Three Seattle City Council members moved July 23, to restore free breakfast and lunch for every Seattle Public Schools student this fall, reversing a one-day-old vote to delay the program by a year.

Council President Joy Hollingsworth, Budget Chair Dan Strauss, and Councilmember Dionne Foster announced they will propose funding universal school meals through the city's general fund for the 2026-2027 school year.

The Finance, Native Communities, and Tribal Governments Committee is scheduled to vote on the amendment August 4 at 9:30 a.m.

The proposal came less than 24 hours after a four-hour committee meeting on July 22, where council members voted to delay universal meals by one year.

What changed

Mayor Katie Wilson originally proposed funding free meals for all students through the $1.3 billion Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy, which Seattle voters approved in November 2025 with 80% support. The council's Wednesday amendment pushed implementation to the 2027-2028 school year and redirected $500,000 annually toward a grocery voucher program for low-income students during weekends and school breaks.

The new proposal keeps both programs. Universal meals would come from the general fund instead of the FEPP Levy's cost and risk reserve, while the weekend voucher program remains funded through the levy.

"Some investments are just too important not to make," Strauss said in the council's announcement. "Every kid deserves to eat, whether that's through universal free school meals or grocery cards for low-income children. We don't have to choose."

The cost and the catch

The mayor's office estimates universal school meals will cost approximately $3.6 million per year. Wilson supported the program but warned in an emailed statement Thursday that the council's funding approach creates new problems.

"Now Council is proposing to pull this funding from our general fund, which is already facing a $175 million deficit," Wilson said. "I look forward to seeing which critical services they plan to cut from the general fund to make their numbers work."

Wilson asked the council to reconsider her original approach of using the FEPP Levy's cost and risk reserve, which her office estimates at $9 million to $10 million per year for a levy of this size.

The sponsors argue the general fund is a better fit because it shields the levy's other children's programs from inflation and cost overruns. According to the council's announcement, the long-term plan assumes Washington state will take over funding universal school meals statewide using revenue from the new 9.9% millionaires tax on income above $1 million. That tax faces a legal challenge and a November 2026 ballot initiative to repeal it.

Who benefits

About half of Seattle Public Schools already provide free breakfast and lunch through the federal Community Eligibility Provision, which covers schools where more than 40% of students qualify for free and reduced-price meals.

The expansion would reach the remaining schools, including those in Ballard, Queen Anne, and Magnolia where fewer students qualify individually.

The mayor's office estimates 6,800 students currently eligible for free meals never enroll because of stigma, fear, or paperwork barriers.

Leo Falit-Baiamonte, a junior at Nathan Hale High School and president of the Seattle Student Union, testified at the Wednesday, July 22, committee meeting that immigrant families told him they do not apply because of fear, and others skip the process out of shame.

The mayor's office estimates the program would save participating families roughly $1,200 per year.

What's next

The August 4 committee vote is the next step. If the amendment passes, it would still need full council adoption as part of the Midyear Supplemental Budget. The council has not announced a date for that final vote.