On Tuesday, November 8th, Californians will receive the opportunity to cast their votes on seven different propositions. Proposition 28, one of the seven propositions, is an initiative to provide K-12 public schools more funding for art and music education.
In 2019, a survey organized by Ipsos, a company that specializes in public opinion and research, revealed that 90+ percent of Americans believe that the arts play a significant role in our education system. Students that receive education in the arts are shown to perform better in STEM subjects, develop out-of-the-box thinking, and have better rates of attendance and mental health. Yet, when school districts face deficiencies in their budgets, art and music programs are usually the first programs to get cut. Only one in five public schools in California have a full-time music or art teacher even though all California colleges within the UC and CSU systems require at least one year of a VAPA (Visual and Performing Arts) course. Thousands of students, especially those in low-income and marginalized communities, are deprived of arts and music education, and are not guaranteed a well-rounded education as a result.
Austin Beutner, the former superintendent for the Los Angeles Unified School District, authored Proposition 28 which will provide approximately one billion dollars per year for art and music programs in public schools. Because the funding for these programs would be secured through a legislative requirement, taxpayers don't have to worry about paying additional money for the proposition. If the proposition is passed, the funding given to the schools must be used to support art and music education. Schools can use their funding to pay for supplies, training, teachers, and art/music partnerships. Prop. 28 supports both traditional music and art classes such as theater, drawing, dance, choir, and band, along with contemporary art classes including video, film, graphic design, and computer graphics. Annual audits and reports of schools' fundings will be required to guarantee that the funds are being spent properly.
So far, committees in support of Prop. 28 have received over 11 billion dollars. Supporters of the proposition include California's Democratic Party, local art organizations, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in California, and local music/art educational groups. Additionally, famous musicians such as Katy Perry, Barbra Streisand, Graham Nash, Earth Wind & Fire, and Sheryl Lee Ralph have shown their support for Prop. 28 through social media endorsements. The creators of the popular 1996 sitcom, "Everyone Loves Raymond", even donated $1 million dollars to support the proposition! Although there aren't any organized opposing groups, critics of Prop. 28 believe that the money will come at the expense of other essential state-funded programs. However, based on the lack of opposing groups, it won't be surprising if Prop. 28 is passed.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/02/us/california-prop-28.html
https://abc7.com/california-proposition-28-election-performing-arts/12295529/
https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/propositions/prop-28-arts-education/
13 comments:
I do think that art and music are very important subjects for students to endorse themselves in. These types of classes should recieve a lot of funding because instruments are expensive and from low income families, it would be hard to afford something that is needed to succeed in school. I don't think art and music classes should get cut from funding first if there is ever a problem.
Music and visual arts could become future careers for some, and schools should be a place where students get to explore their interests and discover what they’re passionate about and good at. Not only this, but since many colleges require these classes, money should be allocated towards implementing them in schools. I think this Proposition is really important, and in fact has passed with about 70% of voters voting yes on it. I suspect part of this success is that the $1 billion allocated towards these programs doesn’t raise citizens’ taxes, so funding them seems like an easy choice as arts enrich students’ experiences.
Music and Art education is often not allotted with the proper amount of attention which it deserves. A lot of times classes which fall under these categories are just viewed as electives and aren't taken as seriously as the "core" classes in terms of being able to create opportunities for employment in a students future. But this is rather absurd, music and art are some of the stabilizing factors of mankind. In fact, in 1977 The Voyager Golden Record was sent out into space in hopes of making contact with other life forms, the record was meant to symbolize the diversity and culture of earth, in order to convey this scientists put music onto the record from Bach to Chuck Berry. I'm glad that maybe this proposition will give more schools access to these crucial subjects.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/11/27/nasa-launched-this-record-into-space-in-1977-now-you-can-own-your-own-copy/
I agree with what has been said already. I believe that prop 28 is really important because some people find their passions and what they want to do with the rest of their lives through these classes. It also helps people express themselves. I know many have been impacted by arts and music and so seeing it get removed would have been very sad for a lot of students. In addition, in a more practical aspect, it is part of the requirements for many CSUs and UCs, which are popular and first-choice schools for many students, and so it is an added level of thought that needs to be put into it.
