Educational services staff presented the Lawndale Elementary School Districts proposed 202560 2030 Strategic Arts Plan and told the board the district will submit the full plan for approval at the Sept. 4 meeting. The presentation described a five-year roadmap intended to expand arts access, align spending with Prop 28 funding and set measurable outcomes.

Dr. Pamela Ho of the educational services department, who led the presentation, said the plan "is intentionally aligned to our LCAP goals" and that "the arts are not an elective. They are essential for equity, for social emotional growth, and, for future success." She described four strategic directions, nine specific goals with measurable actions, and a two-phase implementation that begins with infrastructure and pilots and moves to districtwide scaling.

Ho said the planning process used workshops, focus groups and a structured facilitation method to ensure stakeholder input from staff, teachers, parents, students and community partners. She named PS Arts, SMOA, Harmony Project and the Take Part Festival among long-standing community partners and said the timing "coincides nicely with our Prop 28 funding." The plan includes hiring qualified visual and performing arts instructors, creating digital student art portfolios and implementing a districtwide model to track arts expenditures in alignment with Prop 28 guidelines.

Board members asked clarifying questions during the presentation; Clerk Rudolph offered brief praise for recent campus improvements and the board discussed whether the district would pursue awards tied to arts programming. No formal vote was taken; staff characterized the presentation as a first reading and said they will return with the complete plan at the Sept. 4 meeting for board action.

The plan is intended to increase student participation in arts programming, create sustainable staffing and funding models and expand professional development and partnerships over five years. The district will measure success with the stated outcomes in the plan and by aligning arts expenditures with Prop 28 compliance and reporting timelines.

Next steps: staff will submit the full Strategic Arts Plan for board consideration and likely vote at the Sept. 4 meeting, per the presentation.