Buena Park board approves Prop 28-aligned VAPA plan after district showcase of student performances

The Buena Park School District Board of Education on April 2025 unanimously approved the district's Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) plan, a Prop 28-funded program the district says will expand arts instruction, staffing and after-school enrichment across elementary and middle schools.

The plan, presented by Sandra Song, director of educational programs, and Sari Huang, chief academic officer, outlines actions to "Imagine, Create, Showcase" student work, prioritize staffing (the plan notes state rules require at least 80% of Prop 28 funds be used for staffing in larger districts), expand visual and digital arts, and leverage after-school (ELOP) time for performing arts. The board voted 5-0 to approve the plan after a public VAPA showcase that included student choir, percussion and an elementary production excerpt.

Song opened the presentation by describing the district's existing arts activity and student awards, saying, "I am thrilled to present to you the Buena Park School District's visual and Performing Arts VAPA showcase presentation." Huang summarized Prop 28 and its local implications, telling the board, "This measure ensures ongoing dedicated funding to support arts education in schools" and noted the state finalized the funding in May 2024.

Board discussion centered on implementation and continuity through grade levels. Trustee Jensen asked whether the district risked creating a "vacuum" between elementary arts exposure and middle-school offerings, saying the district had "primed them and then we've left a void." Huang and Song said the plan aims to build pathways from TK-8 and to coordinate with feeder high schools and community partners. The presentation also described current elementary music elements (rhythms and recorders), middle-school electives (band, choir, orchestra, percussion, digital arts) and partnerships that supported recent school musicals and district showcases.

Presenters and teachers described local arts activities and supports that have grown this year: Corey Elementary's Disney musicals program (productions funded in part by a Segerstrom Center grant), a district art contest, participation in the City of Buena Park art show, and a growing middle-school percussion program that has competed regionally. Teacher Kathy Hackett summarized Corey's musical theater work, saying the production involved after-school rehearsals, costumes, sets and new sound equipment. Kelsey Lee, director of choirs and orchestras at Buena Park Middle School, introduced the district choir festival and the student performance of "We Are the World."

Board members who spoke praised the student performances and the plan's direction while asking for more detail on timelines, staffing allocations and connections to high-school pathways. Huang said the district surveyed staff, parents and students and will continue to work with the fiscal and site leaders as programs scale. The presentation and the VAPA plan document (attached to the board agenda) identify three priority action areas: maintain high-quality music and visual-arts instruction, strategically expand access (particularly in elementary grades), and increase after-school performing-arts enrichment.

In other business the board approved routine consent items and several resolutions on a unanimous 5-0 vote (see "Votes at a glance"). The board also approved a sixth-through-eighth-grade overnight trip for the academic pentathlon competition in San Antonio, Texas.

The district said Prop 28 funds are meant to supplement, not supplant, existing arts programs; for districts over the state threshold the plan notes the minimum staffing usage requirement and states the remainder may fund professional development, materials and community partnerships unless the district seeks a waiver. The VAPA steering committee that shaped the plan began work in October 2024, the presenters said, using staff, parent and student surveys and consultation with fiscal staff and site leaders.

The board will receive additional program details and rollout information in future reports; trustees asked staff to return with more specifics on how elementary offerings will connect with middle- and high-school pathways and on any external funding or community partnerships that will support expansion.

Votes at a glance - Approval of VAPA plan (Prop 28-aligned): motion to approve; second recorded; vote 5-0 (approved). - Approval of sixth-through-eighth grade overnight: motion to approve travel to 2025 Academic Pentathlon in San Antonio, TX; vote 5-0 (approved). - Resolution 24-20 through -26 (School Nurse Day): adopted 5-0. - Resolution 24-29 (implementing certificated layoff): adopted 5-0. - Resolution 24-30 (implementing classified layoff): adopted 5-0. - Approval of changes to employment terms for confidential/management employees: approved 5-0. - Approval of corrected teacher and special services salary schedules (effective 07/01/2024): approved 5-0. - Resolution 24-31 (participation in SC AQMD Lower Emission School Bus Program): adopted 5-0 (district staff said grants and stacked funding covered price differences for three buses). - Multiple appreciation/recognition resolutions (School Bus Drivers Day; School Nutrition Employee Week; School Principals Day; Teacher Appreciation Week): adopted 5-0 each. - Consent calendar: approved 5-0.

The board framed the VAPA plan as a multi-year effort that will be phased and informed by further fiscal analysis; staff noted the full VAPA plan document was included with the agenda and will be the basis for forthcoming budget and implementation reports.