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City Council Votes to Delay Universal School Meals, Then Changes Course Following Public Outcry

In a speedy reversal, Seattle City Council announced a proposal Thursday afternoon to fund universal free school meals for all Seattle Public School students starting this fall. Just a day earlier, the council voted to delay Mayor Katie Wilson’s universal school meals program until the 2027 school year. They instead chose to create a new voucher system, which would provide food over weekends and most school breaks via pre-paid grocery cards to qualifying students for the next six years. Now, the council has proposed an amendment to the city’s Midyear Supplemental Budget to include funding for universal free school meals in addition to the voucher program. [Seattle City Council, CHUM News, The Stranger]

• Vouchers versus universal meals: Council President Joy Hollingsworth and Councilmember Dionne Foster were the original sponsors of the amendment to create the voucher program. Hollingsworth told KUOW “this was never an 'either-or.’ It was always about 'and.'” She and Foster said they wanted to address the kids with the most need first, delaying universal school breakfasts and lunches for another year. However, the Seattle teacher’s union called on the council to vote against the amendment, saying educators would face the burden of choosing which kids need additional food. Though Foster argued the voucher program does not include means testing, contributor Guy Oron writes “deciding which students get the vouchers is by definition means testing.” [The Stranger]
• Strauss, Hollingsworth and Foster reverse course: During and following the vote on Wednesday, commenters and advocates questioned why the council chose one program over another, saying all students could be fed. On Thursday, the council suddenly found a solution allowing both programs to move forward. The additional amendment sponsored by Hollingsworth, Foster, and Budget Chair Dan Strauss uses funding from the City’s general fund for the universal meals rather than the mayor’s proposal of using the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise (FEPP) levy. The vote on this new amendment will take place on August 4 at 9:30 a.m. [Seattle City Council]
• More on the podcast: On Monday’s podcast, Jane will be joined by reporter Adam Willems, who spoke with Foster, Hollingsworth, Strauss and many Seattleites about the voucher program and the new amendment. She’ll also talk to Jesse Hagopian, a Seattle educator who wrote an opinion piece for The Stranger about the universal school meals program. The episode will break down what the Millionaires Tax has to do with all this, what educators are saying about the voucher program, and what in the world is going on between the mayor’s office and city council. Tune in on Monday!