Gazette file photo Hancock High School.

HANCOCK – The state legislature adopted a 2026 budget Friday which cleared up confusion with school districts across the state regarding funding for the school lunch program.

The budget will continue to make school meals free for all students, a top priority of Whitmer and Senate Democrats, Bridge Michigan reported Friday.

It includes $201.6 million to cover meals for students who do not qualify for no-cost programs through the federal government. School districts across the state expressed confusion after an Oct. 1 release from Governor Gretchen Whitmer saying she and State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice sent a letter to Michigan superintendents, calling on them to continue feeding kids free school meals.

The letter came after some Michigan school districts notified parents their kids will not receive free school breakfasts or lunches due to uncertainty about funding in the state budget, the release says. In response to the release, Hancock Hancock Public Schools Superintendent Chris Salani said in an email that as information is coming out, the State Legislature has approved a seven-day continuing resolution to remain open. “With this CR, there is no verifiable information about the School Aid Budget and what amount of money will be available to school districts for operations,” Salani said. “The Governor has verbally indicated that the Free Meals Program – free breakfast and lunch for our students – will remain in the budget and that we should continue to operate with this understanding,” Salani said in the email. “Therefore with this information, Hancock Public Schools will continue to provide our free meals program to our students and families.”

Salani went on to say that if for some reason the finalized budget after this current CR does not include money for the Free Meals Program, the Hancock School District will continue to provide the program through the month of October at minimum, with a re-evaluation if necessary.

With the bill passed Friday morning, state school lunch and breakfast programs remained funded at the same levels as last year, while the federal share for school lunch programs increased by $7 million, the Michigan Advance reported Friday. Education funding broadly increased from last year by around $600 million, with K-12 school aid increasing the most by over $500 million, the Michigan Advance report says. The budget increased per-pupil funding to $10,050, a record funding level per student.

The school aid budget, said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in a Friday statement, will “feed every child free meals at school, help our students succeed academically, and ensure Michiganders are safe in their communities.”

The budget also includes a new $70 million “CTE Pathways to Success” appropriation for expanding programs and a new state budget that includes a significant overall increase in per-student school spending.

In a Friday statement, State Superintendent Michael F. Rice said, in part:

“Michigan’s children will benefit from this budget to receive meals at no cost to their parents, to provide opportunities for more students to enroll in Career and Technical Education programs that prepare them for high-wage and high-skills careers, and to improve funding fairness in Michigan school finance.”

While the Hancock School District is seeking a November bond renewal for building repairs and upgrades, there are programs the school board is considering. “There are still some specifics we don’t have from the governor or from the (budget) breakdown yet,” Salani said Friday, “but at least we have some broad ideas where we stand today.”