Prop 28: Funding Arts and Music Education
Should the State provide specific funding for arts and music education in public schools, an amount higher than the existing constitutional minimum amount required for public education?
Because Prop 98 passed in 1988, the California Constitution requires a minimum percentage of the state budget to be spent on K-14 education (kindergarten through two-year community college). This minimum guarantee is calculated annually.
There is currently no guaranteed source of annual funding in the state budget for arts and music education in K-12 public schools. State law requires schools to provide arts and music instruction to all students in grades 1 through 6. In order to graduate, high school students must complete a year in one of three courses of study, one of which being arts and music education. Beyond these requirements, other specifics such as the amount of instruction or when courses are offered is determined by the local governing board.
Prop 28 would require the state to set aside a portion of the State’s General Fund to pay for arts and music education in K-12 public schools. This funding would be in addition to the funding already guaranteed by Prop 98. Prop 28 would require the funding for arts and music education to be at least 1% of the funding received by schools the prior year under Prop 98.
To address equity issues, Prop 28 would allocate more funding to schools serving many low-income students. Schools would be required to report how funding was used to directly benefit students. Larger schools would be required to spend 80% of the funding to employ new staff and 20% on training and supplies.
Prop 28 would increase State expenditures by about $1 billion per year, over and above existing constitutional requirements.