Arts and Music in Schools (AMS) Funds

Arts and Music in Schools (AMS) Funds is sponsored by California Department of Education. Proposition 28 established a steady funding source to expand arts and music instruction in California schools.

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On November 8, 2022, California voters approved Proposition 28: The Arts and Music in Schools (AMS) Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act. The measure required the state to establish a new, ongoing program supporting arts instruction in schools beginning in 2023–24.

The legislation allocates 1 percent of the kindergarten through grade twelve (K–12) portion of the Proposition 98 funding guarantee provided in the prior fiscal year, excluding funding appropriated for the AMS education program.

Local educational agencies (LEAs) with 500 or more students are required to ensure that at least 80 percent of AMS funds to be expended are used to employ certificated or classified employees to provide arts education program instruction.

The remaining funds must be used for training, supplies and materials, and arts educational partnership programs, with no more than 1 percent of funds received to be used for an LEA’s administrative expenses. The full text of the statute is available here: Chapter 5.

1 of Part 6 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the California Education Code (EC) Section 8820 et seq LEA Web Portal and Reports Funding details are available on the California Department of Education (CDE) Principal Apportionment Section for AMS web page .

Proposition 28: 2023–24 Arts and Music in Schools Funding Results Proposition 28: 2024–25 Arts and Music in Schools Funding Results Proposition 28: 2025–26 Arts and Music in Schools Funding Results Annual audits of K-12 local educational agencies (LEAs) conducted in accordance with Education Code (EC) Section 41020 shall include funds received and distributed by the LEA pursuant to Proposition 28—The Arts and Music in Schools (AMS) Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act ( EC Section 8820) and shall include a determination of whether the funds were expended pursuant to statutory requirements.

For general information on the LEA annual audit process, please view Local Educational Agency Annual Audits - Auditing (CA Dept of Education) . For specific audit information regarding this program, the Proposition 28 Arts and Music in Schools – Financial Reporting and Audit Resources webpage provides information about the conditions of receipt of AMS funds, the expenditure period, financial reporting, and the annual audit.

It also includes sample calculations to determine if an LEA is in compliance with specific sections of statute. Additionally, this web page includes a link to the Education Audit Appeals Panel Annual Audit Guide and an Excel workbook titled Arts and Music in Schools Audit Compliance Worksheets (XLSX) , which was developed to assist LEAs in demonstrating compliance with some of the audit requirements, including supplement not supplant.

LEA Web Portal and Reports LEAs can access the AMS web portal to submit written waiver requests, reports, and certifications associated with the Proposition 28: The Arts and Music in Schools Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act.

AMS Portal Technical Assistance Videos Local Educational Agency Annual Reports As per EC Section 8820(g)(4), the LEA and the Department internet websites will post the annual board- or body-approved report that details the type of arts education programs funded by the program, the number of full-time equivalent teachers, classified personnel, and teaching aides, the number of pupils served, and the number of school sites providing arts education programs with those funds.

The attachment below serves as a master file of the LEA submissions to the California Department of Education (CDE) and will be updated as necessary. AMS Annual Report Template (PDF) Per EC Section 8820(g)(4), this form may be used to prepare and post the annual report to the LEA website. The attachment below serves as a master file of the LEA submissions to the CDE and will be updated as necessary.

2023–24 Proposition 28: The Arts and Music in Schools Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act LEA Annual Reports (XLSX; Updated 19-May-2025) 2024–25 Proposition 28: The Arts and Music in Schools Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act LEA Annual Reports (XLSX; Updated 07-Jan-2026) Local Educational Agency Final Expenditure Reports As per EC Section 8820(f) (1) Funds allocated pursuant to subdivision (d) shall be available for use for up to three fiscal years after which time the unexpended funds shall be reverted to the department, which shall reallocate those funds to all local educational agencies in the following fiscal year pursuant to subdivision (c).

(2) Local educational agencies are required to report to the department the amount of unexpended funds by October 1 following the conclusion of the expenditure period pursuant to paragraph (1). If a charter school ceases to operate, a final expenditure report shall be due to the department within 60 days of the effective date of closure and the department shall collect any unexpended amounts.

(3) The department may withhold the release of a local educational agency’s allocation pursuant to this section for the fiscal year in which the expenditure report required by paragraph (2) is due until that local educational agency has submitted the required expenditure report.

AMS Final Expenditure Report Template (PDF) Per EC Section 8820(f), this form may be used to prepare the final expenditure report for submission to the AMS Web Portal. Frequently Asked Questions Below is a link to the list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to the Proposition 28—Arts and Music Education Funding Program.

