Music teacher Jessica Sheldon performs dance moves with third grade students at Stocklmeir Elementary School on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, in Sunnyvale, California. Bitino Unified School District is one of the first districts in the Bay Area to use Proposition 28 funds to fund music programs on campus. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
On a recent morning in Sunnyvale, Jessica Shelton stood in front of a group of third-graders on a sunny day. She was playing the ukulele, a microphone in her ear, and coaching children in dance.
“Right, left, right, together,” Sheldon chanted as students jumped up and down on the floor.
Some giggled and asked each other for help; Others were paying close attention, watching Sheldon’s movements. SSome students, such as 8-year-olds Riya Mane hopes this doesn’t have to end.
“It energizes our bodies, and I love this song so much,” said Riya, a third-grader at Union Stockmeier Elementary School in Cupertino. “It’s really fun.”
For Riya, Sheldon’s class is her favorite start to the day. But for lawmakers across the state, it represents the fulfillment of Proposition 28, legislation that will soon bring nearly $1 billion in annual arts and music funding to California schools.
While some school districts, like Cupertino Union and San Francisco Unified, are beginning to hire new teachers like Sheldon this year, others are still scrambling to choose what classes they will offer. But whether districts are ready or not, the windfall will be distributed to California classrooms this February, and schools will need to figure out how to spend it.
“If 6 million kids now have the opportunity to participate in arts and music in school, every school that doesn’t hire a new art or music teacher means kids will be left behind,” said Austin, author of Proposition 28 said Austin Beutner, former superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
In November 2022, California voters overwhelmingly approved the proposal, creating a new, ongoing stream of state funding to support programs in dance, music, theatre, painting, photography, animation, film and more. These services shall be at the discretion of the school community and staffed by qualified, certified or confidential staff.
But putting $1 billion into classrooms and restoring programs often needed when money is scarce is complicated. First, recruiting amid a critical shortage of teachers. Then, there was the odd timing of funding starting in the middle of the school year.
“This is going to be a huge shift for arts learning in schools,” said Dominique Enriquez, executive director of the Bay Area Arts Education Alliance, a group that supports district planning. “For many, this is a time of investment and finding ongoing financing for the years to come.”
Preliminary estimates suggest educational institutions will receive about $112 per student, with an additional $85 per student in financial need. Each year, schools will have three years to spend each round of funding, with 80% going toward staff salaries and 20% toward materials, training supplies, curriculum and other necessities.
The Cupertino Alliance is way ahead. This fall, the California Department of Education released projected funding amounts for each school through Proposition 28, and the district redirected funding to hire four new music teachers earlier this year. Others, such as Dublin Unification, are still in the early planning stages.
Jefferson Union and San Jose Unified are gathering input from parents, students and community members to help guide the process. Mt. Diablo Unified sent a survey to 36,000 English, Spanish and Farsi parents, asking them to rank the types of arts programs they would like to see expanded (such as band vs. theater) and soliciting additional ideas for each category .
“Some school districts have said, ‘We know the money is coming, so let’s get started,'” Beutner said. “But there are big differences between regions in the level of awareness and the degree of progress in plans or pathways.”
Districts say this is one of the biggest challenges, is recruiting. Proposition 28 is expected to fund 15,000 new art and music teachers in California, but according to the Teachers Council, fewer than 800 educators will be offered a traditional education in art, music, theater or dance during the 2021-22 school year. Teaching certificate qualification.
“We are facing a critical teacher shortage, and with 15,000 teacher vacancies across the state, California will make hiring extremely competitive,” said Fillmore Rydeen, director of visual and performing arts for the Oakland Unified School District. “This whole thing is really going to drain the human and arts teaching capital that we need, and that’s going to be a challenge.”
Bruce Rockwell, who has taught choir, guitar and piano at Mt. Diablo Unified’s College Park High for the past 14 years, agrees.
“We’re all scrambling and asking, ‘Who’s graduating? Come get a job with us!’ We have these great plans, but they depend on us hiring people to fill these positions.” “
This gap may force districts to look outside the box for teachers they may not have previously considered for the classroom. That’s the hope of Schoolgig, a new platform designed to connect musicians, artists and performers with public schools across the state. Now, 20 school districts, including San Francisco Unified, Cabrillo Unified and West Contra Costa Unified, have signed on in hopes of bringing in new teachers from outside the traditional recruiting tracks.
These include artists, musicians and dancers who have never taught before but can become certified to teach through the California Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathway. With three years of work experience, a high school diploma, and verification from a sponsor approved by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (among other qualifications), prospective teachers can earn a “preliminary certificate” valid for three years, and additional certificates thereafter .
“Maybe you’re a drummer, a painter, a choreographer, whatever it is, and you’re like, wow. I don’t want to tour anymore,” said Elmo Lovano, who founded Schoolgig shortly after Proposition 28 passed. “I think the art world is actually going to be more receptive to this than people expect.”
Ten years ago, Jessica Shelton of Stockmeier was a professional piano accompanist and private music teacher. But over time, Shelton realized that she preferred the nature of working with students.
“There are a lot of people who really love teaching music,” said Shelton, who joined Cupertino Union this school year. “I wish there were more people like me.”
If districts can achieve this goal, it will mean a sea change for arts education in California. Over the years, budget cuts have led school districts to remove music and arts educators from classrooms—today, only one in five California public schools has teachers who specialize in the arts. In many schools, parent groups and educational foundations pay for children’s art projects.
Debbie Pettish, executive director of curriculum and instruction for the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, said most of the art supplies are donated by the community. But this year, schools were able to use Proposition 28 funds to provide everything from sheet music to pottery wheels.
“We’re really grateful to be able to spend money on visual and performing arts,” Pettish said. “But it’s a little challenging to understand all the nuances, and we’re still trying to bring it all together to provide the most accurate guidance for our principles.”
Across the Bay Area, school districts say there is a lack of guidance from the state. With so much money available, principals, administrators and school boards are eager to get things done, especially after waiting years for funding.
“There can be some pent-up frustration if there aren’t enough funds to meet all of our needs,” said Chovonta Edington, a band and orchestra teacher in charge of Proposition 28 planning for the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. “Now that we have access to this money, everyone is like, ‘Let’s go now!’ But we want to make sure we do it right.
