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AUHSD presentation details Prop 28‑funded expansion as students press for career pathways
Summary
The Anaheim Union High School District heard a year‑one 'State of the Arts' report from Director Brian Bellski and student leaders, which highlighted curriculum mapping, Prop 28 investments, hiring of 355 arts assistants, and plans to expand career pathways and facilities across campuses.
Brian Bellski, the district’s director of arts education, and members of the Youth Arts Council presented a year‑one "State of the Arts" report to the Anaheim Union High School District board, describing how recent funding and planning are being used to grow arts programs and student pathways.
The presentation emphasized three focus areas—content, infrastructure and sustainability—and spotlighted concrete results. Bellski said the district completed phase one of 7–12 performing‑arts curriculum mapping, hired 355 part‑time arts assistants (accompanists, choreographers, teaching artists) and used Proposition 28 and other arts funding to reach roughly 12,500 students in arts courses across AUHSD. He also reported that arts enrollment has risen to about 48% of the student population and that the district expects to offer vocal music on every campus in 2026–27.
Why it matters: the district framed arts instruction as a direct pipeline to careers in the creative economy and as a tool for student engagement. Students and staff described how investments are creating new opportunities and professionalized learning spaces. "The arts are so much more than people realize. It gives a chance for each student to express themselves," said student leader Sunshine Higgby, who is active in Kennedy High School’s art and theater programs.
The report cataloged facility investments and program supports already underway: Cook Auditorium renovations, a new Gilbert music studio, upgrades to band rooms and digital music labs, and a districtwide push to replace aging instruments and theater tech. Student speakers and directors also urged more field trips, college partnerships and internships to connect classroom learning to post‑secondary and industry pathways.
Board members asked about new partnerships and technical theater supports. Bellski said the district is pursuing partnerships in lighting design, technical theater and professional musical organizations, and noted informal conversations with entertainment employers and higher‑education partners to expand school‑to‑career options.
What’s next: the arts office plans to expand curriculum alignment into visual arts, develop new elective courses (for example, acting for film and TV) and grow teacher coaching for early‑career arts instructors. The Youth Arts Council will be extended to include site‑based leadership and will provide monthly arts updates to the board. The district said it will continue to use Prop 28 funding to stabilize staffing and programming and to pilot expanded access such as transportation for off‑site arts competitions and events.
The board thanked the students and staff for the report and recognized the presentation as a step toward embedding arts into broader career and academic planning.
