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School Lunch Petition Will Go to a Vote

By Ryan Cunningham May 15, 2026 | 7:46 AM

(KNOX) – North Dakotans will vote in November on a mandate that the state must pay for meals for K-12 students.

The North Dakota Secretary of State’s Office announced Thursday it has approved a sufficient number of signatures submitted by the Together for School Meals coalition to place the initiated measure on the Nov. 3 ballot. It will be listed as Measure 3.

“This is a huge milestone,” Robin Nelson, chair of Together for School Meals, said in a news release. “North Dakotans from every corner of the state worked to place this on the ballot because this issue is real, it is urgent, and it is deeply connected to the future we want for our children.”

If the measure passes, public schools would start providing free breakfast and lunch during the 2027-28 school year.

The state Department of Public Instruction has estimated that the program would cost about $133 million for the 2027-2029 state budget cycle.

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