California schools will get $1 billion more for arts education starting next year
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Good morning everyone! It’s Lasherica with the Education Lab, and this is the Dec. 6 edition of our weekly newsletter.
It’s been nearly a month since Election Day, meaning many counties have finalized or will soon finalize election results.
Of the initiatives that were on the ballot, Proposition 28 — a measure to provide additional funding for arts and music education in public schools — received over 64% of yes votes.
Funding for the arts will no longer depend only on state and local budget decisions but will increase state costs by about $1 billion annually from the general purpose fund and include “strict accountability and transparency,” the state’s election voter guide detailed. And the measure doesn’t raise taxes for California residents.
But what exactly does that mean? And how will it change the way arts education is funded?
“Prop 28 will make sure every student from pre-school to 12th grade will have the opportunity to participate in arts and music at school,” Austin Beutner, author of Prop. 28 and a former Los Angeles Unified superintendent, said in a statement on election night.
Currently, the state requires art education in grades one to six and a year of art education in high school, with districts deciding how to fund and implement it, EdSource journalist Carolyn Jones said in a story on the topic: What Prop. 28 funding will mean for arts education in California.
Starting in 2023, funds will be distributed to schools based on enrollment — 70% for total enrollment and 30% for Title I enrollment, allowing the funding to touch the state’s 6 million public school students and accounting for those in low-income areas. School boards will certify the district’s Prop. 28 budgets and post the expenses online and submit it to the state.
As barely one in five public schools in California has full-time art or music teacher, schools must spend 80% of Prop. 28 funding on teachers and aides, with the rest for supplies and materials.
In Jones’ story, Beutner talks about the initiative’s impact on students, families and schools in a question-and-answer format.
“A novel feature of Prop. 28 is each school community will get to decide how the funds are used,” Beutner told EdSource.
The funds can be used for traditional forms of creative expression like music, theater, dance, and visual arts, as well as more contemporary areas including filmmaking, animation and graphic design, he said.
With the creative thinking and problem-solving skills students learn in arts programs, a more diverse population of students will lead to greater diversity in the technology, media and entertainment industries, Beutner discussed.
But the effects are not only long-term but also immediate.
“Research shows children who participate in the arts have better attendance in school and higher achievement in academic subjects,” Beutner said to EdSource.
For example, Save The Music, a music education nonprofit, conducted a survey asking teachers how the inclusion of music education impacted their students. The teachers were at schools that received funding from the nonprofit organization. According to Save The Music, that survey found:
65% strongly agreed that the programs increased students’ self confidence
63% strongly agreed they increased students’ teamwork skills
the vast majority of teacher respondents claimed the inclusion of music education increased both students’ critical thinking skills and engagement in school
What other benefits do you think art and music education will bring to schools?
HERE’S THE LATEST FROM THE EDUCATION LAB
Lifetime benefits? Student laundry? Fresno Unified opens contract talks with teachers union
Some of the priciest proposals the union proposed in the spring – like providing free laundry service for students and resetting lifetime benefits for qualifying employees – are still on the table.
Meet Victor E. Bulldog IV, Fresno State’s newest live mascot. He’ll take over next year
Fresno State’s live mascot is preparing to pass the collar – literally.
High school and college students in Fresno could soon get free bus rides. What to know
Fresno City College had been without a free bus ride program since shortly before the pandemic.
Are recounts ahead in tight Fresno-area school board races? Final tallies out
One race is separated by five votes.
A teachers union in Clovis Unified remains out of reach as fight drags into third year
Competing efforts to form a union have failed to get enough support from Clovis Unified teachers.
MORE FRESNO-AREA EDUCATION NEWS
Fresno Pacific University is sponsoring Operation ‘Dear Veteran’ to wish Central Valley veterans a Merry Christmas, the university said in a media release.
With Dear Veteran written outside of an envelope, Christmas cards should have a message for a veteran.