Overall I agree with prop 28 and the funding of VAPA programs, but for different reasons. Music and arts contribute to culture and a different form of intellectualism when compared to the standard core curriculum. They teach students critical thinking skills and creativity in contrast to pure studying and reading. I disagree with some of the points in other comments citing the reason for VAPPA programs to be career orientated. The highlight of VAPPA programs is mental health, brain development, and other mentioned benefits. VAPA programs do have the potential to introduce future professional musicians, but for most people, it will be a hobby or ulterior interest that supports their learning and development.
I find this proposition very interesting and beneficial if it gets passed. The topic of education is incredibly important as it sets up the future generation of innovators, creators, and artists. The fact that there is a disconnect between how much the American public values arts and how art programs are treated in schools. While there has a been a huge push in the area of STEM, various types of arts have been pushed aside in recent years. I think its great that policy makers are more cognizant of this issue. I can see the implementation of the proposition having great impacts in contributing to a well-rounded education as well as helping under privileged students.
This proposition would make strides to expand student’s choices in what they want to pursue in college/ in the future. STEM subjects are often deemed as more important than the Arts, possibly due to higher paying jobs generally coming from science and math oriented jobs. Our society, which values making money and putting children into the workforce, puts an emphasis on STEM subjects in schools. The proposition’s goal to improve funding and implement more arts classes would make help arts programs become more important in schools. The Democratic Party supporting this proposition aligns with their historic support for expanding educational opportunities for students. I wonder why the Republican Party seems neutral - are they not supporting it because it’s being supported by the Democrats? Or is there a part of the prop they don’t agree with? The proposition seems pretty unopposed, but agreement across parties may be too much to ask for.
Funding in art and music education programs is highly important. Not only does it help students to be more well-rounded, but it also helps to foster creativity and interest in a wider range of subjects. These subjects likely help people perform better in other subjects as well, although this may not be immediately apparent. In jobs such as writing code or designing buildings, there is a fair amount of creativity that goes into these endeavors. However, like many government programs, money does become an issue, and the government will likely have to raise revenue to fund this. In the absence of additional revenue to fund this, the money would have to be reallocated from other state programs. The possibility of reallocating state funds from other programs could thus dilute the social and educational benefits of this proposition.
It is crucial Prop 28 is passed. What really stuck out to me was the reminder that one year of a VAPA class is required to apply to the UC's and CSU's. It would be extremely unfair to those who do not get to achieve their requirement as a result of factors outside of their control and, as was stated, it is those lacking financially that will suffer. This makes the issue become one that can also be racial, as it is often people of color who live in areas with schools that lack the funding needed to support the arts.
As other commenters have mentioned, music and arts education are critical. I also agree with Christien in that I think too often, people prioritize the utilitarian aspect of education in a capitalist economy. Meaning, people see education as a way to get a job rather than a way to expand ones mind. My only concern with Prop 28 is where the money is coming from. I hope that the redirected money does not sacrifice the integrity of other aspects of public education. Ideally, it would be redirected from our wildly overfunded police force but knowing Newsom's pro-cop tendencies, I doubt it. Either way, I hope this opens the door for a more artistic and well-rounded California.
California or the Bay Area is extremely competitive for students. Not only because it is densely populated but because of the big tech companies laying their nest here. It has been built into the student and parents' minds that STEM is the way to earn profits and doing well in school, strictly academics, will lead the students the way to Google's headquarter. This trend has produced many great scholars, but it has also manufactured many depressed students who fail to live up to their classmates' pace or parents' standards. The schools receiving funds for Arts is a great way to open up the gate to the students to discover their true passion. It is also crucial in attempting to reshape the strong will of the parents and demonstrating that Arts aren't for people that just live in a dark basement. Encouraging Arts could potentially reveal those artists and change the general perception that artists don't hold high socioeconomic positions.
I think Lucas highlights a really important point with any bill that is proposed especially in regard to education. The budget for education is limited in every school district and schools will have to cut one program in order to increase the budget for another if they are on a tight budget. At the same time, I agree that increasing the support for Art and VAPA is important as it allows students to explore their creative side. This is often overlooked in the STEM field but even in STEM creativity is important as it allows for innovation and helps push the field forward.
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