Voters agreed to a new tax to help pay for arts education in Portland, Ore. The ballot measure, which had sparked some divisions in the arts-friendly city, levies a $35 annual tax on all adults living above the federal poverty line. It’s projected to raise $12 million a year, with a portion of the money intended to hire art and music teachers in public elementary schools. The rest will provide grants to nonprofit arts groups and other entities to make arts and cultural offerings more widely available.
Portland voters also approved a $482 million bond measure to renovate school buildings.
