Yes on 28

by Brad Van Patten CMEA Muisc Supervisors Representative

Hello, I hope you all had a restful and relaxing summer. As school years across the state are beginning again with fewer health restrictions, it is good to see enrollment numbers starting to rise in all our music courses and to see the happy smiles on the faces of our students.

As a music program leader, we are constantly focused on the equality, access, and equity of our programs and how they serve students. This year could be a breakthrough for resources to help each school district achieve an appropriate and equitable music education for every student.

Proposition 28, which is on the November ballot, will increase funding for arts and music education programs in all California public schools. It does not do this by increasing taxes or taking away from any of the proposition 98 guarantees. Instead, it funnels almost $1 billion, or approximately 1% of the budgeted LCAP, directly to school sites while requiring schools to disclose publicly how they are using the money every year.

You can learn more about the proposition at: https://voteyeson28.org.

This proposition could be a renaissance for music and arts education for years to come, and it is significantly more than the Art and Music block grant from 2006, which was $105 million annually and was eventually swept away during the last fiscal crisis.

Besides passing the proposition, the next most important step would be to start pre-planning this investment and educating our stakeholders. On October 7th, 2022, we are inviting music and arts program leaders to meet and engage at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, CA, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. We will have guest speakers, along with collaboration time with our community of program leaders to help leverage our knowledge and expertise in how to best plan and execute your vision for what could be the largest investment in arts education in California history. Cost for the session is $50 for members and includes a light breakfast, lunch, and parking at the Center.

You can register at https://tinyurl.com/Fall2022CMEAPL or learn more at https://calmusiced.com/membership-services/musicsupervisors/.

Proposition 28 will increase funding for arts and music education programs in California public schools

Doesn’t Raise Taxes Improves Academic Outcomes & Equity