PHOENIX, AZ – Today, Governor Hobbs released her FY-2026 budget proposal. The Arizona Food Bank Network and its school nutrition partners are encouraged to see an extension of the $3.8 million investment in school meals past the current expiration of June 2025. This is great news for Arizona’s families and children who rely on school meals for basic nutrition.

According to a comprehensive statewide assessment published in a report by the ASU Food Policy and Environment Research Group in 2024, consumption of school meals is directly linked with greater food security, reduced obesity rates, and improved physical and mental health. School meals are also critical for students’ attendance, academic achievement, and standardized test scores. The cost modeling in this report helped inform the June 2024 investment covering the reduced price school meal copays of 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch for families—which made history as the first ever General Fund appropriation for school meals in Arizona. 

The current investment has made an estimated 1.3 million meals per month more accessible to children in low-income households across the state, according to the ASU assessment. The policy change has also already resulted in a 28 percent increase in school meals served to low-income students at no cost to families.  School nutrition staff and program providers have been concerned about the funding expiring again in June 2025, given the impact it would have for families at a time when inflation and food costs are still high. 

“For the 1 in 5 children in Arizona struggling with food insecurity, improved access to healthy school meals is critical,” said April Bradham, President and CEO of the Arizona Food Bank Network. “The historic appropriation made by Governor Hobbs and the Arizona Legislature last year gave families breathing room in their household budgets. For Arizonans trying to balance the rising cost of living, this has been an invaluable resource for their families.”

Investing in school meals not only supported kids and families over the past year, but has also allowed school nutrition staff more time to focus on menu planning, local food procurement, and culturally relevant recipe development. Importantly, it also nearly eliminated school meal debt in many districts.  

“There is a lot of stigma around school lunch,” said Cory Alexander, Director of Child Nutrition at Osborn School District. Providing meals for free helps with that, while also improving kids’ focus, attendance, and academic success. “We know hungry kids can’t learn, right? I mean, if you’re ‘hangry,’ you can’t focus on anything but where your next meal is coming from and when you get to eat it.”  

Extending the supplemental funding for reduced-price school meals helps Arizona’s children, families, and communities. AzFBN and our partners hope to see these critical resources included in the final FY-2026 state budget negotiated by legislators over the next several months and ultimately signed by Governor Hobbs at the end of the 2025 legislative session.   

State of Arizona Executive Budget Summary Fiscal Year 2026

For any questions, please reach out to Ashley St. Thomas, Director of Public Policy, at (857) 225-0297 or [email protected].