REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 02/16/2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: City Manager's Office
SUBJECT:
Title
Consideration of support for Initiative No 21-0036, The Arts and Music in Schools - Funding Guarantee Accountability Act, a state ballot measure to permanently dedicate additional funding to Music & Arts education in California schools.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The City Council will consider supporting a November 2022 state ballot measure that permanently dedicates additional funding to Music & Arts education in California schools without raising taxes. It would provide funding to all Preschool-12 public schools statewide, with an increased allocation to schools that serve low-income students to create more equitable and inclusive access to Music & Arts education.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council express support for Initiative No 21-0036, The Arts and Music in Schools - Funding Guarantee Accountability Act, a November 2022 state ballot measure to permanently dedicate additional funding to Music & Arts education in California.
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BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
Public schools are operated primarily by local education agencies (LEAs)-school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, California's public schools enrolled just over 6 million students from Transitional Kindergarten through grade 12. Roughly 60 percent of public-school students are low-income, as defined by their eligibility to receive a free- or reduced-price meal at school under a federal nutrition program. The State also provides public preschool to some 3- and 4-year-olds from low-income families, though funding is not sufficient to serve all eligible children.
The State does not require schools to provide instruction or programming in the arts (such as music) in elementary and middle schools. These programs are funded based on the discretion of local governing boards. In some cases...
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