Bakersfield City School District Goes All In for Music, Arts Education 

Ten-year-old Jessa sits in the back of her classroom, her fingers nervously tapping the edge of her desk. Today is music day — her favorite day. As soon as the bell rings, she rushes to the music room at the end of the hall, picking up the violin she borrowed for the year. For the next hour, she is transported, no longer just another student in a crowded classroom but a musician. For Jessa, and countless other kids like her across California, the arts offer a lifeline, a place to shine, and a chance to dream beyond their circumstances.

This is the promise of Proposition 28 — the Arts and Music in Schools Act — which California voters overwhelmingly approved back in 2022. With nearly $1 billion in new funding dedicated to arts and music education each year, Jessa’s dream — and those of countless other students like her — will now have a much greater chance of becoming reality. 

“It’s a true game changer for arts education,” said Michael Stone, coordinator of the Visual and Performing Arts Department at the Bakersfield City School District (BCSD). “We can look to a bright future for arts in our schools.”

BCSD has long been a leader in music education, Stone explained, and with new funding comes the ability to continue expanding its music program while also extending its reach to other art disciplines like dance, theatre, and visual arts that were previously limited due to a lack of funding.

Over the past two school years alone, the district has hired 18 new arts teachers. Through a new Elementary Arts Integration Program, elementary school students are now provided foundational learning in all arts disciplines. For even more art enrichment, the district’s fifth-grade ArtReach Program, in collaboration with Bakersfield Museum of Art (BMoA), pairs teaching artists from the community along with classroom teachers. Separately, the district’s Mariachi and Folklorico is poised to almost double this fall in participating schools from just two years ago.

“Our investment is already beginning to blossom for our students,” Stone said. “All our children dance, act, draw and paint, sing, and move to music.” 

Research has consistently shown that arts education is more than just an “extra” in a child’s school day. Students who participate perform better academically, exhibit stronger social-emotional skills, and are more likely to engage in their communities.

“We have data showing that our students who participate in arts classes have higher grade point averages, as well as better attendance rates than students not in these classes,” Stone said.  

Over the summer, BCSD made a significant investment in its music program. Using COVID-relief dollars, known as ESSER III funds, the district purchased more than 2,100 musical instruments that will benefit students at all school sites.  

Stone explained that many BCSD families are challenged to rent or purchase a musical instrument necessary to participate in our music program, so a concerted effort has been made to take down any financial barriers that might exist. The district has built a large inventory of musical instruments that can be used by students who enroll in band and orchestra classes. 

“Our goal is to ensure that every child who wants to play a musical instrument in the school music program has an instrument to call their own for the school year,” Stone said. “Our instruments are of high quality and will last for many years, impacting thousands of students over the years.”

BCSD’s music programs have been recognized by the California School Board Association through its Golden Bell Awards on two occasions over the past decade.

While Prop 28’s passage marks a significant victory in art education, its success depends on how funds are implemented and utilized at the district level. 80 percent of the funding must be used to hire new arts staff, with the remaining 20 percent allocated for arts supplies and materials.

Advocates — including Austin Beutner, former superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District and author of Prop 28 — are calling for transparency and community involvement to ensure that every dollar makes a difference.

“The unfortunate thing is that some school districts are violating the law and using the money to pay for things that they were already doing,” Beutner said. 

While critical of how some school districts throughout the state have used new funding, Beurtner has been very complimentary of BCSD. 

“They know what good looks like,” he said of BCSD.

As Stone looks to the future with optimism, he was quick to acknowledge BCSD’s Board of Education, district leadership, and arts program staff who have collectively worked to provide an environment that has cultivated equity, innovation, and excellence in the district’s arts programs.

Our plan is to continue to analyze data, make decisions in the best interest of our students, and build access points for students to participate in arts education,” he said. “We know that arts education is an investment that serves our students at school, but also in life.”