Every student in Ann Arbor Public Schools will continue eating free breakfast and lunch when classes resume Aug. 31, backed by $200 million the state committed to universal school meals in its new budget.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the $75 billion FY2027 state budget on July 21, locking in the free meals program for all 1.4 million Michigan public school students and allocating $532 million to the Michigan Achievement Scholarship. Both provisions land as AAPS families prepare for a school year that also brings a 2.5% bump in per-pupil funding, raising the state's base to $10,300.
For the district's 17,005 students enrolled as of fall 2025, the continued meals funding removes a line item from family budgets regardless of income. One in four AAPS students comes from a home impacted by poverty, according to MLive, making the program especially critical for thousands of households.
The meals are already free. AAPS has been operating under the state's universal meals program since it launched. In a back-to-school message last year, the district urged all families to fill out the Education Benefit Form regardless of financial status, because the data helps maintain funding for reading interventionists, counselors, social workers and technology.
College-bound students gain scholarship dollars
The budget's $532 million for the Michigan Achievement Scholarship directly affects the 5,581 high school students at Pioneer, Huron, Skyline and Community high schools. The scholarship provides tuition-free community college through the Community College Guarantee and up to $27,500 for full-time students at public or private four-year universities, according to Mid-Michigan Now.
Whitmer said at the July 21 signing ceremony at Adler Elementary School in Southfield that the budget invests in educators, continues free meals for all 1.4 million public school students and delivers on the literacy plan from her State of the State Address.
State Superintendent Glenn Maleyko said in a statement at the signing that the budget increases support for students with the greatest needs, including children who are economically disadvantaged, English learners and students with disabilities.
District context
The new state dollars arrive as AAPS faces a potential multi-million-dollar budget gap, with Superintendent Jazz Parks and board Vice President Glynda Wilks discussing spending oversight in recent weeks. Teachers in the Ann Arbor Education Association have been working without a contract since December 2025.
The Michigan Legislature approved the school aid budget on July 3 before Whitmer signed it into law. The budget also includes $502 million for literacy initiatives and $150 million for educator bonuses statewide.
The AAPS Board of Education meets next on Wednesday, Aug. 12. Families can find the Education Benefit Form and enrollment information at a2schools.org.
