Seattle Approves Universal Free School Meals and Voucher Program
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and the City Council have reached an agreement to fund universal free school meals and a voucher program for needy students, resolving a dispute over the implementation timeline and funding sources. The deal, which includes $4.7…
Seattle Tacoma, WA, July 29, 2026 —
SEATTLE – A resolution has been reached between Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and the City Council regarding the funding and implementation of universal free school meals and a voucher program for students in need. The agreement aims to provide a framework for both initiatives to launch concurrently.
Under the terms of the agreement, the city will allocate $4.7 million for the universal free school meals program and $3.9 million for the voucher program for the upcoming year. Both programs are slated to commence in September.
The resolution follows a period of deliberation and disagreement between the Mayor’s office and council members. Initially, some council members had proposed a delayed start for the universal meals program, advocating for the prioritization of the voucher initiative. This stance reportedly led to public discontent prior to the compromise being reached.
The final agreement ensures that both the universal meals and voucher programs will be implemented simultaneously in September. The specifics of the funding sources and the exact timeline for the programs’ rollout were points of contention that have now been settled.
Mayor Wilson and the City Council have finalized the plan, marking an end to the dispute over how and when these student support programs would be put into effect.
Story summarized from the original created by Guy Oron on www.thestranger.com, see more information here.
