Accuracy in Stating Facts in Campaign Debates/Discussions is a Must!
At the August 2025 Jordan Commercial Club meeting, Rep. Ben Bakeberg said that “if the free lunch for all program in the schools approved in 2023 was amended with an income limitation of $160,000 per household added, the State of MN could save $460 million (although I don’t recall whether he said whether it would be per year or per biennium) and that could be redirected to the classroom”. That did not sound accurate, so I did some queries with chatgpt.com which is pasted below. The summary is as follows: 1. The estimate of the incremental cost to the state at the time the law was passed was $400 million per biennium. We need to look at incremental cost as the federal government reimburses the school system for free or reduced lunches and breakfast for those who qualify based on low incomes. So, the incremental cost is the total cost of the meals minus the federal reimbursement. According to the most recently published USDA Income Eligibility Gui...