Vermont
Case Study - 2022 Legislative Session
All 82,000 K-12 public school children in VT will continue to receive free meals in the 2022-23 school year.
Hunger impact: All 82,000 K-12 public school children in VT will continue to receive free meals in the 2022-23 school year
Budgetary impact: $29 Million
Campaign: Universal School Meals (one year)
Grantee: Hunger Free Vermont
Principal contacts: Anore Horton, Executive Director
Lobbyists: Amy Shollenberger, Action Circles, Adam Necrason, Necrason Group
Communications: Jess Cover, JunaPR and Rachel Gage, KSV
Vote Schedule: House vote: Voice vote on 04/27/22, Senate vote: Voice vote on 05/09/22 and Governor’s action: Signed on 05/31/22
Summary: After a two-year effort, Vermont became the first state to continue to fund a covid-related federal program to feed breakfast and lunch to all K-12 public school children, regardless of their ability to pay. Vermont became the third state to pass Universal School Meals, behind California and Maine, although Vermont’s plan will only cover the 2022-23 school year and will require renewal. Funds will come from the state’s education fund (YIELD), rather than from federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, positioning the program for the future, where Universal School Meals will be part of the educational experience in Vermont, just like books, lockers, technology, and transportation. What started out as a permanent USM campaign, turned into a one-year plan when it became apparent that a permanent program was not viable this year. Strong leadership at HFVT, active grassroots support, an enthusiasm for embracing new strategies and campaign tools, were all keys to success.
Background: In their first year, HFVT had already demonstrated their strength as a partner with Solving Hunger. Anore Horton was experienced in developing coalitions, gathering the support of elected officials, working through potential problems, and crafting legislation. Their stellar reputation and the work that HFVT did in 2021 was essential to their success in 2022.
One potential problem was resolved before it could derail the effort. At issue were the reporting requirements upon which funding of USDA meal programs depend. Pandemic-era waivers relieved schools of many reporting requirements, but if Vermont was going to go it alone and develop a Universal School Meals program, it had to do so with maximum federal subsidy of other- wise eligible students. In introducing a form change that ALL Vermont students will be required to submit – that can be used for federal eligibility requirements, but aren’t specifically designed to determine meal eligibility for families – a potential barrier was lifted. HFTV and the Agency of Education (AOE) worked to pass legislation early in the year to develop a new form for the 2023- 24 school year. The form will allow all parents to indicate household income by category, rather a specific number, and it will satisfy reporting requirements for USDA.
Campaign planning: HFVT had developed a strong coalition and a robust field strategy. Horton’s second in command, Faye Mack, head of advocacy, was as astute and talented as Horton. Teddy Waszazak, as the campaign manager, was responsible for executing the field campaign, which he did very effectively. Amy Shollenberger, president of Action Circles, was HFVT’s long-time lobbyist, with deep experience in state government and with VT nonprofits. As the campaign developed, Solving Hunger hired two communications firms, and additional lobbying help.
Polling: Solving Hunger funded Change Research’s poll showed strong support for USM in Vermont, with 67% supporting a permanent program. Polling was new to HFVT, but they embraced it and used it freely in their communications with legislators.
The Legislation: Legislation had already been approved in the Senate in 2021, a bill that provided breakfast only. A more expansive bill – that included lunch – was ready to go in the House, with cosponsors in both chambers, and supporters from the three recognized parties: Democrats, Republicans and Progressives. Both the House and Senate education chairs were strong supporters.
Building Awareness: HFVT benefited from a strong reputation that led to good coverage in the media. HFVT developed a robust coalition, including a Business Leaders list that was unveiled during the legislative session demonstrating broad community support for the bill. Thousands of supporter cards were gathered and deployed when they counted the most. Social media kits were valuable tools for use in the coalition. Solving Hunger paid for a robust paid-media plan.
Jess Cover with JunaPR was a great partner in this campaign. She worked behind the scenes to help the effort, even beyond the scope of her work.
Recognizing The Moment: Every campaign competes against the clock, requiring new ideas to lift awareness, hasten action, encourage a vote, and gain momentum. By late March, some lawmakers were expressing skepticism that the bill would ultimately be successful.
In early April, we agreed to enhanced strategies to build momentum.
Lobbying: Additional lobbying support was part of that effort. Adam Necrason was hired, and with only six weeks to go, Necrason and Shollenberg became a formidable team, sharing information and working both sides of the building. They paid special attention to important signals from the Governor’s office.
HFVT hosted a successful Lunch on the Lawn event just before the House vote. With two weeks to go in the Senate, HFVT’s postcard campaign landed on Senate shores. Senators were still expressing concerns about costs and were skeptical of the estimates provided by HFVT. Senate Finance asked HFVT to produce a memo to “show the math.” This was a key moment, with HFVT staying up all night to produce a document the next morning. Up until the last week of April, Senate leaders were still toying with the cost, and floated a “breakfast only” option again. This was rejected. Senate Pro Tem Becca Balint became a critical supporter of the campaign, clearing the way for passage in the Senate.
Results: After passing both the Democrat-dominated House and Senate by voice votes, HFVT delivered thousands of postcards to the Governor’s office while the bill lingered at Legislative Counsel for final review. The messengers were fresh-faced high school students, who broadcast their efforts on TikTok.
The billed conveyed to the Governor’s office on May 25th. As expected, there was little talk of a veto, even though the Governor had already vetoed other proposals. During this period of time, the Governor indicated that barring any unforeseen problems, he would sign the bill rather than taking no action and allowing it to become law. He offered caveats in his signing statement, including the high cost. The Governor had previously indicated resistance to provide meals to children whose families could afford to pay.
HFVT’s work in the coming year will focus on allaying those concerns and demonstrating the benefits to children and the state, as they develop their campaign for permanent USM in 2023.