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Students and staff outline proposed middle school electives expansion using Prop 28 funds
Summary
District leaders and students presented a plan to use Prop 28 arts funding to expand electives at the middle school. Student survey results prioritized art, design lab, robotics and computer coding; presenters said Prop 28 funds are intended to supplement, not supplant, existing community‑funded arts programs.
District leaders and students presented proposed middle‑school elective additions the district hopes to fund with Prop 28 arts money, including music technology, computer coding, robotics/engineering and a design lab.
Superintendent Dr. Kaufman explained the district surveyed fifth through eighth graders about elective preferences and said student voice was central to choices: “student voice drives a lot of what you do at the secondary level,” she said. Staff and students described a short list of high‑priority electives that matched student requests and district goals to build pathways into career technical education and high‑school capstone courses.
Students who currently participate in electives described their experiences. Olivia, a student, said the drama class “gave me a break and a chance to be creative” and praised the safe, collaborative environment the teacher created. Coleman Sawyer, who teaches design lab and robotics, said the design lab currently covers computer‑aided design, audio/video production and collaborative computer literacy and that the course could be expanded to include coding and maker activities.
District staff emphasized that Prop 28 funds must be used to increase arts and music offerings and cannot supplant existing programs funded by the district or the education foundation. The presentation noted the district already offers music, band, orchestra, chorus, art and language options; Prop 28 funding would extend access to media arts, coding and other technology‑adjacent electives in a way that complements, rather than replaces, community‑funded offerings.
Next steps Staff said they will proceed to design classes and schedules based on enrollment choices and staffing, align electives with high‑school pathways where possible, and form a student superintendent council to continue student input into course offerings.
Ending Students and staff asked trustees to support a variety of elective opportunities so more middle‑school students can access arts, STEM and design‑oriented classes.