The FAQs are organized into three sections: Funding Calculations and Apportionment of Funds, Use of Arts and Music (AMS) Funds, and Reporting, Annual Audits, and Waivers. The frequently asked questions webpage is updated as additional information becomes available.

Frequently Asked Questions California Arts Standards for Public Schools, Prekindergarten Through Grade Twelve (PDF) The 2019 California Arts Standards for Public Schools, Prekindergarten Through Grade Twelve (Arts Standards) update the four arts disciplines—dance, music, theatre, and visual arts—and include new standards for media arts as a discrete discipline.

Media arts includes diverse categories such as digital imaging, animation, sound production, web design, virtual reality, and interactive design, along with new and emerging forms. The Arts Standards reflect the fundamental belief that every child should have equitable access to high-quality, standards-based arts education to thrive and participate in modern society.

California Arts Education Framework for Public Schools, Transitional Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (PDF) The California Arts Education Framework for Public Schools, Transitional Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (Arts Education Framework) provides updated guidance for educators and others interested in arts education to implement the Arts Standards .

Together, the Arts Standards and the Arts Education Framework support students in developing artistic literacy through authentic processes that artists engage in. This document provides dates related to the AMS funding report deadlines and AMS Portal submission windows for required reporting. A range of organizations in California have developed guidance for implementing the AMS at the local level.

Select resources are listed below.

The Los Angeles County Arts Education Collective: Resources for Arts and Music in Schools (Prop 28) Implementation Commission on Teacher Credentialing: Guidance on the Arts and Music in Schools-Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act Commission on Teacher Credentialing: Appropriate Credentials for CALPADS Course Codes Commission on Teacher Credentialing: Approved Institutions and Programs Create California, Prop 28: Arts and Music in Schools Planning Toolkit (highlighted in the 2/1/2024 webinar) California County Superintendents Arts Initiative, Service Regions, and Leadership Contacts (highlighted in the 2/1/2024 webinar) Ask CODA, County Office Digital Assistant for Prop 28 & AMS funding Powered by the California County Superintendents Arts Initiative Arts Education and the California Dashboard ArtsEdSearch compiles research on the impact of arts education California Arts Education Framework, resources for implementation California County Superintendents Arts Initiative, “Thanks to Prop 28 School Districts Need Arts Teachers” Chapter 5.

1 of Part 6 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code (Section 8820 et seq.) Proposition 28 Official Voter Information Guide, California Secretary of State Proposition 28 [Ballot] (ca.

gov) – Legislative Analyst Office Ballot Analysis Webinar 1 (February 1, 2024) On February 1, 2024, the California Department of Education (CDE) hosted a webinar centered on how to expand arts education for California students using Arts and Music in Schools (AMS) funds.

The webinar featured Prop 28 author Austin Beutner; California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond; 2023 California Teacher of the Year Catherine Borek; as well as representatives from the CDE, California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, San Diego County Office of Education, and Create California to discuss how to best leverage funding.

Full recording of Webinar 1 Webinar 2 (March 14, 2024) On March 14, 2024, the CDE hosted the second webinar in the Proposition 28/Arts and Music in Schools series.

The webinar provided technical assistance for LEAs by explaining the formulas behind the 2023–24 funding allocation, demonstrating a walk-through of the written waiver submission process, detailing the adopted audit guide procedures, and summarizing all reporting and certification obligations.

Full recording of Webinar 2 The third webinar of the AMS series spotlights two LEAs, Inglewood Unified School District and Elk Grove Unified School District, that shared on their first year of implementation. Additional topics covered in the session include an update on credentialing pathways and a review of key dates and content for required reporting.

In addition to the full recording below, you will find the resources the LEAs discussed in their snapshot presentations.

Full recording of Webinar 3 (Video; 47:00) Inglewood Unified Proposition 28 Visual and Performing Arts Proposal Template Inglewood Unified Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Facilitator Classified Job Description 2024–29 Elk Grove Unified Roadmap for the Arts The purpose of the California Department of Education Proposition 28 contacts listserv is to provide LEAs and other interested parties important information, such as notifications regarding the release of additional program information related to the AMS program.

join-prop28@mlist. cde. ca.

gov . Program Questions: Contact the Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division by email at Prop28@cde. ca.

gov . Fiscal Questions: Contact the School Fiscal Services Division, Principal Apportionment Section, by email at Prop28@cde. ca.

gov . Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division | Prop28@cde. ca.

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