Colorado’s Healthy School Meals for All program is in danger of ending. Since 2023, the program has funded meals for all schoolkids in Colorado. On the ballot Nov. 4, Proposition LL funds HSMA through the end of the 2025-2026 school year, while Proposition MM keeps HSMA going, helps schools purchase locally-sourced food and increases wages and training for cafeteria workers. As a parent of three kids in Durango School District schools myself, I consider HSMA to be worth Colorado voters’ support.
Multiple studies confirm that students learn better on full stomachs and families like mine benefit from HSMA because it saves us up to $1,300 per year per child on food costs. While opponents of school meals for kids might argue that school meals lead to waste, the fact is that Colorado schools have ways to minimize waste and make sure extra food gets put to good use.
Without Colorado voters supporting Propositions LL and MM, HSMA will end as soon as January of 2026, which means a return to parents being charged for school meals and kids being hungry at school if they can’t afford the cost. It’s refreshing to vote for an initiative that is beneficial for all kids in Durango and statewide. I urge my fellow Durangoans, parents and nonparents, to vote “yes” for LL and MM on the ballot to fund healthy school meals for all DSD students.
Joseph Borum
Durango
