In Governor Hochul’s proposed budget for 2026, she allocated an additional $160 million to enhance the NYS contribution to schools that participate in the Federal National School Lunch Program (NSLP). This was in addition to the $180 million that passed in the 2025 budget for the State contribution to schools that didn’t qualify for full reimbursement from the Federal government from NSLP.
One of the main changes from last year’s legislation was that schools do not need to meet the CEP threshold of 25% poverty eligibility to qualify for the additional state subsidy. Essentially, this means that the governor is offering free lunch to any school that participates in NSLP. So, if a school has eligibility of 10%, the governor is proposing to “plus up” the reimbursement from the federal government to 100% to feed every single New York State child enrolled in any type of school. This legislation could be game-changing for any school that is looking to incorporate a free lunch program but is concerned about a lack of sufficient poverty eligibility to move forward. On a policy level, we are still analyzing the Governor’s proposal to make sure that schools that don’t utilize the CEP provision can receive the State subsidy.
Please keep in mind that the governor’s proposal is only one step in the budget process that takes place over the next few months. Alongside the governor’s proposed budget, the Senate and the Assembly release their own one house budgets. The final State budget is a product of negotiations between the governor, the Senate and the Assembly. There are many changes that could still happen, and certainly nothing is guaranteed. That being said, last year’s free lunch legislation met with very little resistance in the Senate and the Assembly. The governor is clearly putting forth free lunch as a priority to provide relief to families, and we believe there is a great chance that this new legislation and budget allocation will be part of the approved budget for 2026.
Teach NYS is looking to gather feedback from schools who might have interest moving forward with NSLP for the first time or restarting it after a hiatus. We understand that it’s a complicated program and that a lot of guidance is going to be needed for first year schools. We’re brainstorming about how to provide that guidance and assist schools to take advantage of this amazing opportunity. Stay tuned for more updates soon.