Rep. Julie Brixie (D-Meridian Twp.) speaks at a news conference in Lansing to unveil government transparency legislation on March 13, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)
More than a month after the Michigan Legislature failed to make a deal on funding for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, state Rep. Julie Brixie (D-Meridian Township) is taking the House’s Republican Leadership to task following an announcement that schools in her district would no longer be providing free meals to all students.
In a letter to parents on Monday, Okemos Public Schools announced they would need to charge for school meals, at least for the beginning of the upcoming school year due to a delay in state funding.
The letter explains that free meals are funded through a state program but without a budget for this school year, that funding is not guaranteed.
Shannon Beczkiewicz, the communications coordinator for Okemos Public Schools told the Michigan Advance in an email that the uncertainty over state funding has caused challenges for schools in planning their own budgets.
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“Until schools have that information, they are adapting just in case past categorical funding is eliminated. If the state does restore the free meals for all students program, Okemos will be excited to provide that,” Beczkiewicz said.
In response, Brixie noted that House Democrats had successfully passed their budgets while in charge of the chamber in 2023 and 2024, faulting Republicans for placing schools on uncertain footing in regards to funding.
“It is clear that Republicans are more interested in playing politics than ensuring kids have food to eat while they’re at school. They are making one thing loud and clear: they’re okay with hungry kids. I’m not okay with that, and I will continue to fight for our community and a school budget that puts our kids first and makes sure no kid has to learn on an empty stomach,” Brixie said in a press release.
In response, House Republicans hit back at the Democratic-led Senate.
“House Republicans passed a responsible budget for our schools more than a month ago, putting students and families first. We worked alongside Gov. Whitmer on finding a bipartisan deal right up until the July 1 deadline when the Senate decided to pack up and go home,” Rep. Ken Borton (R-Gaylord), a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on School Aid and Department of Education, said in a statement.
“Democrats over in the Senate are addicted to pork-barrel earmarks like a thirteen-year-old is to using their cellphone in class. They need to drop the act and start putting our kids first so we can deliver the resources Michigan schools and communities deserve,” Borton said.
While Borton pointed to legislative spending initiatives as the snag in budget negotiations, Senate Democrats have laid the blame squarely at the feet of Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (D-Richland Township). Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) told reporters on the day of the budget deadline that if he and his House counterpart Rep. Tim Kelly (R-Saginaw Township) were given free rein to negotiate, they’d have something together pretty quickly.
A spokesperson for Senate Democrats did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication.
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