HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania still lags behind most other states in providing school breakfasts to needy children because it does not mandate a morning meal in schools where one is most needed, a nonprofit group that monitors the programs said Tuesday.

The state ranks 41st in the percentage of children from low-income families who participate in the federally funded school breakfast program — 37 percent — according to a report by the national Food Research and Action Center.

Earlier this year, Gov. Ed Rendell had proposed requiring breakfast in schools where low-income students account for at least 20 percent of total enrollment. Lawmakers ultimately decided to keep the program optional under a package of budget bills that passed in July.

Nearly 240 schools that do not offer breakfast would have been required to do so in the 2007-08 school year under Rendell's proposal. Only 87 of them have decided to do so voluntarily, according to the state Education Department.

"Because there was a mandate effort, everyone expected a little more," said Lindsay Briggs, a child nutrition specialist with the Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center, which supported the breakfast mandate.

Schools receive partial cash reimbursements from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for each free, reduced-price, or full-price breakfast they provide.

Opponents in the Legislature, including the House Republican leadership, argue that Rendell's proposal was a burdensome mandate for local school districts.

Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak said the administration would continue to urge lawmakers to adopt Rendell's school-breakfast proposal.

"Our commitment to student achievement demands that we ensure students have access to breakfast in our schools," Zahorchak said in a statement.