When Proposition 28 passed in 2022, it promised something powerful for California students: dedicated, ongoing funding to guarantee arts and music education in schools. For many districts, the logistics felt daunting. For Sequoia Grove, it became an opportunity to build something meaningful.

Proposition 28 marked a major shift in how education of the arts is not only funded, but valued in public school systems. The restrictions regarding the usage of Prop 28 funds guarantees dedicated, ongoing funding for arts and music programs, with the goal of ensuring that every student has access to quality, creative learning — not just from the schools that can afford it.

Why we care, and you should too

Historically, the arts have been viewed as optional, supplemental, or even less academic than core subjects. It is common for art programs to be the first cut during budgeting, even though research consistently shows that creative learning supports not only higher academic achievement, but improved mental health, and stronger problem-solving skills.

Sequoia Grove saw Prop 28 not as a mandate, but as an opportunity — a chance to build something meaningful, sustainable, and student-centered. 

The result became Sequoia Studio, a full arts program offering visual arts, music, dance, theatre, and digital arts for students across our organization. Every detail of Sequoia Studio was intentionally designed to meet all legal requirements for Prop 28 funding, ensuring the grant money is used exactly as intended — to serve students.

Sequoia Studio is not a one-class program, it is an ecosystem of the arts, built with certified teachers, real curriculum, and accessible pathways so that students with limited materials, unique learning styles, or from different environments can fully participate. Students are not just watching the screen during this program's virtual classes, they are creating, sharing, collaborating, and connecting.

Sequoia Studio proves that art is not a luxury or a simple hobby to be put aside, it’s a core part of learning, identity, and wellbeing.

Traditional public school districts often limit creative activities to a mere 45 minutes per week, while Sequoia Studio offers daily opportunities to explore, try, fail, and grow while taking part in a variety of classes. The neurological pathways developed from these class periods will impact every student’s socio-emotional processing and feed into their overall academic development. 

The Development of Sequoia Studio

When Prop 28 took effect, charters were required to meet very specific guidelines – funding formulas, hiring requirements, limitations on administrative use — the expectation being that most dollars are spent to directly support hiring certificated or classified arts staff. Sequoia Grove excitedly leaned into this challenge. 

Sequoia Grove’s Community Engagement Director, Carrie Carlson, envisioned a community-centered arts program with her team. Administration opened up a single position and started hosting interviews with the expectation of hiring one teacher to fulfill this role.

However, when Sequoia Grove teacher Jenna Clifton stepped into the interview room, she didn’t just talk about the job – she designed a logo, drafted a vision, and outlined what a thriving arts studio for students and families could look like. What started as a single role quickly grew into a full program that allowed Sequoia Grove to not only meet Prop 28 requirements, but exceed them.

The school invested the funds directly into the people, hiring even more teachers across that catered to a broader program. Sequoia Studio now offers visual arts, graphic design, music, theatre, digital art, dance, and asynchronous offerings. As Jenna puts it, “We had funds to keep hiring because we felt like we had to have these individuals representing the visual and performing arts.”

Arts matter, now more than ever

Each new class added depth to the community, and each teacher brought a unique lens to the program, building a variety of creative resources for the students.

At first, Jenna was concerned about what virtual art instruction would look like. Would students have supplies? Would engagement fall flat behind a screen? Much to her surprise however, she came to understand that the very opposite was true. Students showed up, curious, present, and more than excited. According to Jenna, they improvised with materials when necessary, and their willingness to problem-solve became part of the artistry itself.

Jenna shared that she “greatly underestimated” how natural and tech-comfortable students would be. Children regularly recognize one another at in-person events, becoming fast friends after already connecting through virtual classes. Homeschool families, always looking for community, found a space where creativity opened the door to connection.

Prop 28 is built on a foundation of research: when students engage in the arts, academic performance increases across every subject. Creative work strengthens cognitive processing, executive functioning, emotional regulation, and overall well-being. 

Jenna sees this firsthand every day. Students arrive confident and eager to share about themselves and the work they’ve created even outside the classes. They express themselves, they discover problem-solving skills by adapting materials or trying new techniques, and they show pride – real, visible pride – in their work.

Through Clubs and Adventure Academy, Sequoia Studio teachers offer between four and six live classes Monday through Thursday. This year the team added Activity Days, a two-hour in person community art day with rotating stations and hand’s on projects and an asynchronous Google Classroom called The Open Studio for students who are more comfortable doing art on their own time. The sheer variety and access is unmatched. Sequoia Studio’s program is inclusive, flexible, rich, and perhaps most importantly; it’s education that students love.

Jenna hopes the program continues to expand and reach even more families. She wants every HST and parent to know: art is not simply fun or “extra.” It is a learned subject that plays a critical role in child development.

As she says, “It is important, it is valuable.”

Thanks to Prop 28, and the vision of leaders like Jenna and Carrie, Sequoia Studio has built a space where creativity is both celebrated and accessible, ensuring students have the chance to grow not just as learners, but as artists.