Proposition 28 could give kids K-12 the opportunity to explore their artistic abilities and it would change their lives. When my son was eight years old he became interested in the guitar. However, the school he attended did not have a music program, so we had to find a private teacher, which represented a significant expense in our family budget. It was not only the economic question. It was also the development of a strategy that involved leaving our jobs, transfers from school to the teacher’s house and picking him up after those sessions.
Yes, it was a good experience, but it involved a lot of effort and resources. That’s why the Proposition 28 initiative is relevant to California families.
Proposition 28 on the Nov. 8 ballot would require California to set aside an annual source of funding from its general fund for K-12 public schools for arts and music education equal to at least 1 percent of the total state and local revenues that local education agencies receive under Proposition 28. Below, two advocates argue for it. There is no organized opposition and efforts to have someone argue against the measure were unsuccessful.
The reality is that even in California, the creative capital of the world, arts and music education is out of reach for millions of public school students. Only 1 in 5 public schools in California have a full-time arts or music program. Our kids deserve better. The impacts of underfunded arts and music education in our public schools fall hardest on low-income communities — Black and Latino students comprise 61 percent of total pre-K through 12th-grade enrollment and 77 percent of enrollment in low-income communities.
But with Proposition 28, we can give the nearly 5.9 million students in public schools access to the arts and music education they so desperately need. Proposition 28 would dedicate more than $900 million to arts and music for students in every pre-K through 12th-grade public school in California without raising taxes.
The measure allocates existing revenue from the state general fund, which currently has a surplus of nearly $100 billion. The amount dedicated to arts and music education under the measure is equal to roughly 1 percent of existing education funding — and is in addition to that funding, not counted towards it. The measure also requires 100 percent of the additional school funds to be used for arts and music education, with at least 80 percent on hiring teachers and aides. The funding can also help with staff training, supplies, materials and educational partnerships with arts and community organizations.
The measure includes strict accountability measures to ensure the funds directly benefit students. It prohibits schools from diverting existing funds away from arts and music education; the measure requires that the new funding be used by school districts to increase funding of arts education programs.
The Art and Music in Public Schools measure will provide more than $900 million annually for arts and music education in every PK-12 public school in the state, without raising taxes. Additionally, the measure:
-Does not raise taxes–funding comes from the state’s General Fund.
-Benefits all students in every P-12 public school in California, with extra funding going to help children in high-needs communities, in particular Black and Latino students.
-Ensures that California’s media, technology and entertainment companies better reflect the diversity of children in public schools.
Austin Beutner leads the charge for arts and music for all students in California
