Posted: Jan 15, 2025
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Using tax revenue from medical marijuana sales to fund free school breakfasts for every child in Arkansas is a goal of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, as well as financially sustaining free and reduced meal programs already in place.
The Department of Finance and Administration says in 2024 $30 million in tax dollars was generated from dispensaries.
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In the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers voted to make the switch from dedicating that money to get a national cancer institute designation for UAMS to tackling food insecurity issues.
According to the Department of Education, Arkansas currently has over 225,000 students who qualify for the free meal programs, nearly 60,000 who qualify for reduced meals, and over 190,000 who pay for their meals.
Richard Tatum started a food pantry a few years ago to meet the needs of his community. As a parent, he said the thought of providing one free meal a day will take a burden off.
“I think it’s really important that children are able to get those meals, if you’re hungry you can’t really function properly,” Tatum said.
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Stephanie Walker-Hynes is the children’s nutrition specialist for the Little Rock School District. She said they feed more students at lunch than at breakfast.
“We are very excited because it is a step in the right direction,” Walker-Hynes said. “Universal meals of course allows us to feed any child who wants to eat without any barriers.”
A future goal of hers, if this proposal becomes law, is to make lunch also completely free and work on higher meal reimbursement rates for districts.
“Even if we can’t get lunch this next school year perhaps it’ll help some of those families who have to pay, because there are students who eat both breakfast and lunch with us every day,” Walker-Hynes said.
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“I would love to see it to where it is not just breakfast but lunch as well,” Tatum said.
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