Proposition 28 would provide additional funding to arts education in public schools.
California’s PK-12 public school students are disproportionately from low-income households, and the availability of quality arts education remains highly variable across school sites and districts. Proposition 28 would require the state to set aside about $1 billion of its existing annual revenue for arts education, particularly for hiring new arts-education staff in school districts with large shares of low-income students.
A YES vote on Proposition 28 means: The state would be required to provide additional funding for arts education in PK-12 public schools.
A NO vote on Proposition 28 means: The state would not be required to provide additional funding for arts education in PK-12 public schools.
More information:
- California has over 6 million public school students, and about 60 percent of them are from low-income households. While students in wealthier areas are more likely to enjoy extensive arts programs, students in lower-income neighborhoods are much less likely to have access to quality arts education. Guaranteeing an ongoing source of funding for arts education in California’s public schools is crucial to helping to close this gap in access to quality arts education.
- Since the state’s arts-education requirements are much looser than requirements for other disciplines, such as math or language arts education, all arts education is funded based on the discretion of local school governing boards. Whether a school has arts education programming, whether the district hires arts educators and what those programs look like are ultimately up to who sits on school boards, which currently face intense scrutiny and attention from Republican and other conservative groups.
Top funders of Proposition 28:
- Yes on Prop 28: The top funders of the ballot measure committee supporting Proposition 28 are former Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent Austin Beutner, Fender Musical Instruments, and the California Teachers Association. As of August 1, the Yes on 28 committee has raised $7 million and spent $8 million since Jan. 1, 2022, although the committee also started the year with additional funds raised during the previous reporting period. Numerous notable artists have also come out in support of the measure, including Al Yankovich, Christina Aguilera, Dr. Dre, Jason Momoa, will.i.am, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
- No on Prop 28: There are not funders or endorsements in opposition of Proposition 28.
Misinformation about Proposition 28 includes:
- Proposition 28 does not require that a new tax be levied. Instead, it directs the state to set aside a portion of existing annual revenue to fund arts education in public schools.
Resources:
https://lao.ca.gov/ballot/2021/210576.pdf
https://voteyeson28.org/ https://createca.org/california-arts-education-data-project/