By Erik Jones | Lorain Daily
Thousands of Lorain students could lose access to free school meals under the Ohio House’s latest budget draft, which slashes funding for hunger assistance and removes key meal support provisions for schools with high poverty rates.
One of the most significant changes is the elimination of a proposed Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) that would have provided free breakfast and lunch to districts where at least 25% of students qualify for federal aid programs like SNAP or TANF. The provision, supported by Governor Mike DeWine, was intended to make school meals more accessible in communities where hunger is a daily reality.
Instead, the final House budget cut the program entirely—leaving school districts like Lorain City Schools, which serve a large number of low-income families, scrambling.
“We already know that kids can’t focus when they’re hungry,” said a local educator familiar with the issue. “This move could directly affect classroom performance, behavior, and even attendance.”
What This Means for Lorain
Lorain City Schools currently participates in federal meal programs that allow many students to eat at no cost. However, without state support to expand those efforts, thousands of students could fall through the cracks.
Data from the Ohio Department of Education shows that over 80% of Lorain students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The district may now have to find other sources of funding or reduce participation in meal programs if reimbursement rates don’t meet student needs.
Other districts in Lorain County could also feel the effects—especially in Elyria, Clearview, and Sheffield Lake, where food insecurity has quietly grown amid inflation and rising housing costs.
Wider Cuts to Child Nutrition Programs
The House also reduced proposed funding for the Children’s Hunger Alliance (CHA) from $3.75 million to $2.5 million per year. CHA provides after-school and summer meals to at-risk youth and helps districts establish meal services. According to CHA, the cuts could mean 2.8 million fewer meals served statewide, and double the waitlist of schools trying to join the program.
Locally, these cuts could affect summer feeding sites and after-school meal programs that many Lorain families depend on—especially in areas with limited transportation or access to grocery stores.
What Happens Next
The state budget now moves to the Ohio Senate, where advocates hope to restore critical food funding and reinstate the CEP expansion. Organizations like the Hunger Network in Ohio and the Ohio Association of Foodbanks are calling for public support and pressure on lawmakers to reverse the cuts.
How You Can Help
- Call your state senator and ask them to protect funding for school and community meal programs.
- Support local nonprofits like Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio, which works closely with schools to provide meals.
- Share your story if you or your child relies on school meals—local media and lawmakers need to hear what’s at stake.