Seattle council approves $3.6 million for free school meals

There will be no payment required for breakfast or lunch at Seattle Public Schools.

The Seattle City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve $3.6 million to provide free school meals for students this school year, according to The Seattle Times.

The money comes from leftover funds tied to an affordable housing project — ending weeks of debate between the council and Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson over how to pay for the program.

Wilson released a statement July 23, saying the city council voted 6-3 to walk away from universal school meals and questioned how they would fund a new proposal out of a general fund already facing a $175 million deficit.

‘This doesn’t help in terms of mayor-council relations’: Kettle responds to Wilson’s statement

“This doesn’t really help in terms of mayor-council relations, I’ll just be frank,” Seattle City Councilmember Bob Kettle said on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio on July 24. “But we’re looking to do the right thing, and we said that yesterday, and we’re all looking to work positively together. But obviously, when you hear a sentence that says, ‘Yesterday the council voted six-three to walk away from it.’ It’s pejorative, to be frank. But we need to look at how we do things. It’s 2026 — their stigma is a very serious issue, and we need to address that.”

In her statement, Wilson challenged the council to explain which critical services they plan to cut to make their numbers work.

“I look forward to seeing which critical services they plan to cut from the general fund to make their numbers work,” Wilson wrote. “I ask them to reconsider the fiscally responsible approach my office originally put forward. Feeding every student in Seattle is a goal we share, and my office is eager to work with the council to find the best path forward.”

Kettle said that, at the end of the day, the council has to show that Seattle can be run well.

How free school meals went from levy funding to leftover housing dollars

Earlier that week, Wilson said she was stymied after the Seattle City Council and Council President Joy Hollingsworth “blindsided” her at the last minute.

Money for free meals was originally supposed to draw funds from taxpayers through the approved school levy, but after the first two years, the cost would be paid for through the millionaires’ income tax.

According to The Seattle Times, the decision to use the leftover housing project funding came during a midyear budget review. Other revisions included an extra $94 million for raises and pensions for the Seattle police officers’ and managers’ unions, around $2.5 million for Aurora Avenue safety improvements, and $200,000 for youth homelessness.