NYC Arts in Education Roundtable Applauds New York City Council for Support of Arts Education

NEW YORK, NY (04/02/2026) (readMedia)-- Yesterday, the New York City Council released its preliminary budget response, which included a call for $30 million for cultural institutions and provisions to improve transparency in arts education. In response, Kimberly Olsen, Executive Director of the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable issued the following statement:

"The arts are essential for New Yorkers across the five boroughs. Dance, music, theater, creative writing, and the visual arts help students to grow both in and out of the classroom, develop awareness, broaden their perspectives, and pursue their passions. But without sufficient support for the institutions and the invaluable workforce that power our arts ecosystem, students will not get the opportunities they need and deserve.

We applaud the Council for once again standing up for the arts, and including dedicated funding for the incredible cultural institutions and teaching artists that provide arts education for every student. We also appreciate the Council's efforts to improve transparency in arts education spending so that every dollar is best allocated to students who need it most.

We thank Speaker Julie Menin, Finance Chair Linda Lee, Education Chair Eric Dinowitz, and Cultural Affairs Chair Dr. Nantasha Williams for prioritizing arts education, and we look forward to working with them and Mayor Mamdani toward a final budget that addresses the cost-of-living crisis facing the city's arts education workforce and advances arts opportunities for all of our city's students - because it starts with the arts."

Despite playing a critical role in arts instruction across the city, many teaching artists struggle with low pay, delayed payment due to persistent challenges with city contracts, and limited access to benefits, making it increasingly difficult to afford to live and work in New York City.

Background

Last week, the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable and Councilmember Eric Dinowitz joined with students and educators to relaunch "It Starts with the Arts," a campaign urging elected officials to support arts education funding and ensure

Last year, the Roundtable was proud to work with the Mayor and City Council to baseline over $41 million in funding for arts education, which will go to supporting arts education programming for every student. Now, the Roundtable is urging the Mayor and Council to continue their support for the arts by empowering the teachers and teaching artists essential to the city's arts ecosystem and ensuring they are able to remain and work in NYC.

In addition to addressing the cost of living crisis for New York City's arts workforce, the NYC Arts in Education roundtable is calling for elected officials to preserve and improve arts education by:

• Restoring and Enhancing "Support for Arts Instruction" initiative funding. Increase allocation from $4M to $6M to meet city-wide demand for increased arts learning opportunities.
• Requiring NYCPS arts funding be spent on the arts. Boost the per student arts allocation to $100 from $89.76, and require that money be spent on arts education.
• Ensuring Every School Has a Certified Arts Teacher. Ensure that all schools have at least one certified arts teacher, in part by reviving the successful supplemental arts certification program ($4M) and funding a PE Works-inspired improvement plan using the already baselined arts education funding.
• Improving arts education data transparency. Require mandatory reporting on school-level arts education access, participation, spending, and MTAC procurement (R1129/R1180) via T&C.
• Updating the NYCPS Blueprint for Arts Learning to define sequential pathways for arts learning that integrate culturally-responsive pedagogy and reflect rapid advancements in media and technology (last updated in 2015).
• Restoring and Baseline Funding for the Department of Cultural Affairs ($30M). Baselining this one-time addition supports arts organizations and workers city-wide, offering sector-wide stabilization and preventing further artist displacement.

About NYC Arts in Education Roundtable:

The New York City Arts in Education Roundtable is a service organization working to improve and advance arts education. The Roundtable is a community of arts education practitioners dedicated to sharing information, providing professional development, and communicating with the public to promote our work in schools and beyond.