Eureka Union board approves district plan to spend state Prop 28 arts and music funds

The Eureka Union School District Board of Trustees on March 10 approved the district’s Prop 28 Art and Music Education Plan, which assigns new part‑time teaching positions and expands arts programming at multiple school sites.

The plan, presented by Dr. Gina Myers, district staff member, details how state Prop 28 funds will be used under the state 80/20 rule so that at least 80% of site allocations go to salaries and up to 20% to training, supplies and partnerships. "EPIC means Eureka programs and initiatives committee," Myers told the board as she described the local planning group behind the proposals.

The board-approved proposal funds 0.5 full‑time equivalent (FTE) music teachers at several TK–3 sites and additional 0.2–0.5 FTE or extra class periods for VAPA (visual and performing arts) at Cabot and Olympus junior highs. The presentation said the district expects to use two years of carryover from 2023–24 and 2024–25 to cover initial material and supply needs while employing Prop 28 primarily for staff costs. "The proposal this year is to utilize all of the funds that the sites have been at been allocated from TK–6 to, higher a 0.5, and that 0.5 is gonna make it really, really tight for them to have any extra funds," Myers said.

District staff told trustees that the Prop 28 allocations are site‑specific and cannot be moved from one site to another, and that the district has a two‑year window to spend funds before returning unspent money to the state. Staff said sites can combine allocations to fund fractional staff who split time across campuses, and that existing long‑term substitutes have been used this year to deliver curriculum while the district recruits credentialed music teachers.

Trustees questioned program choices and continuity into high school: board members pressed staff to ensure Jr. high offerings align with high‑school pathways and to make programs attractive to parents and donors. Several trustees said they want the district to keep refining program specifics once hires are in place. Jessica, President of the Eureka Schools Foundation, spoke earlier in the meeting about ESF’s recent fundraising success and said the foundation is supporting music and arts initiatives; staff noted ESF has contributed to music programs and library/makerspace improvements.

After public comment (none on this item) and trustee discussion, the board voted to approve the Prop 28 Art and Music Education Plan. The motion carried with all voting in favor.

District staff said they will continue recruiting credentialed teachers, may use existing district employees where feasible, and will report back with implementation details and measures of success such as participation rates, parent/teacher/student surveys and possible correlation of arts participation with academic measures.

Planning documents the board reviewed listed proposed uses including instrument rental systems, stage rehabilitation, podcast equipment, curriculum for TK–3 (QuaverEd), dance and movement partnerships (Superior Sports), and after‑school arts through STAR. Staff said some junior‑high classes (speech and debate, digital arts, music history and others) are already operating or growing at Cabot and Olympus.

The board asked staff to continue refining program lists and timelines and to report future hiring and budget impacts as carryover and new allocations are realized.