Funding

Traditionally, the funding for these award-winning Music Programs comes from four main sources:

• The District itself (MBUSD)
• The Manhattan Beach Education Foundation (MBEF)
• Booster Clubs / direct parent donations 
• The PTSA/PTAs

The District funds about 55% of the total cost of the Music program, with MBEF contributing another 25%, for a total of about 80%.  The remaining 20% or so is funded directly by parents..

The district and MBEF together fund almost all of the direct costs of music instruction, such as teacher salaries, as well as most of the other costs related to the Elementary Music Program.  Together, that amounts to around $1.25 million annually.  Over the last decade or so, MBEF has directed on average about 6-8% of its overall annual grant to Music, which translates to $415,000 annually for 2022/23 and 2023/24.  It is noteworthy that when MBEF was founded in 1983, its primary purpose was to enrich existing programs such as art and music.  

The rest of the operational expenses such as music licensing, instructors, clinicians, coaches, competition & festival entry fees and related expenses, large instruments, instrument repairs, equipment, interactive music software, supplies, marching band uniforms, transportation, and much more are funded by parents and community supporters -  directly through the various Booster Clubs in High School and through parent donations in Middle and Elementary schools; and indirectly through the various PTSA/PTA's. 

Overall, parents directly contribute around a fifth of the overall funding (around $300-350,000) of the Music Programs in the District.  For the Middle and High Schools, this direct parent funding rises to almost 40% of the costs of those programs.

The advent of Proposition 28: The Arts and Music in Schools (AMS) Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act should provide a new funding source for supporting music instruction and choices  in Manhattan Beach.