Poll: Voters Say Legislators Dropped the Ball When Rejecting Free School Meals

(Graphic by Troy Becker/The Forum via the North Dakota Monitor)

(By: Michael Standaert, North Dakota News Cooperative ) – A sizable majority of North Dakotans believe legislators got it wrong when they rejected two bills that would have fully funded school meals during the first half of the legislative session, according to a new statewide poll.

A total of 70% of likely voters said rejecting the funding of school meals for all K-12 students was the wrong decision. Only 19% said it was the right decision, the latest North Dakota Poll found.

The state House of Representatives voted 54-39 against House Bill 1475 on Feb. 24, which would have diverted $140 million from the state’s general fund to pay for school breakfasts and lunches during the 2025-2027 biennium.

A separate bill, which would have paid for school meals from the state’s Legacy Fund, was defeated on Feb. 11, with a 75-14 vote against the bill. The Legacy Fund, funded by oil taxes and investment growth, now sits at over $11 billion.

A later bill, House Bill 1013, expanded eligibility for students qualifying for free lunches, meaning a family of four on an income of around $72,000 would qualify and parents would need to fill out applications to receive the benefit. The bill is now in the hands of the Senate.