South Dakota bill to cover school lunches for struggling families axed
Legislators killed a second bill aimed at covering the costs of school meals for families facing food insecurity in South Dakota.
Rep. Tyler Tordsen's (R-Sioux Falls) House Bill 1238 would've covered costs for families with incomes less than 209% of the poverty line who aren't already eligible for free or reduced-price meals through federal programs. The Department of Education would reimburse school districts for the costs incurred in providing those meals.
Six legislators on the House Committee on Appropriations voted to kill Tordsen's bill after eight legislators in the House Education committee voted to refer it to appropriators last week.
A similar bill brought by Rep. Kadyn Wittman (D-Sioux Falls) that would've covered the cost of breakfast and lunch for students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, House Bill 1042, was killed by eight of 15 members of the House Education committee more than two weeks ago because of its estimated annual cost of $578,000.
Tordsen said his bill would've created a state reduced-price meal program for families who are struggling, but who are also making just a little too much to qualify for other forms of assistance. He said it would've also benefited the nearly 13% of children who face food insecurity in the state.
His testimony was supported by lobbyists from the Presentation Sisters, Feeding South Dakota and the American Heart Association on Wednesday, who largely argued students need adequate nutrition to learn, improve their attendance and create better health outcomes.
Last week, lobbyists with the South Dakota Education Association, Sioux Falls School District, South Dakota Advocacy Network for Women and South Dakota United School Association, and Gay Anderson, the child nutrition coordinator for the Sioux Falls School District, also testified in support of the bill in the House Education committee.
But Jim Terwilliger, with the Bureau of Finance and Management, testified that the bill would set a dangerous precedent of the state subsidizing federal programs and going “above and beyond” a federal program. He estimated the annual cost between $1 million and $1.5 million.
Tordsen rebutted that he loved the idea of going “above and beyond” for South Dakota's children, and that what he was proposing was a small price to pay with a huge impact on families in the state, and with the potential to reduce chronic absenteeism and truancy, and improve student proficiency rates and educational outcomes.