schools
Minnesota free school meals top 450 million as costs rise
Summary by The Minneapolis Editorial Desk Cory Knudsen , as published by KSTP 5 Eyewitness News (ABC)
· September 8, 2026
· 1 min read
Photo: KSTP 5 Eyewitness News (ABC) · view original
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Summary created by The Minneapolis Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Byline on source page Cory Knudsen, as published by KSTP 5 Eyewitness News (ABC) Original story Read at the source Source published Sep 8, 2026 Indexed here Sep 8, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
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Key points Further information about the program and its impact is available from the governor's office, which initially projected costs of about $400 million over two years. Costs have exceeded initial estimates, with expenditures totaling $276 million, $294 million, and $306 million in consecutive years.
A program providing free meals to students has reached a significant milestone. Costs have exceeded initial estimates, with expenditures totaling $276 million, $294 million, and $306 million in consecutive years. The governor views the higher costs as an indication of the program's success.
Program participation has been strong since its inception. The number of meals served has now surpassed 450 million.
Further information about the program and its impact is available from the governor's office, which initially projected costs of about $400 million over two years.
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KSTP 5 Eyewitness News (ABC) reported and published this story. The Minneapolis selected it, summarised the key facts above, and links to the original. We did not report this story and we added no reporting of our own to it.
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Category: schools Published: September 8, 2026 Source: KSTP 5 Eyewitness News (ABC) Reading time: 1 min
Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? A program providing free meals to students has reached a significant milestone. Costs have exceeded initial estimates, with expenditures totaling $276 million, $294 million, and $306 million in…
When was this published? This article was first published on September 8, 2026 by KSTP 5 Eyewitness News (ABC) and curated for The Minneapolis readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Cory Knudsen at KSTP 5 Eyewitness News (ABC). To learn more about how The Minneapolis selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
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