“We encourage everyone to gather with your families, friends, co-workers and others to make or buy a few cards to let our veterans know they are appreciated and not forgotten,” Denise Baronian, who heads the project, said.
Many local hospitalized veterans are alone for the holidays, so Fresno Pacific employees will distribute the cards to VA hospitals and the Veterans Home of California.
Last year, individuals, families, elementary schools and churches wrote cards for more than 2,000 former service members, according to FPU.
To participate this year, people can take cards to one of the five FPU campuses: Merced, North Fresno, the main campus in Southeast Fresno (including Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary), Visalia and Bakersfield or mail them by Dec. 17 to the following:
Denise Baronian
c/o Fresno Pacific University
5 River Park Place West #303
Fresno, CA 93720
Children and families across the Central Valley will benefit from over $1 million in community grants awarded to 31 nonprofit organizations.
Through its community grants, the Wonderful Company, with brands such as FIJI Water, Wonderful Pistachios and Teleflora, invests millions of dollars into the communities where its employees live and work, especially in the Valley, a media release detailed.
The grants support programs geared toward health and wellness, recreation, community beautification, art and social services. Organizations with a history of “producing tangible results demonstrating a clear community need” were eligible to apply for funding.
Since 2016, more than $5 million in community grants have supported over 200 nonprofits and schools in the Central Valley region.
“Through Wonderful Community Grants, we are supporting organizations and schools across the Central Valley that, we believe, will help build and maintain vibrant, healthy communities now and for future generations,” said Andy Anzaldo, chief operating officer for corporate social responsibility at The Wonderful Company.
Some of the 2022 grant recipients include:
Central California Food Bank
Kings Community Action Organization
Community Action Partnership of Kern: Provide 3,900 fresh produce boxes that feed a family of five in Delano.
3E Empower Equip Embark Inc.
Marjaree Mason Center
Central Valley Scholars
Boys & Girls Club of Fresno County
Junior Achievement of Northern California
Together We Rise
American Red Cross
Fresno Council on Child Abuse Prevention
Teens That Care
Shafter Library and Learning Center
Bakersfield Symphony OrchestraWasco
Wasco Recreation and Park District
Kern County Library
“The Central California Food Bank is so grateful to be a recipient of Wonderful Community Grants that will support a school pantry program in Firebaugh and three-monthly fresh produce markets in Avenal,” Alicia Linares, director of programs & partnerships at Central California Food Bank, said. “We are committed to sustaining programs that promote equitable food access in our region, and these grants will provide enhanced food support in underserved communities where it is needed most.”
STILL WANT MORE EDUCATION NEWS? HERE’S WHAT WE’VE BEEN READING
Juianna’s List
Teen brains aged faster than normal from pandemic stress, study says
“The stress of pandemic lockdowns prematurely aged the brains of teenagers by at least three years and in ways similar to changes observed in children who have faced chronic stress and adversity, a study has found.” | Washington Post
Can trees reduce pollution at schools next to freeways? A Fresno campus tries plantings
Students at Fresno Unified’s Tehipite Middle School, nestled between the Highway 41 and 180 interchange, are vulnerable to vehicle pollution and its adverse health effects. | EdSource
UC Strike: Why Berkeley student workers struggle to find safe and affordable homes
“For the current fall semester, UC Berkeley has over 45,000 students, about 12,000 of whom are graduates, but only 8,485 on-campus beds.” | The Mercury News
Lasherica’s List
Why It’s So Hard to Weave Social-Emotional Learning Into Academics
“Educators cite pressure to help students catch up academically now that the pandemic has subsided, leaving little time for anything else; insufficient professional development; student emotional needs that go beyond the scope of educators’ abilities; and standardized tests that focus only on core academic material.” | Education Week
TikTok Challenges Are a Nightmare for Schools. How Should Educators Respond?
The super hot #OneChipChallenge from TikTok is the latest viral dare that kids are participating in. | Education Week
Political rancor has had chilling effect on public education, survey finds
California students are more likely to be hostile to students with different political viewpoints | EdSource
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