Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Arts Programming topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board hears Prop 28-driven arts expansion; staff detail hires, programs and a $100,000 grant
Summary
District arts leaders described plans to expand music and visual arts across all sites using Prop 28 funds, including hiring six art TOSAs, maintaining a 26-person music team, partnerships with Disney and Mariachi Nationals, and a $100,000 grant to support musicals in nine schools.
Anaheim Elementary School District arts staff on Aug. 14 outlined how the district plans to use Prop 28 funds to expand music and visual arts access across its elementary campuses.
Director of Curriculum and Instruction Maria Villegas, coordinator Mark Anderson and teacher-on-assignment Laura Houston presented community feedback from arts focus groups and a program plan that emphasizes music, visual arts, teacher professional development and expanded performance opportunities. Houston said the district added six art teacher-on-special-assignment (TOSA) positions this year, with each TOSA intended to visit every school one week per month to co-teach and model art instruction.
The presentation highlighted a 26-person music teacher team serving all 23 sites from preschool through sixth grade, summer Arts Express residential experiences for sixth-graders, and partnerships with community providers including MusicWill and El Sol Mariachi. Staff announced a $100,000 grant to expand the Disney Broadway Bound musical-theatre program and said nine schools will participate this year.
Public speakers during the meeting also urged accountability in how Prop 28 funds are used. Crystal Reynolds Rivas asked the district to post a "certification stating that Prop 28 funds have not been used to supplement any existing spending" and to publish baseline spending figures for the 2022-23 school year and comparable teacher counts for 2023-24.
Trustees praised the presentation and asked staff to share contact information so community members and parents can join arts planning activities. Staff said they collected more than 3,300 survey responses in outreach and convened focus groups that informed the plan.
What happens next: staff said TOSA positions begin Monday and the district will continue community outreach and professional development, including a two-day MusicWill residency in September for all music teachers.
