Passed in 2022, Proposition 28 provides annual state funding for art education in California’s K-12 public schools, according to the California Department of Education. This funding supports arts programs like those in Piedmont Unified School District (PUSD).
The funding, which began in the 2023-24 school year, has spending restrictions.
At least 80% of the funding has to go towards employees providing arts education, according to PUSD Chief Business Officer Ruth Alahydoian.
Alahydoian said up to 20% of the funding is for non-person expenses, and a final 1% can be allocated to administrative costs.
While the 2024-25 funding has already been spent, PUSD still had the full $263,901 from the 2023-24 school year, which hadn’t been spent due to a delay in receiving final state guidelines.
In recent meetings with Assistant Superintendent Ariel Dolowich, the art department decided how to allocate 20% of this remaining amount across different departments to provide supplies to departments that needed them. The table below outlines how the $46,446.05 was spent.
| Department | Amount Spent | Supplies Bought |
| Drama | $2,081.21 | Sweetwater sound
Wireless microphone belts |
| Visual Art | $2,036.07 | Clay and glaze for Havens Elementary School
Blick art supplies for Havens Elementary School |
| Piedmont High School Music | $11,895.61 | Trumpets, trombones, and baritone saxophones |
| Piedmont Middle School Music | $13,004.33 | Alto saxophones, trumpets, flutes, and trombones |
| Beach, Havens, and Wildwood Elementary Schools | $17,428.83 | Violins, cellos, and trumpets. |
