WHEREAS, The arts are a necessary and required component of every California pupil’s education to develop well-rounded, life-long learners who contribute to the prosperity and quality of life for local and global communities; and

WHEREAS, Visual and performing arts education is crucial to achieving a state educational policy devoted to the teaching of essential academic skills and lifelong learning capacities to truly prepare all children for success after high school regardless of gender, age, economic status, physical ability, or learning ability; and

WHEREAS, Visual and performing arts education, including dance, media arts, music, theater, and visual arts, develops engaged, creative, expressive, responsive, empathetic, and artistically literate citizens; and

WHEREAS, Visual and performing arts education has a unique ability to communicate the ideas and emotions of the human spirit and connect us to our history, heritage, and culture, thereby fostering cultural understanding, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and collaborative skills; and

WHEREAS, Visual and performing arts education prepares pupils for the 21st century workforce, furthers academic goals, complements learning in other core subjects, improves pupil engagement and attendance, strengthens parent and community engagement, and enhances a positive school culture and climate; and

WHEREAS, The visual and performing arts are a recognized part of a quality education, and the University of California and the California State University have instituted a policy that includes visual and performing arts education as a college preparatory subject for all high school pupils wishing to enter the state’s institutions of higher education; and

WHEREAS, Every pupil has a right to a well-rounded education that includes the arts and the benefits it brings, as mandated in Sections 51210 and 51220 of the Education Code, which state, in part, that the adopted course of study shall include instruction in and courses on visual and performing arts, including instruction in dance, music, theater, and visual arts, all aimed at the “development of aesthetic appreciation and the skills of creative expression”; and

WHEREAS, The State of California, through the local control funding formula, has provided flexibility for local educational agencies to direct growing resources towards visual and performing arts education; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature intends that this funding help implement a comprehensive vision for visual and performing arts education at the local level to ensure that every pupil in the state benefits from this investment; and

WHEREAS, This funding is the first step in investing in quality visual and performing arts education programs for all California pupils; and

WHEREAS, The State Board of Education adopted the California Arts Standards for Public Schools, Prekindergarten Through Grade Twelve in 2019 and the California Arts Education Framework for Public Schools, Transitional Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve in 2020, which provide a foundation for the development of artistic competencies and the cultivation of a lifelong appreciation and understanding of the arts. The California Arts Standards reflect the fundamental belief that every child should have equitable access to high-quality, standards-based visual and performing arts education to thrive and participate in modern society; and

WHEREAS, Many national and state professional visual and performing arts education associations hold celebrations in March, giving California schools a unique opportunity to focus on the value of the arts for all pupils, foster cross-cultural understanding, provide recognition to the state’s outstanding young artists, and enhance public support for this essential part of the curriculum; now, therefore, be it