inforum.com · September 8, 2026
Gov. Walz celebrates 450M free school meals on first day of school - InForum | Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo news, weather and sports
## Tim Walz reflects on one of the hallmarks of his tenure as governor and addresses his absence from campaigns.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz serves meals to children on the first day of school at Hoover Elementary School in Coon Rapids on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026.
Mary Murphy / Forum News Service
By Mary Murphy Today at 2:49 PM
COON RAPIDS, Minn. — Gov. Tim Walz joked with students Tuesday as he scooped chicken, rice and broccoli onto their trays at Hoover Elementary School in Coon Rapids.
He was there to mark the first day of school and to celebrate a milestone in Minnesota's free school meals program, a hallmark program of his tenure.
The Free School Meals Program, signed into law in March 2023, has now served nearly 450 million meals since its launch in July 2023, and has saved families an average of $1,000 a year per student, according to the governor's office.
Walz said the program, especially given his past as a teacher, is “right up there” for what he’s most proud of during his tenure as he approaches his exit in January.
“It always just seems so strange to me that we fund it [school] through property taxes and through the state, and we fund this building, we pay the salaries, we pay for the electricity, we pay for the carpets, we pay for the lecterns and everything, but we left food out of that equation,” the governor said Tuesday, Sept. 8.
Walz said he’d “rather be remembered” for free school meals, along with general education funding and the state's Child Tax Credit, than the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz celebrates the free meals program on the first day of school at Hoover Elementary School in Coon Rapids on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026.
Mary Murphy / Forum News Service
The free meals program was initially projected to cost the state roughly $200 million a year, but the cost has climbed each school year since. In state fiscal years (July 1 to June 30), the program cost $277 million in 2024, $295 million in 2025 and $306 million in 2026.
Walz said that could be a reflection of higher participation than anticipated. The state’s program, unlike the federal reduced-price meals program, is available to all kids, regardless of income.
“I saw that [increased cost] as a wonderful problem to have because it showed how important the program was, and we knew that it was an investment,” he said.
A colorful sign welcomes students back to school on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, at Hoover Elementary School in Coon Rapids, Minnesota.
Mary Murphy / Forum News Service
Since the legislative session ended in May, Walz has had fewer public events on his schedule, and he’s largely been absent from high-profile state campaigns. He recently made some waves when he signed an executive order to bar copper-nickel mining in the BWCAW watershed.
Asked if he plans to campaign with candidates more in the coming months, Walz said he’s been going “where people ask us to.”
“I know how this goes. When I've been on the ticket, a lot of times, especially this time of year, people want to run their own campaigns. They want to make their own cases,” he said.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz serves meals to children on the first day of school at Hoover Elementary School in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026.
Mary Murphy / Forum News Service
Democratic candidates are frequently asked about fraud and their ties to Walz, who has not endorsed or appeared at campaign events with either Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan or U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
“One of the reasons why I said that I'm going to move on and go back to teaching school is that once you become a lightning rod like this, and they do it — we've seen this in American politics — and they just pile on, it becomes a little more distracting. So I want to be as involved as people want me to be," he said.