Community
New law eases arts-funding rules as LAUSD lawsuit continues
Assembly Bill 2440 clarifies how schools may use Proposition 28 arts money, while Los Angeles Unified still faces a lawsuit alleging up to $77 million was misspent.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2440 on September 27, creating new statewide guidance for how school systems may use voter-approved Proposition 28 arts funding, the Los Angeles Times reported. The law is intended to help districts move unspent money into arts instruction while meeting the measure’s requirement that the funds supplement, rather than replace, existing arts spending.
What it means locally
The new law expands eligible arts-program expenses to include curriculum, instructional materials and professional development, and it sets a calculation for determining whether a school system has maintained its existing arts support. Proposition 28, approved by California voters in 2022, dedicates an amount equal to about 1% of the state’s base education funding to arts programs each year. Separately, Los Angeles Unified remains a defendant in a lawsuit alleging that it used as much as $77 million of Proposition 28 money to replace existing arts spending. The district denies the allegation, and the new law does not resolve that case. The accompanying photograph shows the LAUSD All District High School Honor Band at the 2017 Rose Parade and is not an image of the bill signing or litigation.
Full report and further details: Read original report →