NYC budget cuts impacting public school lunch menu; popular items removed

NEW YORK CITY - A food fight is brewing at New York City Public Schools.

Both kids and parents are expressing frustration after several popular items were removed from the lunch menu due to budget cuts.

The city cut $60 million out of the Education Department's budget for school lunches, and the cuts – announced back in November – have started impacting school lunches across the Big Apple.

The cuts are being noticed too, including in a Hell's Kitchen location, which is home to five schools and thousands of students.

The city's school system serves close to 900,000 meals a day. While the city still provides meals, secondary and alternative items are being phased out, such as chicken fingers and French fries.

Why are their budget cuts?

Mayor Eric Adams announced the cuts as a result of the city's spending on the migrant crisis. Over the past year and a half, more than 170,000 migrants have come to New York City, requiring housing, food, education and other services. The cause of the cuts is driving a wedge.

"There's certainly a lot of frustration and I think confusion about, you know, where these cuts are coming from and why," said Chalkbeat reporter Michael Elsen-Rooney.

The food changes are the subject of a Chalkbeat article by Elsen-Rooney. He said many worry about it impacting a student’s ability to learn.

"They're more tired," Elsen-Rooney said. "They're less able to focus in class throughout the day. They have headaches or stomach aches. They have less energy, and all of that affects learning and their ability to take advantage of being in school."

According to the Education Department, despite the cut to the food budget, all the money is being replaced by incoming funds from the federal government. Parents said it doesn’t make sense why the food budget is being tinkered with then. They said food for students should be the last thing that’s touched.