LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Students in Ingham County’s Okemos Public Schools may need to pack a lunch this fall, thanks to Michigan lawmakers missing their homework.
With the state budget still in limbo, Okemos says it cannot offer free meals to all students at the start of the 2025–26 school year—unlike last year, when state funds covered every tray, according to WLNS 6 News.
Only students who qualify based on income can still apply for free or reduced-price meals. Everyone else will need to pay up front, either online or with old-school lunch money.
The shift stems from income-based eligibility thresholds that make some districts—like Okemos—ineligible for universal meal coverage unless the state kicks in extra funding. And so with lawmakers still negotiating the state budget, some schools are left holding the lunch bill.