TROY, Mich. (WXYZ) — Legislators in Lansing have yet to pass a budget and have one week to do so. A number of programs are at stake if that doesn't happen.
In recent years, the state had made school breakfast and lunch free. However, if state lawmakers fail to balance a budget by the Oct. 1 deadline, those free meals would go away.
Watch Darren Cunningham's video report below:
Troy School District Superintendent Richard Machesky said the district will go back to serving free and reduced lunch only for those who qualify.
Qualifications are determined by federal guidelines.
“We would be required to send out notification, which we are planning to do to families. They’ll have to fill out paperwork to identify whether they would otherwise qualify,” he explained.
For those who don’t qualify, Machesky said they’ll be charged.
“So, we’ll identify a price per meal and will share that with families," he said.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Democrats want to continue allocating funding specifically for free breakfast and lunch for all students.
"I think it's important that we designate dollars for lunch and breakfast. I think if we don't do that, we run the risk of some kids having access to meals and others not," she said.
Previous report: Uncertainty surrounds free meals for Michigan students amid unapproved state budget
Republicans have a different approach.
“We didn’t remove or don't eliminate school lunches, breakfast, dinners or picnics on Saturday if they want. We just rolled it up in a different way,” state Rep. John Roth told 7 News Detroit.
He said House Republicans want to leave it up to school districts to decide how to spend the money. So, Republicans lawmakers proposed increasing per pupil funding.
“And that’s $10,025 per pupil student foundation, and a $1,975 on top for schools to have flexibility to do what they want with that," Roth explained.
Whitmer said, "We will work through those differences and get a budget done, and I just want to make sure it gets done right and it gets done on time."
