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OPINION: Feeding Billionaires While Starving Children: Georgia’s Kids Will Pay the Price

By State Representatives Viola Davis (D-Stone Mountain), Kim Schofield (D-Atlanta) and Sandra G. Scott (D-Rex)

Over the past several years, we have sounded the alarm about Georgia’s failure to fully fund its Quality Basic Education (QBE) formula and public schools, especially when it comes to essential areas like student transportation, school safety and support for children living in poverty. Now, with the passage of Congress’ federal budget legislation, we are witnessing the collapse of another lifeline—free and reduced-price school meals. The federal government is shifting more responsibility to the states for essential services like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The following article is an opinion piece and reflects the views of only the authors and not those of AllOnGeorgia.

By State Representatives Viola Davis (D-Stone Mountain), Kim Schofield (D-Atlanta) and Sandra G. Scott (D-Rex)

Over the past several years, we have sounded the alarm about Georgia’s failure to fully fund its Quality Basic Education (QBE) formula and public schools, especially when it comes to essential areas like student transportation, school safety and support for children living in poverty. Now, with the passage of Congress’ federal budget legislation, we are witnessing the collapse of another lifeline—free and reduced-price school meals. The federal government is shifting more responsibility to the states for essential services like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Let us be clear—this is not just a cut in a federal program. This is a targeted blow to children who depend on school meals to survive and succeed. Across Georgia, two-thirds of K-12 students benefit from this vital program. Yet, under this new federal policy, Georgia, a state cited for its high SNAP payment error rate, will be forced to take on nearly $480 million in new costs. If the state doesn’t act, children across Georgia will go hungry.

Currently, the state contributes just $6.3 million to school meals while receiving roughly $1 billion from the federal government, according to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. Once these cost-shifting provisions take effect by Fiscal Year 2028, Georgia must either slash programs or generate new revenue. If nothing changes, our most vulnerable children, those whose families rely on SNAP, will be the first to suffer.

Here’s what’s worse—this crisis won’t just hit the poorest communities. It will also hurt the counties that already contribute more in state taxes than they receive back in education funding, or what some call “donor counties.” These are places with strong local tax bases that help prop up the entire public education system. Yet, even these communities could see school meal programs cut, school budgets stretched thinner and children going without food. We have said it before, and we will say it again: when the state fails to act, local governments and school districts are left holding the bag.

So, we pose a critical question to the public and lawmakers: Should Georgia’s highest-contributing counties demand that a portion of their local tax dollars stay in their own communities to protect children from funding cuts?

These cuts could even disqualify entire schools from the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)a program that lets high-poverty schools offer free meals to every student without paperwork. As more families lose SNAP, schools lose eligibility and more children lose access to mealseven in well-funded districts. The effect? Students in both high-need and high-contribution counties will lose access to meals, learning opportunities will decline and achievement gaps will widen.

We must stop pretending Georgia is too poor to feed its children. The state sits on a $15 billion budget surplus, yet our leaders refuse to invest in ongoing programs that address hunger, educational inequity and poverty. This is not about partisan politics; it’s about moral priorities. If we can’t feed our kids with $15 billion in the bank, what kind of state are we?

To our colleagues in the General Assembly: you have a choice. You can continue to balance the budget on the back of our most vulnerable students, or you can heed the warnings many of us have made for years. Fully fund the QBE. Create a state-level school meal fund to make up for lost federal SNAP dollars. Give high-contributing counties a greater say in how their education dollars are used, especially if the state refuses to protect vulnerable students. And most of all, stop pretending that cutting school meals is fiscally responsible; it’s socially destructive.

If Georgia does not act with urgency, then perhaps it’s time for local governments and school districts in high-contributing counties, better known as donor counties, to start demanding their fair share or keep their share until the state corrects these injustices. Let us not wait until our children go hungry to admit we failed them. We can no longer afford to pretend this is someone else’s problem. Whether you live in Atlanta or Albany, Stone Mountain or Statesboro, if Georgia doesn’t act, every school will feel the impact, and every child will pay the price.

 

Representative Viola Davis represents the citizens of District 87, which includes a portion of DeKalb County. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2018 and currently serves on the Defense & Veterans Affairs, Health, Insurance, Natural Resources & Environment and Urban Affairs committees.

Representative Kim Schofield represents the citizens of District 63, which includes a portion of Fulton County. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2017 and currently serves as Secretary of the Urban Affairs Committee. She also serves on the Creative Arts & Entertainment, Health, Industry and Labor and Small Business Development committees.

Representative Sandra Scott represents the citizens of District 76, which includes a portion of Clayton County. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2010 and currently serves on the Banks & Banking, Defense & Veterans Affairs, Human Relations & Aging, Insurance and Reapportionment and Redistricting committees.

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