I'd like to believe that it has nothing to do with reduced paperwork or increased automatic funding . . .

"The Houston Independent School District (HISD) unveiled a plan that could offer free breakfast to all of its 208,000 students. It’s a worthwhile effort to make sure children don’t start the school day on an empty stomach, said HISD Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra. “Young children who eat a good breakfast perform better academically. We need to do whatever it takes to make children better learners,” Saavedra said. By implementing the program, Houston would join Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio, in offering a free breakfast to all students, regardless of their family income. “The school meal program is a successful education reform,” said Celia Hagert of the Center for Public Policy Priorities. “It leads to higher test scores, kids being able to concentrate more, fewer behavior problems.” More than 82 percent of HISD students, or 172,675 children, qualified for either free or reduced-price meals in the school year 2004-05, but only about 53,000 students a day ate free breakfast. San Antonio, South San Antonio and North Forest are among the high-poverty districts in Texas that use a federal provision that waives certain paperwork requirements if schools offer both free breakfast and lunch to all students."