings for the governor.