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District reports first-year gains from Prop 28 arts funding, highlights teacher collaboration
Summary
La Mesa‑Spring Valley school officials told the board April 1 that first‑year implementation of Proposition 28 has added credentialed arts teachers, increased elementary arts instruction and created release time for teacher collaboration, which leaders said improved engagement and helped lower chronic absenteeism at some sites.
La Mesa‑Spring Valley school officials on April 1 presented the board with a year‑one report on implementing Proposition 28-funded Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) programming, saying the voter-approved funding has expanded arts access and given teachers dedicated collaboration time.
Christian, the district’s coordinator of VAPA, told the board the program has placed a team of credentialed arts teachers in elementary schools and added music or arts courses at several middle schools, including Spring Valley Academy, Parkway and Elmac. "Prop 28 was passed by 64% of California voters in November 2022," Christian said, then described how district teams deliver sequential, standards-based arts lessons to classrooms on a recurring rotation.
Julie Banks described the program’s release time for teachers: every three weeks students receive VAPA instruction while teachers have roughly 1 to 1.75 hours of structured collaboration to analyze student work, review data and plan instruction. Banks said that focused time allows grade‑level teams, the principal and the instructional specialist to make immediate, data‑driven adjustments: "This time has been incredibly valuable," she said.
Principal Nathan Saso described local results at Bankra Elementary, saying staff have used the release time to monitor Spotlight students and that the site has seen climbing attendance and improving scores. "Our attendance rates have been climbing thanks to the job that they're doing," he said, adding that the VAPA classes also provide inclusive opportunities for students in SDC classrooms.
Presenters named VAPA teachers Wendy Cross and Heather Gaun and noted one teacher joining remotely. Officials said the district now has eight credentialed elementary arts teachers and that the program also funds materials and expanded offerings across sites.
Board members and staff praised the program’s reach and inclusivity for students with special needs; no formal board action was required. The presentation concluded with board members thanking staff and students for the spotlight and for the VAPA updates.
