Wisconsin schools behind US in offering breakfast

A report says Wisconsin last year saw a slight decrease in the number of students who received breakfast at school through a federally subsidized nutrition program.

Wisconsin Public Radio reports that the Washington-based nonprofit Food Research and Action Center found Wisconsin's participation in the School Breakfast Program is trailing the rest of the country.

The School Breakfast Scorecard says Wisconsin saw low-income student participation in the program decrease by about 400 students in the 2017-2018 school year. The report says that about 83 percent of Wisconsin's schools participated in the program that year.

The findings rank the state low compared to 38 states, where 90 percent or more schools participated in the program.

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction spokesman Thomas McCarthy says the biggest barrier to providing breakfast is funding.