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Students, teachers and unions urge board to protect Youth Cinema Project and arts programs amid budgettalks
Summary
Students, parents, teachers and union leaders urged the Hacienda La Puente board to preserve the Youth Cinema Project, VAPA and music programs, citing student opportunity, Prop 28/AB 181 funding, and the need for instruments and program continuity.
Dozens of students, teachers, parents and union representatives told the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District board that the Youth Cinema Project (YCP), visual and performing arts (VAPA) classes and school music programs should be retained and funded.
Students from La Puente High School and middle schools described YCP as a pathway that helped them find careers and college opportunities; several said cutting the summer program or the pathway would remove critical creative and career training. Alexis Preciado, a La Puente High senior, told the board that losing YCP would “take away safe space, opportunity and confidence” that the program has created. Student speakers, some of whom reported internships or work on studio lots, urged the board to sustain the program.
Educators and union leaders framed the request in budget and program terms. Danny Tucker, president of the Hacienda La Puente Teachers Association (HLPTA), reminded the board that Proposition 30/55 extensions and state arts funding matter to district finances and warned that losses in state funding could reduce district revenue by material amounts. VAPA teachers and band directors described how one‑time grant spending (AB 181 and Prop 28 allocations) had supplied new instruments and equipment, and they urged the board to adopt a sustainable plan to maintain and repair instruments rather than rescind program investments.
Band boosters and music directors emphasized the practical needs: replacement instruments, a repair budget, and continuity of staff. Robert Marshall, director of bands and choirs at La Puente High School, said new equipment had immediately improved student engagement and projected program growth.
Board members acknowledged the public testimony and the complexity of budgeting decisions. Staff noted that some grant funds are one‑time and that equipment and program timelines must be matched to available revenue; trustees asked for additional clarity on which programs are funded by recurring versus one‑time dollars.
Next steps: Several speakers asked the board to delay cuts until the board can publish program‑level budget details and to consider options that protect students’ CTE and arts pathways. The board scheduled a continuance and will consider remaining agenda items at the continued meeting.
