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NYC Arts in Education Roundtable

An Update on the It Starts With the Arts Advocacy Campaign

2 minutes

Last week, New York City Public Schools and Chancellor David Banks announced a $25 million investment to support academic recovery through the arts in the 2023-2024 school year — including funding for arts partnerships, arts-based professional development, field trips, and F-status arts teachers.

In response, Kimberly Olsen, Executive Director of the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable, issued the following statement:

“In line with the Roundtable’s It Starts with the Arts campaign priorities, we are thrilled that NYC Public Schools has allocated $25M in federal stimulus funding to fund standards-based arts programs and arts education to support academic recovery across our city’s schools. We applaud the Chancellor for the Arts, David Banks, and DOE leadership for recognizing and valuing the importance of arts in education to support student academics, social-emotional wellbeing, and pathways towards a bright future. We look forward to working with the Chancellor to build on this one-year investment with a goal of sustained funding to ensure equitable access to quality arts education for all students for years to come.”

We extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in the It Starts with the Arts campaign — which yielded a total of $29M (!!!) for arts education across this SAM and the citywide Support for Arts Instruction Initiative. It is through YOUR diligence, vocal support, and advocacy that we have been able to take huge steps towards greater equity and access to the arts in NYC. 

Roundtable Recommendations

  • To maximize equity and reach specific student populations, NYC Public Schools has employed a weighted methodology for awarding funds. Per School Allocation Memo #49, “the $25M… in stimulus funding for this program is allocated evenly per weighted capita.” This means that each school will receive between $2,000 – $50,000 in funding. We highly recommend downloading “Table 1 – Academic Recovery Arts Allocation” at the bottom of the budget memo to view the school allocation summary and see how much funding your existing (or potential!) school partners will receive.
  • While this continued investment signals that our advocacy is making an impact, it’s important to remember this is a one-year investment. More advocacy will be needed to baseline dedicated funding for arts in schools moving forward. There is a long road ahead, but with your help we can continue to take strides towards arts education for all. Stay tuned for ways to advocate!

As always, the Roundtable will continue to share information and action steps as they become available. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Kim via email at kolsen@nycaieroundtable.org.