Summary statement
“We are thrilled with the passage of Prop. 28 that will result in an increase in arts education in schools. With 80% of the funding going to salaries, we know that there will be even more arts educators and students for the VAPA Foundation to support. The need for funding for student arts experiences in the community, supplies, and honor events, just to name a few, will only grow in a post Prop. 28 world.”
In more detail
The VAPA Foundation is thrilled that California voters have approved Proposition 28, which provides significant new resources to arts education in public schools. The VAPA Foundation’s goal is to ensure that all students in San Diego Unified School District receive a full and complete arts education, and we are so excited that Californians agree that this is a priority.
Given this expansion of arts education that will begin in the fall of 2023, SDUSD will have even more arts classes to support. While the new state funds are significant, there will still be profound needs to provide a comprehensive arts education for all students. The VAPA Foundation plays a unique role in:
- Developing relationships with community funders, philanthropists and corporations that the district is not equipped to manage or receive funds from
- Developing and maintaining partnerships with a wide range of community arts organizations that provide culturally relevant artistic experiences
- Providing summer arts programming through the San Diego Foundation’s Level Up program
- Encouraging teachers to think innovatively in creating unique arts lessons and experiences for students that even enhanced school budgets cannot support
- Providing experiences for students beyond the classroom in our city’s robust arts and cultural scene–our students need resources to go out and see performances and exhibitions.
- Artistically accomplished middle and high school students deserve to have opportunities to perform and exhibit in our city’s iconic performance venues and art galleries.
- While Prop. 28 will provide substantial funding for schools, there may not be enough to fund more than one arts discipline at a smaller school site. The VAPA Foundation will help support access to a well-rounded arts education in dance, media arts, music, theatre and visual arts.
- The arts have been under and unfunded for generations, and it will take years to provide the necessary materials, consumables, and professional learning to support all students. Individual funding for expansion and growth for students, teachers, and programs will still be a required necessity.
In short, with Prop. 28 in place, there will be more arts in schools, and therefore even more reason for the VAPA Foundation to develop and grow on behalf of our city’s young people. Your support of VAPA will go even further in impact now that Prop 28 is in place, as we turn from shoring up programs to enhancing them into more exciting and transformative experiences for students in San Diego.
We hope you agree with us that in today’s world, arts education is critical to the development of our young people. With a quality, student-centered arts education experience, we know our city’s youth will be more productive members of our community, they will be well-prepared for our region’s $11 billion creative sector, and they will become the arts patrons of the future, ensuring a vibrant cultural scene in San Diego for generations to come.
VAPA Foundation
Prop 28 Resources
Ballot language
KPBS Story