>100 of Teachers Call on City to Guarantee Arts Funding in Budget

NEW YORK, NY (05/10/2022) (readMedia)-- Today, ahead of the City Council hearing on the Executive Budget for the Department of Education, over one hundred teachers called on Mayor Eric Adams and Speaker Adrienne Adams to guarantee $100 per student for arts education in the City budget to equitably improve overall student performance while addressing learning loss from COVID and mental wellness issues. Last month, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable launched the "It Starts with the Arts" campaign to secure arts funding for public school students.

Before the pandemic, a majority of principals reported that funding for the arts was insufficient to give all students a basic foundation in arts education. After two years of COVID the imperative to provide all students with a sound arts education has strengthened. Engagement in the arts can get students struggling to thrive socially, emotionally, and academically back on track. Research shows that arts education improves student performance, mental health, and the overall chances of success later in life.

"At a time when it is needed most, the students in our arts classes are given an outlet for expression and the tools to process the world around them. But not every child in New York City has access to the arts. This closes them off from essential experiences that support their growth as critical thinkers and creative citizens. At some of our schools, resources for the arts have completely dried up, putting our students' futures in jeopardy," they write in the letter. Full letter attached and below.

May 10, 2022

Dear Mayor Eric L. Adams and Speaker Adrienne E. Adams:

We, New York City public school arts teachers, are writing today to urge you to recognize that It Starts with the Arts by guaranteeing adequate arts education funding in school budgets this year. The City Council's budget response includes this guarantee, while the Mayor's Fiscal 2023 Executive Budgets does not.

We know arts education is foundational and transformative for students. We've seen it with our own eyes. The research also confirms it. Arts are a proven tool for engaging students in learning, improving academic outcomes, and supporting the mental health and well-being of young people. During the pandemic, we know more than one in three high school students experienced poor mental health (37.1%), with 44.2% of students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Arts education has positive effects on student attendance, parent engagement, and test scores. Students who come from a low income background and who participate in the arts have a dropout rate of just 4%.

At a time when it is needed most, the students in our arts classes are given an outlet for expression and the tools to process the world around them. But not every child in New York City has access to the arts. This closes them off from essential experiences that support their growth as critical thinkers and creative citizens. At some of our schools, resources for the arts have completely dried up, putting our students' futures in jeopardy.

The decline in arts education funding is not just due to the pandemic: prior to COVID-19, 67% of principals noted funding for the arts was generally insufficient - gravely impacting the educational and mental health of our students. Only 34% of middle schoolers are meeting the state arts learning requirements. Seventeen percent of schools still lack a certified arts teacher. At least 10% schools do not have a dedicated arts space.

That's why we're asking for your support to guarantee arts education funding in the budget. We, along with the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable, are calling on the City to enact the It Starts with the Arts agenda:

Boost the per student arts allocation to $100 from $79.62. These funds give schools the resources needed to meet NYSED arts instructional requirements, and are spent at each principal's discretion for hiring new certified arts teachers, buying supplies, and building community partnerships to meet the unique needs of their school community.

Require schools to dedicate arts funding to the arts. Rather than giving schools a suggested per capita arts allocation, DOE should require schools to use a minimum of $100 per student for core arts instruction and programming.

Devote 20 percent of the Fiscal 2023 American Rescue Plan Act Academic Recovery funding to expand standards-based arts instruction for all students and roll used Fiscal 2022 ARPA arts funding into Fiscal 2023 for summer and school year programs. The pandemic recovery will take years and these vital supports for arts-based interventions should remain in place.

Restore and baseline the $24 million for Arts Services cut when the pandemic hit New York City's economy. These arts services were among the first items cut in 2020 yet boost student achievement in and through the arts, while developing and promoting best practices in arts education, and supporting strong partnerships with community-based organizations.

Now more than ever, the City must invest in our students' futures equitably by investing in programs proven to improve outcomes for students. Adequately funding arts education will lift up our most vulnerable and in-need students, academically, mentally, and emotionally–because It Starts with the Arts.

Please guarantee arts education funding in the budget by supporting the It Starts with the Arts plan.

Full list of signatories in letter attached.

Background:

This year the Department of Education suggested that schools devote just $79.62 per student for arts education. But the money is fungible, meaning principals are allowed to divert it to non-arts expenses. The "It Starts with the Arts" coalition is calling on the Department of Education (DOE) to raise it to $100 per student and guarantee the funding goes only to arts education. A minimum required spending level will ensure that schools provide all students with the mandatory arts instruction that we know will help them both academically and socially. The City Council included this guarantee in their budget response.

According to a report by Americans for the Arts, students from low-income communities who are highly engaged in the arts are more likely to have obtained gainful employment, completed college, and volunteered in their communities than peers with low arts involvement. Students from low-income communities who are highly engaged in the arts are also more than twice as likely to graduate college as peers with no arts education.

In addition to the $100 per student guarantee for arts education, the It Starts With Arts Campaign is calling on the City to:

• Devote 20 percent of DOE's Fiscal 2023 American Rescue Plan Act Academic Recovery funding to expand standards-based arts instruction for all students and roll used Fiscal 2022 ARPA arts funding into Fiscal 2023 for summer and school year programs. The pandemic recovery will take years and these vital supports for arts-based interventions should remain in place.
• Restore and baseline the $24 million for Arts Services cut when the pandemic hit New York City's economy. These arts services were among the first items cut in 2020 yet boost student achievement in and through the arts, while developing and promoting best practices in arts education, and supporting strong partnerships with community-based organizations.