Tri-County Arts Councils Launch Regional Creative Workforce Project to Tackle Teacher Shortage and Implement Prop 28
The Tri-County Arts Councils (representing Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito Counties) has taken its next step in addressing the urgent shortage of arts educators in the region.
Launched earlier this year, the Pathways for Arts Educators – A Regional Creative Workforce Project is funded through Governor Newsom’s California Jobs First Initiative and administered by Uplift Central Coast through a grant awarded to the San Benito County Arts Council.
The project aims to bridge the gap between the unprecedented Prop 28 funding—up to $1 billion annually statewide—and the lack of credentialed teachers to spend it. With the majority of Prop 28 funds designated for hiring staff, the tri-county region is working to build a qualified workforce to ensure students receive the arts instruction they are due.
Espiritu Consulting, founded by Aimee Espiritu, M.Ed., was recently engaged to provide strategic support, expert facilitation, and coordination. A seasoned arts educator and administrator with over two decades of experience, Aimee brings deep expertise in strategic planning, creative youth development, and culturally responsive arts programming—ensuring the project’s framework is inclusive and rooted in community needs.
A central part of the project is gathering input from and increasing collaboration between artists, arts-based organizations, teaching artists, local education agencies, and higher education institutions to address teacher workforce development in our region. Next month, they are launching a series of community sessions to begin this critical element of the work.
The first 30 minutes of each session will be for community building and networking, followed by a 90-minute session for sharing ideas and planning the future with lead facilitator Aimee Espiritu.
- San Benito County: Nov 13, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM | The Epicenter, 440 San Benito Street, Hollister
- Santa Cruz County: Nov 14, 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM | Watsonville Center for the Arts, 375 Main Street, Watsonville
- Monterey County: Nov 15, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM | United Way Monterey County, 232 Monterey St, Salinas
“Community perspectives are essential to conducting an initial environmental scan of our region’s strengths, challenges, and opportunities in arts education. All are welcome—artists, educators, administrators, parents, and community members. Attend any or all of the sessions to share your insights,” says Alejandra Ramirez, Programs Director, Arts Council for Monterey County.
For those who are unable to attend an in-person session, virtual community sessions will be announced later this year. Additional focus groups, listening sessions, and working groups will be announced in early 2026.
Building an Equitable Pathway
This initiative is a proactive response to the need for qualified arts teachers across the Central Coast. By engaging local school districts, colleges, artists, and community members, the project will:
- Create “Good Jobs”: Develop pathways for local artists and teaching artists to pursue Visual and Performing Arts credentialing, securing them full-time salaries, health benefits, and retirement.
- Respond to Prop 28: Ensure that the region can utilize the new, ongoing arts funding stream to deliver high-quality visual and performing arts instruction.
- Center Local Talent: Build a sustainable, equity-centered pathway that reflects our region’s unique artistic and cultural heritage.
“We recognize the immense talent within our communities, especially among uncredentialed teaching artists who bring rich cultural traditions to their work,” stated Sarah Brothers, Arts Education Director, Arts Council Santa Cruz County. “This initiative will center their voices and experiences, creating an equity-centered credentialing pathway that reflects of our region’s unique artistic and cultural heritage.”
About Pathways for Arts Educators – A Regional Creative Workforce Project
This critical initiative, launching in August 2025 and concluding in September 2026, aims to develop workforce pathways for VAPA teachers across San Benito, Monterey, and Santa Cruz counties. The Pathways for Arts Educators project was created in response to the urgent need for credentialed arts educators in the region, which was exacerbated by the historic passage of Proposition 28, the Art and Music in the Schools Act, in November 2022. While Prop 28 allocates approximately $1 billion annually for arts education in California public schools, a recent SRI Education policy brief estimates a statewide need for an additional 5,457 VAPA teachers. Locally, the tri-county region faces a shortage of 285 credentialed art teachers.
About the San Benito County Arts Council
The San Benito County Arts Council activates and connects people, spaces, and communities in San Benito County through arts, culture, and creativity.
About the Arts Council for Monterey County
The Arts Council for Monterey County champions the arts to enrich our community – through education, healing programs, and support for local creatives, nonprofits, and cultural organizations.
About Arts Council Santa Cruz County
Arts Council Santa Cruz County nurtures and invests in artists, culture, and the arts throughout Santa Cruz County.
About Uplift Central Coast
Uplift Central Coast is dedicated to fostering economic development and creating good-paying jobs within the Central Coast region, administering initiatives funded through Governor Newsom’s California Jobs First Initiative.