Arts programs are an essential part of a child’s education: They make youth more innovative, creative, and better critical thinkers – vitally important skills for the 21st Century. School districts, local, state and federal governments need to be held accountable for providing instruction in the arts. Please make your voice heard today by taking action now.
If you agree with these statements, please join the Partnership for Creative Learning!
Read the Letter of Solidarity here.
What’s going on?
- JOIN THE PARTNERSHIP FOR CREATIVE LEARNING!
- Oppose California's AB 2446: Arts Education Victory!
- Support the California State Arts & Music Block Grants
- Ask the Obama Administration to protect National Arts Funding
- Explore our Advocacy Partners
JOIN THE PARTNERSHIP FOR CREATIVE LEARNING!
Currently, the San Francisco Board of Education is planning to raid the California Department of Education Arts & Music Block grant to make up for cuts to the District’s general fund. This undercuts the arts at a time when our education system is scrambling to right itself and sends a message that the arts are not essential to a child’s education. The Workshop believes that if we don’t have art in schools, we don’t have education in schools.
What you can do
Join the Partnership for Creative Learning to tell the San Francisco Board of Education that raiding the Arts & Music Block grant is not a funding solution. Sign onto our Letter of Solidarity and become a part of a broad coalition of teachers, youth groups, arts providers and many more who understand the vital role the arts play in our children’s education
Read the Letter of Solidarity here
Read the Superintendent's budget proposal (2010-2012)
Read the San Francisco Chronicle story on Superintendent Garcia’s budget proposal
Contact the Board of Education
Download: Sample Letter to the San Francisco Board of Education
Oppose California's AB 2446: Arts Education Victory!
On Thursday, August 14 the Senate Appropriations Committee did not approve Assembly Bill 2446 (Furutani) and Assembly Bill 35 (Furutani). The committee's decision means that neither of these bills will move forward to the Senate floor. For this legislative session, these bills are effectively dead.
The California Alliance for Arts Education has created a policy paper, "Both/And: Understanding the vital link between the arts and career technical education in California schools." This policy paper clarifies the relationship between Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) and Career and Technical Education (CTE) subjects and recommends a “Both/And” framework for policymaking to ensure the greatest rage of benefits and opportunities for students. You can read it here on their website and share it with other arts education advocates.
Kathryn Lynch, the lobbyist for the California Alliance for Arts Education led the opposition to this bill.
What you can do
As a final 'action' you can thank the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, and Senate Education Committee Chair Gloria Romero for their understanding and for the collective decision to hold these bills in committee. Click here to send a letter now through the California Alliance for Arts Education website.
Questions? Email: sibyl@artsed411.org
Copyright. California Alliance for Arts Education
Read more about the funding situation for the Arts in California
Support the California State Arts & Music Block Grants
The Arts & Music Block Grants aren’t only in jeopardy in San Francisco. The two letters posted below are examples from California Alliance for Arts Education that can be sent to your local School Board or California State legislative representatives.
What you can do
Let your School Board and Legislators know that the arts must be funded to ensure a dynamic 21st Century education for our children.
Download: Open Letter to the California Legislature
Download: Open Letter to California School Boards
Ask the Obama Administration to protect National Arts Funding
On February 2, 2010 - the Obama Administration released the FY 2011 budget request to Congress which includes the nation's cultural agencies and programs, including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Institute for Museums and Library Services (IMLS), and the Department of Education's Arts in Education program.
The proposed budget includes a $6 million decrease in funding for the NEA from what Congress appropriated for FY 2010. It also consolidates the Arts in Education (AIE) program within the Department of Education's new 'Effective Teaching and Learning for Well-Rounded Education' category, which could lead to a diminished focus on arts education.
What you can do
Inform your Congressional Representatives about this issues. The letters below include talking points to help you craft your message about why the arts are important to you and your community and should not be underfunded.
Go to Americans for the Arts to contact your Representatives.
Download: NEA Sample Letter to California State Legislators in Washington, D.C.
Download: Arts in Education Sample Letter to California State Legislators in Washington, D.C.
Read more about the national arts funding situation
Advocate!
Please check out these organizational partners to learn how to take action.
| LOCAL: | |
Arts Providers Alliance of San Francisco: The Arts Providers will keep you up to date on local issues facing the SFUSD and Arts Communities in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. Meetings are the third Thursday of every other month, 3:30-5pm. More information
|
Family Budget Coalition, hosted by Coleman Advocates, FBC is a coalition of CBOs in San Francisco that serves as a watchdog monitoring services to children, youth and their families in the city. The APASF is one of the Coalition’s many members. www.colemanadvocates.org |
Alameda County Office of Education list of National Action Organization and Conferences |
| STATE: | |
California Arts Advocates has its own lobbyist in Sacramento and monitors all arts-related legislation at the capitol. www.CaliforniaArtsAdvocates.org |
California Alliance for Arts Education monitors action on arts education-related legislation at the capitol, but has less of an advocacy focus. The Alliance often partners with CAA for its advocacy efforts. www.artsed411.org |
| NATIONAL: | |
Americans for the Arts provides all of its members with crucial national and international-level advocacy alerts. They have a strong arts education component to their advocacy and programming. Check their website for information on presidential candidates’ arts education platforms! www.americansforthearts.org |
Through the National Guild for Community Arts Education, organizations and individuals are coming together to secure resources and support, make the case for community arts education and develop and share strategies for success. www.nationalguild.org |
Imaginartists supports federal funding to create an Artists Corps that will train and support a national corps of citizen-artists to share their gifts through 1-2 years of service in: 1) Disadvantaged schools and communities for more successful students and youth; 2) Health care and therapeutic settings for recovery and improved functioning; 3) The public domain for increased civic engagement, volunteerism, diplomacy and peace. www.musicnationalservice.org/imaginartists |
Facebook
YouTube
Flickr