Board adopts Arts & Creativity 2025 arts equity plan but funding and staffing hurdles remain

The San Francisco Board of Education adopted Arts & Creativity 2025, the district’s arts equity plan, on Jan. 25 after a presentation by Director Sam Bass and Supervisor Emily Aldama that outlined the plan’s goals, stakeholder feedback and implementation building blocks.

Bass said the arts department paused earlier work to incorporate a board arts equity resolution and broad community feedback; the plan is posted on BoardDocs in multiple languages. Emily Aldama described three main components—equity and excellence, clarity and coherence, and data and accountability—and listed recent resource moves: a district‑wide instrument mobilization (she said about 4,000 instruments were distributed) and centrally identified investments totaling about $1,000,000 to support classroom readiness, software and materials.

Aldama described efforts to build teacher learning communities, map course sequences from middle to high school and address gaps (for example, missing intermediate courses such as a ceramics 2). She also cited data showing underrepresentation of students of color in arts programs and said the department has prioritized more diverse hiring in recent searches.

Public commenters from advisory councils and parent groups voiced support and urged continued attention to scheduling and access for students with disabilities; teachers asked for master‑schedule flexibility to enable inclusive co‑teaching in arts classes. Commissioners praised the structural supports and asked for clarity on funding. A fiscal impact analysis shared with the board was cited at the meeting as estimating $2.6 million to staff a full‑time arts teacher at every elementary school (about 21 additional FTEs); staff said full implementation of specific resolution components will require funding and hiring capacity and that the board should continue to explore resources.

The board adopted the plan by roll call. Staff said the plan will continue to be refined, additional feedback collected, and funding explored through budget processes.