The Seattle City Council has unanimously approved $3.6 million to provide free meals to all Seattle Public Schools students this school year.
The council voted 9-0 earlier this month as part of its midyear budget review. The funds will come from a surplus in the budget for Northgate Commons, an affordable housing project in North Seattle that could eventually add up to 1,400 homes.
The project had about $5 million left over after costs came in lower than expected, said Rod Brandon, executive director of the Seattle Housing Authority. Moving $3.6 million to school meals will still leave enough money in the project’s budget, he said.
The funding settles a debate between the council and Mayor Katie Wilson over how to pay for the free-meals program, an initiative that Wilson announced earlier this year. Free meals will begin at all Seattle Public Schools this fall.
More than half of the district’s 106 schools already provide free meals to all students through state and federal programs. The city funding will cover students at schools without those programs and students who do not already qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
The council has also approved about $4.7 million for universal free meals during the 2027-28 school year. That money will come from the six-year education levy approved by Seattle voters in November. After that school year, the program is expected to be funded with revenue from the state’s new tax on high earners.
Separately, the council has approved about $4 million for weekend and school-break food assistance for low-income SPS students. That program will be funded through the Families, Education, Preschool and Promise levy.
