Proposition 28 - Here’s What Teachers Need to Know.
In November 2022, California voters passed Proposition 28, the Arts and Music in Schools Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act. If you teach film, media arts, broadcasting, or any creative pathway program, this matters to you.
Here is a plain-language breakdown of what Prop 28 does, who qualifies, and how the funding can be used.
What Is Prop 28?
Prop 28 mandates that California set aside an amount equal to 1% of the prior year’s Prop 98 funding. Prop 98 is the formula that guarantees baseline school funding. That works out to roughly $900 million per year, distributed to eligible schools across the state.
Public schools, charter schools, kindergartens, and State Special Schools are all eligible. The money flows from the California Department of Education to Local Education Authorities (LEAs), which then allocate it to individual schools.
Eligible arts programs include music, visual arts, theater, media arts, film, carpentry, dance, graphic design, computer coding, and costume design, among others.
How Can the Money Be Spent?
The law divides the funding into two buckets:
80% must go toward hiring and compensating employees who teach arts education.
20% can be spent on supplies, supplemental services, training, and partnership programs related to the arts.
That second bucket, the 20%, is where teachers have the most direct flexibility. It is designed for the kinds of tools and resources that supplement what is already happening in the classroom.
One important detail: under California Education Code Section 8820(f)(2), schools have a three-year window to spend their allocated Prop 28 funds. Any amount left unspent at the end of that three-year period is reported to the California Department of Education and collected for reallocation to all LEAs in the following fiscal year. The funds do not disappear, but they do leave your school, so it pays to have a plan.
What Does “Supplemental Services” Actually Mean?
This is the part that trips a lot of teachers up. “Supplemental services” and “partnership programs” can include curriculum resources, online courses, professional development, and partnerships with industry providers, as long as they are connected to arts education.
For film and media instructors, this opens the door to bringing professional-grade content into the classroom without relying on the general school budget. It is particularly valuable in schools where budget constraints have historically made it hard to access current industry resources or bring in outside expertise.
What Teachers Are Saying
Michael Angelo Jones, a Visual Arts Teacher at Casa Roble Fundamental High School north of Sacramento, put it plainly. Before Prop 28, he spent a significant amount of time chasing grants and alternative funding sources just to keep his media arts program running. When Prop 28 funding arrived, it changed his day-to-day reality.
“It really helps me feel good as a teacher to know that I’ve got something that’s going to support me,” he shared. “I don’t have to worry about figuring out how I’m going to get this for my students. It’s going to be there for me to actually support them.”
For teachers like Mr. Jones, and there are thousands across California, Prop 28 is not just a funding mechanism. It is peace of mind.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind
If you are a teacher or administrator thinking through how to use Prop 28 funds, here are a few practical considerations:
Talk to your administrator. Schools are encouraged to involve teachers in planning how Prop 28 funds are spent. Make sure you are part of that conversation.
Know your three-year window. Prop 28 funds must be spent within three years of allocation. It is worth knowing where your school stands in that cycle so you can plan accordingly.
Document your spending. Your governing body reviews school expenditures annually and posts a public report. Good recordkeeping matters.
Think about what your students actually need. Prop 28 is meant to fill gaps, whether that is equipment, curriculum resources, or access to professional expertise your students would not otherwise have.
