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NYC Arts in Education Roundtable

Advocacy Alert | NYC AiE Roundtable Needs Your Help

2 minutes

The following letter was sent out to the Roundtable mailing list on Wednesday, April 15, 2020 and Monday, April 20, 2020. To stay up to date with weekly e-blasts about advocacy efforts, best practices, current trends, upcoming events, and more, please subscribe to the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable mailing list.

Dear Roundtable Community,

Last week, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable released a survey to our membership to assess the impact of COVID-19 as it relates to contracting with the NYC Department of Education. Based on those responses, the Roundtable sent a letter to Chancellor Richard Carranza last week calling for immediate action in the continuation of contracted programming for the children of New York City.

Since that letter was sent, we’ve also learned that on April 6 the New York City Comptroller, Scott M. Stringer, sent this letter to the First Deputy Mayor Fuleihan calling for clear, written guidelines for non-profits working with city agencies including the NYC Department of Education and the Department of Cultural Affairs.

Since its inception as a grassroots service organization, a key strength of the Roundtable has been its ability to lean on the collective earned wisdom of our community to support pervasive arts education advocacy efforts. At this pivotal moment, we need your help to ensure that arts education remains an essential part of every child’s education now and through this pandemic.

YOU can make a difference. We are calling for all member organizations and individuals to assist the Roundtable so that our voice is heard.

  1. Identify your City Council Representative(s).
  2. Personalize this email letter template with your City Council Representative’s information and your organization’s story about this issue. To edit the template, please click “File” then “Make a Copy,” or download the letter directly to your computer.
  3. Send your personalized letter to your City Council Representative(s) with the Roundtable’s Letter to the Chancellor attached.
  4. Spread the word!
    • Share the message on social media tagging the Chancellor (@NYCSchools / @DOEChancellor) and your City Council Representative(s).
    • Please feel free to share this email and resources with others in your community.

Thank you in advance for helping us advocate for this vital issue. With the recent announcement to continue remote learning through the end of the school year, the 1.1 million students of the New York City Department of Education need the arts now more than ever. The NYC Arts in Education Roundtable will continue to do everything we can to advocate for these students and all members of our arts in education community.

Please feel free to contact Managing Director, Kimberly Olsen, at kolsen@nycaieroundtable.org with any questions. Please note, the Roundtable is experiencing a high volume of emails and requests your patience as we work through our inboxes.

My best,

Kimberly Olsen
Managing Director, NYC Arts in Education Roundtable