PODCAST:
May 5, 2026 ~ Craig Mauger discusses a Detroit News analysis showing nearly 30% of Michigan’s school breakfast and lunch funding went to the state’s wealthiest districts.
DETROIT, MICH. ~ According to The Detroit News, 29% of the money for school lunches provided by the state went to 30 districts that boast the highest median household incomes, yet they only hold 13% of the student population.
“The federal government has been funding a free and reduced lunch initiative for a very long time. And essentially, what the state is doing is dumping in 200 million extra dollars and covering all the students who don’t qualify for the free and reduced lunch program,” Mauger said on All Talk.
These wealthy districts include those that live in places like East Grand Rapids or Bloomfield Hills. This is also the first year that private school students can qualify for the program.
As the budget continues to get sorted, although a long shot, the money could be repurposed to help increase literacy efforts, which is something that Gov. Whitmer has prioritized while in office.
