SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) – The Sacramento County Grand Jury recently released reports on this year’s investigations. These reports include findings and recommendations, which must be addressed by the agency involved. In most cases, the entity has 90 days to respond.

In one of its investigations, the Sacramento County Grand Jury addressed public schools’ flaws with arts education funding.

Public schools in Sacramento County receive nearly $40 million each year to increase instruction in visual and performing arts as a result of Proposition 28, passed overwhelmingly by voters in November 2022. Because of the importance of arts education, the strong support for the bill and the significant amount of money at stake, the grand jury investigated the extent to which schools are taking advantage of this funding, a multi-million-dollar opportunity that could greatly benefit students.

“In Sacramento County, Proposition 28 was approved by 65% of the voters, underscoring the importance of ensuring that our schools take full advantage of this funding,” said Elizabeth TenPas, grand jury foreperson for 2024-2025. “This strong support reflects a growing awareness that arts and music education is not merely a

‘nice to have’ addition to the school day; rather, it is increasingly seen as an important part of the core curriculum.”

The report stated that studies show arts and music education play a critical role in helping children succeed in school and later in life. With arts and music education, students do better in math, reading and other academic subjects; learn to think creatively and critically; and have better attendance, self-confidence and mental health. Increased participation in arts and music education is also associated with fewer behavioral and disciplinary problems.

The newly-published report outlines clear findings: Governing boards can do a better job of implementing both the letter and the spirit of law, especially in areas of program planning and hiring, transparency in reporting and parent involvement.

The grand jury also found some technical violations of Proposition 28 that could result in the loss of funding if not corrected. In addition, one budget practice common among schools that undermines the intended effect of Proposition 28 could expose schools to legal action and have significant negative fiscal consequences.

Another jury investigation report recently released was on the Batterers’ Treatment Program. For more than 30 years, California Penal Code section 1203.097 has required defendants who are convicted of and granted formal probation in felony domestic violence cases to complete a 52-week certified Batterers’ Treatment Program (BTP).

However, the Sacramento County Grand Jury investigation found that the Batterers’ Treatment Program of the Sacramento County Probation Department (Probation), which is housed in the Family Violence Unit, is not fulfilling its mission due to inadequate management and an outdated, ineffective approach to treatment.

In California, the funding for domestic violence programming relies primarily on the individual who committed the crime; the state provides no funding to the Batterers’ Treatment Program. This approach derives from the retribution goal of the “Offender Pays Model” as identified by the California State Association of Counties (CSAC). Domestic violence offenders are expected to pay for the program on a sliding-scale pay model.

The “Offender Pays Model” has been found to contribute to sporadic attendance and a high dropout rate. From a program management perspective, state law requires that the Probation Department oversee and supervise the Batterers’ Treatment Program and establish standards for batterers’ treatment providers to ensure that they comply with state law and operate effectively.

The grand jury has found that supervision of offenders and contracted providers by the Family Violence Unit is severely lacking, undermining the program’s goals and effectiveness. Probation officers are not performing provider site visits and the process of collecting, storing and analyzing data is deficient, resulting in unreliable data that cannot be trusted to provide a true picture of how the program is doing.

Conversely, a pilot program is currently underway in six California counties (Sacramento County is not included) to assess the effectiveness of alternative approaches to the standard Batterers’ Treatment Program methodology. The pilot program emphasizes risk assessment for more accurate direction of services, treatment, courses and monitoring.

The full investigations are available for public review on the grand jury website at sacgrandjury.org.