On Nov. 8, Californians overwhelmingly passed Proposition 28, which will bring a windfall of arts education funding to California schools. Advocates say the investment is long overdue, as arts education has declined in most districts — particularly those in low-income areas — for decades. While the state requires arts education in grades one to six and a year of arts education in high school, it’s up to districts to decide how to fund and implement it. The result has been an inconsistent patchwork of arts programs that leave many children with little exposure to music, dance, art and other creative forms of expression.
Proposition 28 funds will be distributed according to enrollment, with 70% based on overall enrollment and 30% based on Title 1 enrollment. In all, districts will receive an additional 1% of their funding allotment to spend on the arts. School boards must certify districts’ Prop. 28 budgets annually, post the expenses on the district’s website and submit the information to the state Department of Education, where it will be available to the public.
Schools must spend 80% of the money on teachers and aides, which should help alleviate California’s teacher shortage, with the remainder of the funds earmarked for art supplies and materials.
Former Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner, a chief backer of Proposition 28, talkedabout what students, families and schools can expect when the measure goes into effect in 2023.
Beutner said Prop. 28 will provide about $1 billion each year in funding to California public schools, so all 6 million students in pre-K through 12th grade can participate in arts and music at school.
According to Beutner, the funds will come from the state’s general fund. There will be no new taxes or increase in tax rates.
“The arts are universal, and they’re the glue that bonds together literacy and math in a good education. I want to make sure every child in every classroom has the opportunity to participate in arts and music and experience their own story,” he said and added, “Unfortunately, barely 1 in 5 California public schools has a full-time arts or music teacher. That’s not acceptable.”
Beutner said Proposition 28 will provide funding for traditional forms of creative expression like music, theater, dance and visual arts, as well as more contemporary areas including filmmaking, animation and graphic design. A novel feature of Prop. 28 is each school community will get to decide how the funds are used. We didn’t want the bureaucrats in Sacramento or school districts to dictate any particular approach. Families can help decide what they want for their children.
The impact will be seen in schools and communities, where Prop. 28 will create more than 15,000 additional jobs for teachers and teachers’ aides as well as in community arts organizations. This will help prepare California school children for good-paying jobs, not just in the arts but in other sectors where the creative-thinking and problem-solving skills they learn can be applied.
