Among the bright spots on the horizon this year are those that expand access to free school lunches and resources for community schools. Mahalo to all the advocates who championed the following bills! 

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• Act 139, SLH 2025, Relating to School Meals: Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, expands free school meal coverage to students who currently qualify for reduced-price lunch. Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, expands free school meal coverage to students whose family income is not more than three hundred per cent of the federal poverty level. Appropriates $3.93 million for FY 26 and FY 27. 

 

Written testimony from a Waipahu Intermediate science teacher: “…Every day in my classroom, I see firsthand the impact of food insecurity on my students. Many arrive at school hungry, struggling to focus, and asking me if I have any snacks to share... This issue is personal to me. Growing up, I benefited from the federal free lunch program when I attended Queen Kaʻahumanu Elementary, Stevenson Middle School, and Roosevelt High School. My parents immigrated from Vietnam, and we lived below the poverty line, and eating meals at school provided me with the nutrition I needed to focus on school and succeed academically. Without it, I might not have had the same opportunities...” 

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Continued from July 2025 Newsletter

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• Act 134, SLH 2025, Relating to Department of Education Procurement:  Exempts Department of Education purchases of local edible produce and packaged food products less than $250,000 from the electronic procurement system requirement. Requires at least three written quotes for Department of Education purchases of local edible produce and packaged food products of less than $250,000. Sunsets 6/30/2028.

 

According to advocates like Ulupono Initiative, Act 134 addresses a barrier in the procurement process that limited HIDOE’s ability to work directly with local producers. The State DOE’s ‘Farm to School’ program could become a major driver for local agriculture, while providing students with fresher, more nutritious meals that connect them to Hawaii’s agricultural heritage.

 

• Act 203, SLH 2025, Relating to the Preschool Open Doors Program: Expands the Preschool Open Doors Program's eligibility criteria. Repeals the requirement that Preschool Open Doors Program providers be accredited.  Effective 1/1/2026.