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Colorado lawmakers on a key legislative committee need to proceed providing free faculty meals to all college students, although the price of the favored new program is greater than initially anticipated.
Throughout a listening to of the state’s Joint Price range Committee on Tuesday, a number of lawmakers got here out towards cost-cutting proposals that might get rid of common free meals for college kids in some grades or faculty districts.
Sen. Jeff Bridges, the committee’s chairperson, mentioned, “Ensuring that children aren’t hungry once they’re making an attempt to study is a core service [of schools], and it’s one which we as a state have to fund.”
Rep. Shannon Fowl, the committee’s vice chair, agreed, including, “I’m not in favor of something that shifts monetary accountability for feeding youngsters to native faculty districts.”
Colorado’s common faculty meals program launched final faculty 12 months after voters accepted funding in 2022 that diminished state earnings tax deductions for households incomes $300,000 or extra. The measure raised greater than $100 million for the Wholesome College Meals for All program, however there was nonetheless a $56 million shortfall final 12 months. The legislature discovered the cash to shut that hole final 12 months and this 12 months, however remains to be searching for long-term options.
An advisory group report launched this week provided 27 doable choices. About one-third of the choices would contain limiting eligibility to sure college students or colleges, for instance, by eradicating excessive schoolers from this system or protecting lunch however not breakfast. However a number of training and advocacy organizations consulted by the advisory group had been “resoundingly” against a lot of these restrictions, the report mentioned
They consider “common meals must be maintained as initially legislated; it’s too quickly to chop a program that has simply begun,” the report mentioned.
Different budget-balancing choices within the report principally revolve round bringing in additional tax income to assist this system or utilizing present federal or state {dollars} to enhance present funding.
The Joint Price range Committee expressed explicit curiosity in a transfer that was talked about within the advisory report however was not formally one of many 27 choices: asking voters subsequent November if the state can preserve the tax income it collected above what it initially requested voters for in 2022. Within the first 12 months of this system, that amounted to $26 million. A state regulation referred to as the Taxpayer Invoice of Rights, or TABOR, requires extra funding to be returned except voters explicitly enable the state to maintain it.
Committee members additionally briefly mentioned potential laws that might decouple state tax deduction guidelines used to fund common faculty meals from federal tax deduction guidelines. In the event that they don’t reduce that tie, funding for the meals program may plummet after the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expires on the finish of 2025.
Whereas the Joint Price range Committee was clearly against any finances resolution that might feed fewer youngsters free faculty meals, they did appear keen to restrict grant applications that had been initially supposed to roll out with the free meal choices. The grants, which principally are on maintain now, would have helped districts purchase Colorado-grown meals, present stipends for kitchen staff, and pay for coaching or tools. The committee performs a serious function in crafting the state finances annually, with the complete legislature approving it. The meals program is a part of the state finances.
Bridges mentioned lawmakers received’t make a closing determination on the grant applications till spring, once they get nearer to finalizing the state finances. Nonetheless, he mentioned, “I do assume that it’s fairly clear the place the committee is on that query, which isn’t any on the grants, sure on the [meals].”
Ann Schimke is a senior reporter at Chalkbeat, protecting early childhood points and early literacy. Contact Ann at aschimke@chalkbeat.org.