Opinion
Education Funding Letter to the Editor

Calif. Schools Need to Restore Music Education Programs

February 04, 2014 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

Recent reforms to California’s school funding system have rightly been lauded by many educators, parents, and politicians in the Golden State. But it is essential that local school officials, who are exercising new autonomy via the revamped system, restore funding to an area hit early and often in the budget crisis: school music programs.

When the recession arrived in 2008, funding for music education evaporated. Within a year, legislators in Sacramento had diverted $109 million slated for music and art programs, forcing half of California’s public schools to shutter their music programs. As a result, there are now 700,000 fewer students enrolled in school music classes than before the budget cuts, with California ranking last in the nation in the ratio of music teachers to students.

It stands to reason that music education—as one of the first areas targeted when times got tough—should be among the first beneficiaries now that an economic recovery is afoot. But for that to happen, people have to realize that music programs are far more than a mere luxury.

In fact, the benefits of school music programs are well documented. Research shows that music education not only teaches critical-thinking and time-management skills that boost academic performance across the board, but that it also builds self-esteem, fosters collaboration, and offers a means of emotional and creative expression.

School music classes also improve language development, an important issue in California, where more than 40 percent of students live in homes where English is not the primary language.

Given these obvious benefits, it is incumbent on us to restore funding for music education to precrisis levels. Important steps have been taken at the state level, with legislators increasing overall funding and placing the California Arts Council donation box back on state income-tax forms. The responsibility now lies with local school officials to ensure that music education is accessible to our children for generations to come.

Leif M. Dautch

San Francisco, Calif.

The writer is a deputy attorney general in California’s department of justice, but this letter was not written in his official capacity.

A version of this article appeared in the February 05, 2014 edition of Education Week as Calif. Schools Need to Restore Music Education Programs

Events

Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum How AI Use Is Expanding in K-12 Schools
Join this free virtual event to explore how AI technology is—and is not—improving K-12 teaching and learning.
Federal Webinar The Trump Budget and Schools: Subscriber Exclusive Quick Hit
EdWeek subscribers, join this 30-minute webinar to find out what the latest federal policy changes mean for K-12 education.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Curriculum Webinar
End Student Boredom: K-12 Publisher's Guide to 70% Engagement Boost
Calling all K-12 Publishers! Student engagement flatlining? Learn how to boost it by up to 70%.
Content provided by KITABOO

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Funding Kennedy Assures Congress Funding for Head Start Will Not Be Cut
Kennedy said the administration would “emphasize healthy eating in Head Start."
1 min read
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears before a Senate committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing at the U.S. Capitol on May 14, 2025, in Washington.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears before the Senate's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee at the U.S. Capitol on May 14, 2025. The secretary told lawmakers the Trump administration wouldn't cut funding for Head Start after an early budget draft proposed eliminating the early childhood program for children from low-income families.
John McDonnell/AP
Education Funding Billions for Schools Are in Limbo as Trump Admin. Denies State Funding Requests
Chaos and confusion continue to reign as states scramble to spend the last of their COVID relief funds under new deadlines.
8 min read
Illustration of a man pushing half of clock and half of a money coin forward on a red arrow
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Education Funding The Big Questions About Trump's K-12 Budget Proposal, Answered
Trump is proposing to cut billions of dollars in K-12 investments, consolidate grant programs, and potentially rejigger special education law.
13 min read
An aerial view of a maze made up of 100 dollar bills with two clay figures. One looks like Trump with blond hair and in a blue suit with a red tie and he's waving to another white business man in a suit walking away from him.
iStock/Getty
Education Funding Trump Asks Congress to Slash Billions in Education Funding—and 'Preserve' Title I
A White House budget proposal calls for consolidating grants, eliminating key funding streams, and ramping up charter school investments.
8 min read
Vector illustration of business persons tightening the purse/finances.
iStock/Getty