Prop 28 Passes Providing Schools Funds to Hire Teachers for Art Programs
Money from the state General Fund will allow schools to hire art instructors to be able to run new visual and performing art programs.
By Mia Howell
Money from the state General Fund will allow schools to hire art instructors to be able to run new visual and performing art programs.
By Mia Howell
The California general election that took place on Nov. 8 had seven state ballot measures. One, Proposition 28, would provide all K-12 public and charter schools with additional funding for arts and music education from the state General Fund.
The prop passed with a 64.4% majority, with a total amounting to one percent of the $95.5 billion allocated to public schools. Because the distribution of these funds is based on enrollment, 70% of the total amount will go to schools based on their percentage of statewide enrollment, while the remaining funds will be provided to schools based on their share of low-income students enrolled statewide. Of the funding provided to schools, 8% of it is required to be used to hire staff.
Former Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner proposed the proposition to make art a core subject. Most schools focus on English, science, math and social studies as the core subjects, however an emphasis on visual and performing arts is on the rise. As a result, many teachers are concerned with the lack of art programs in elementary and middle schools.
“It is an equity issue right now in our district. Not all schools have access to arts and music education, especially at elementary level,” said band teacher Lara Levy. “A lot of schools’ (Parent Teacher Associations) are paying for random programs to come in which means they don't always get a credentialed teacher or a consistent experience.”
Most elementary schools in the district, such as Reed and Hacienda Environmental Science Magnet, leave it up to the PTA and Hacienda Involved Parents & Staff organizations to bring in art and music programs.
“We have a completely parent run art program called Art Vistas. We support it with $4,000 raised from our fundraisers,” said HIPS President Lisa Schaefer. “As our current program runs now, the students have six Art Vista lessons throughout the year. I'd love to see how much more we could implement with a full time teacher.”
When elementary and middle school students do not have adequate access to art or music programs, it affects them later on in high school art classes. At John Muir Middle School, one of the main feeder schools to Pioneer, there is only one art teacher: Christina Wilson. She teaches digital photography, Introduction to Art and Advanced Art.
“To expect a kid that has only doodled in their books from the age of seven, to take a high school level art class and be totally successful is a hard sell,” said Wilson. “They don’t have the experience, practice or knowledge.”
At Pioneer, there are many art programs including band, orchestra, drama, draw and paint, woodshop as well as sculpture. However, once funding from the state reaches San Jose Unified School District, Pioneer will be able to expand their visual and performing arts programs even further. Assistant Principal of Instruction Alison Zuniga has a huge role to play in the hiring process.
“If money is going towards hiring more staff, then that also means we are going to be able to attract more staff,” said Zuniga. “We have a solid arts program already but we're now looking more at the performance side so it's going to come down to what students are requesting.”
Pioneer currently has two options for drama classes, beginning drama and advanced drama. Advanced drama puts on multiple shows a year including musicals and a traveling show.
“I like how the drama program is set up right now, but I think having a class for traditional acting and a separate one for musical theater would be beneficial,” said Katie Nguyen, 10. “Right now the drama classes are a mix of acting, dancing and musicals, and there have been complaints from people who don’t like both.”
The prop passed with a 64.4% majority, with a total amounting to one percent of the $95.5 billion allocated to public schools. Because the distribution of these funds is based on enrollment, 70% of the total amount will go to schools based on their percentage of statewide enrollment, while the remaining funds will be provided to schools based on their share of low-income students enrolled statewide. Of the funding provided to schools, 8% of it is required to be used to hire staff.
Former Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner proposed the proposition to make art a core subject. Most schools focus on English, science, math and social studies as the core subjects, however an emphasis on visual and performing arts is on the rise. As a result, many teachers are concerned with the lack of art programs in elementary and middle schools.
“It is an equity issue right now in our district. Not all schools have access to arts and music education, especially at elementary level,” said band teacher Lara Levy. “A lot of schools’ (Parent Teacher Associations) are paying for random programs to come in which means they don't always get a credentialed teacher or a consistent experience.”
Most elementary schools in the district, such as Reed and Hacienda Environmental Science Magnet, leave it up to the PTA and Hacienda Involved Parents & Staff organizations to bring in art and music programs.
“We have a completely parent run art program called Art Vistas. We support it with $4,000 raised from our fundraisers,” said HIPS President Lisa Schaefer. “As our current program runs now, the students have six Art Vista lessons throughout the year. I'd love to see how much more we could implement with a full time teacher.”
When elementary and middle school students do not have adequate access to art or music programs, it affects them later on in high school art classes. At John Muir Middle School, one of the main feeder schools to Pioneer, there is only one art teacher: Christina Wilson. She teaches digital photography, Introduction to Art and Advanced Art.
“To expect a kid that has only doodled in their books from the age of seven, to take a high school level art class and be totally successful is a hard sell,” said Wilson. “They don’t have the experience, practice or knowledge.”
At Pioneer, there are many art programs including band, orchestra, drama, draw and paint, woodshop as well as sculpture. However, once funding from the state reaches San Jose Unified School District, Pioneer will be able to expand their visual and performing arts programs even further. Assistant Principal of Instruction Alison Zuniga has a huge role to play in the hiring process.
“If money is going towards hiring more staff, then that also means we are going to be able to attract more staff,” said Zuniga. “We have a solid arts program already but we're now looking more at the performance side so it's going to come down to what students are requesting.”
Pioneer currently has two options for drama classes, beginning drama and advanced drama. Advanced drama puts on multiple shows a year including musicals and a traveling show.
“I like how the drama program is set up right now, but I think having a class for traditional acting and a separate one for musical theater would be beneficial,” said Katie Nguyen, 10. “Right now the drama classes are a mix of acting, dancing and musicals, and there have been complaints from people who don’t like both.”