Federal cuts threaten students’ access to nutritious food. Continued state support is critical.

A golden age in school nutrition has arrived for the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District and other schools throughout California thanks to School Meals for All and Kitchen Infrastructure and Training (KIT), both state programs. However, as federal cuts to critical child nutrition programs begin, it’s up to our state’s leaders to determine how long this progress will last.

School cafeterias are the biggest restaurants in town. At MPUSD, we dish out about 8,000 meals weekly.

School Meals for All, which for three years has provided free breakfast and lunch to every student, and KIT have been game changers. Since last school year, we’ve seen a 30-percent jump in meal participation. Today, students are more willing to enjoy meals in the cafeteria with friends. Before, struggling parents would ask us not to feed their children, fearing the bill that might come with it. Universal free meals decrease the stigma surrounding school food – everybody qualifies for free lunch, thanks to state funding.

We won’t serve anything we wouldn’t eat ourselves.

Just as healthy food helps children learn, greater state investment through KIT helps us serve more fresh meals. Some MPUSD schools, built in the 1940s, are not equipped for the quantity or quality of meals expected in 2025. When one production kitchen considered purchasing a new tilt skillet, we learned that infrastructure upgrades were needed before installation. KIT funds – MPUSD received $1.2 million since the initiative launched in 2021 – not only help us purchase the machinery and make needed changes, but they also offer us pathways toward making better meals for students. New equipment is only useful if skilled staff can operate it, and KIT supports culinary staff training.

MPUSD encompasses three communities with different income levels and demographics. What unites them is how our students are nourished. Our mantra – we won’t serve anything we wouldn’t eat ourselves – means we do everything possible to serve the most delicious, high-quality meals. Government dollars empower our district to deliver on that commitment.

However, federal cuts are already impacting our menus, making continued state funding more critical than ever. Despite a state budget shortfall, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget includes funding for both School Meals for All and KIT; our legislators should support these expenditures.

Federal funds aren’t enough to continue feeding every child. Without School Meals for All, 44 percent of food-insecure families wouldn’t qualify for federal meal assistance. Continued investment from California legislators is precisely what is needed.

State leaders must recognize our progress and support the governor’s commitment to sustaining these vital programs in the 2025-26 budget. Investing in school nutrition is an investment in our children’s future, and it’s an investment we cannot afford to cut short.

MICHA JAMES is the nutrition services director for the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District and lives in Monterey.