Policy
California’s Proposition 28: A boost for arts and music education
Allocates 1 percent of K–12 portion of Prop 98 funding guarantee provided in the prior fiscal year to arts education
girl with a saxophone smiling
In a very moving General Session address at CSBA’s 2022 Annual Education Conference and Trade Show, New York Times best-selling author Tara Westover stressed the importance of arts and music programming as critical components of what we define as a comprehensive public education. She challenged the audience to consider education as a “system of care for the mind and for the body,” and emphasized the importance of extracurricular activities in addressing the whole child.

Homeschooled for most of her life and subjected to years of abuse and neglect, Westover described the alienation she felt attending public school for the first time in her senior year of high school. Newly separated from her family of origin, she told the crowd that choir class was the only part of the day where she was able to feel a sense of belonging. Led by a competent and inspiring teacher credentialed in the arts, learning to sing in harmony with peers was the one part of the day where she felt in sync with others. It was that sense of connectedness that gave her the presence of mind to more fully access core instruction and curriculum.

With the overwhelming passage of Proposition 28: The Arts and Music in Schools Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act in 2022, the desire to include and preserve arts and music education as essential components of high-quality instructional programming seems to have resonated with California voters.

Prop 28 received widespread support from educators, parents and various organizations across the state who also shared in a desire to see California position itself as a leader in arts and music education and, in turn, nurture a next generation of creative and critical thinkers with the motivation and capacity to meet the challenges of tomorrow while fostering a sense of belonging on campuses.

Beginning in the 2023– 24 school year, 70 percent of the funds from Prop 28 are required to be distributed to schools based on enrollment counts from the preceding fiscal year and 30 percent of the funds are distributed based on enrollment of economically disadvantaged students. Districts with an average daily attendance of 500 or more must direct 80 percent of the funds received towards the hiring of additional certificated and credentialed staff, the purchasing of additional materials and supplies, and the necessary training to offer the type of programming that can reach difficult-to-motivate students to attend and participate in school more regularly.

With declining enrollment and high rates of absenteeism currently threatening the fiscal health of many of California’s school districts and effecting student achievement, this increased support for the expansion and enhancement of existing arts programming could help districts maintain a quality educational experience with a focus on the whole child that will encourage student attendance. Since districts often receive contributions towards art programs from other sources, such as educational foundations, whether the Prop 28 funds are being used to supplement funding, rather than supplant current funding — a key requirement of the law — can become a complex issue.

To ensure that Prop 28 funds are used to meet the goal of supplement, rather than supplant, districts are subject to annual certification and reporting requirements, including (1) a school site expenditure plan, (2) an annual plan approved by the board and submitted to the California Department of Education (CDE), (3) annual certification and (4) an expenditure report submitted to CDE, including the amount of any unspent funds. The Education Audit Appeals Panel has issued a 2023– 24 Audit Guide containing multi-step calculation tools.

As implementation of Prop 28 progresses, it will be crucial for local educational agency boards to monitor its impact and ensure that the allocated funds are used effectively. As educational foundations are often a source of arts funding, CSBA has added an explanatory note in sample Board Policy 1260 – Educational Foundation, which highlights this issue.

Below are links to the CDE’s website, which offers guidance on accessing and implementing Proposition 28 funding:

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