Culture Chronicle

City Schools Arts Funding Drops Dramatically
Crain's New York Business - July 1, 2010
By Miriam Kreinin Souccar

Cuts come as pressure mounts to excel on the state math and reading tests and as the Department of Education's overall expenditures increases by 13%, or $2.1 billion.

Funding for arts supplies and programs with cultural organizations in New York City public schools has fallen dramatically since the Department of Education ended dedicated per pupil arts funding three years ago.

According to an analysis released Thursday by The Center for Arts Education, budgeting for basic art supplies, ranging from crayons to musical instruments, decreased by a total of 68%, or $7.2 million, since the beginning of the 2006-07 school year. Funding for city arts and cultural institutions to provide arts programs for students has dropped a total of 31%, or $6.6 million.

The drop in arts funding came at a time that the DOE's overall expenditures increased by 13%, or $2.1 billion.

"These declines began before the current economic crisis took hold," said Richard Kessler, executive director of the Center for Arts Education. "As schools have been under pressure to focus on raising test scores in math and reading, vital components of arts education have gone on the chopping block."

In the 2007-08 school year, the DOE ended Project ARTS, which used per pupil dedicated arts funding to incentivize schools to hire additional arts teachers, purchase art supplies, and enrich in-school programming by forming partnerships with cultural vendors.

Advocates say the arts have been pushed to the back burner because of the pressure for schools to excel on the state math and reading tests.* For the full article, click here*