We use cookies to make your site experience better. Tracking cookies enables us to provide a functional Accessibility Toolbar, and easily log into your account (if you have one). For more information on how we use your data, read our privacy policy.

NYC Arts in Education Roundtable

NYC Arts in Education Roundtable, Electeds Rally For At-Risk Arts Education Funding

As Trump admin threatens gutting education and cultural programming, Roundtable urging Council to step up and protect at-risk funding for arts education

Group launched “It Starts with the Arts” campaign for the fourth year, following successful effort to protect expiring arts education funding 

NEW YORK, NY — Today, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable rallied with students, cultural workers, and educators to relaunch “It Starts with the Arts,” a campaign urging the Mayor and City Council to support arts education funding and improve transparency about how city schools are spending the money and where. As the Trump administration moves to dismantle federal support for longstanding education and cultural programs, the Roundtable urged city lawmakers to ensure no student loses access to the arts in their school and invest more — not less — in arts and cultural programs. 

“Arts education is essential for millions of NYC students, and is hugely important to their education and future success. Thankfully, city lawmakers recognized the importance of properly investing in the arts last year, but now expiring funds and looming federal cuts threaten to undermine that progress and severely disrupt students’ access to arts and workforce opportunities. We cannot allow our students — especially those in underserved communities who rely on public funding for arts access — to suffer from political inaction. The Mayor and City Council must invest in arts education ” said Kimberly Olsen, Executive Director of the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable.

Last year, the Roundtable worked alongside Mayor Adams and the City Council to protect $41 million in expiring COVID-era funding for arts education that went to every school. But unless City leaders extend that funding and baseline it for future years, those funds could expire by the end of June this year. This shortfall is made worse by the Trump administration’s plan to cut grant funding for underserved organizations advancing arts access, jeopardizing many of the institutions and nonprofits that comprise the majority of the 700+ organizations that partner with NYC schools to bridge the arts gap for all students. These institutions are critical to ensuring every New Yorker, no matter their income, background, or experience, can access the arts. 

If lawmakers fail to protect students, then every student in New York City stands to lose arts programming at a time when the arts are already in desperate need for more support. Before the pandemic, roughly half of public school principals reported that funding for the arts was insufficient to give all students a basic foundation in arts education.

Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, schools nationwide have reported a growing disparity in students’ academic success across income levels. The arts are a proven tool for not only improving students’ mental health, but also increasing student engagement and improving their social and developmental progress. Research shows students from low-income communities who are highly engaged in the arts are more likely to obtain gainful employment, complete college, and volunteer in their communities than peers with low arts involvement. 

“The arts are essential, and our education system should reflect that. Art is a powerful tool that can be used to share information, advocate for what is right, grow a business, or express who we are and what we feel. It’s critical that our students grow up with access to these essential skills, and that’s impossible without a robust arts education system that includes teachers of the arts in every school. I’m grateful to the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable for uniting New Yorkers in this fight, and I look forward to standing together in the effort to make arts accessible in New York City schools,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.

“For my whole political career, I have fought for arts education because it’s personal to me,” said City Council Finance Chair Justin Brannan. “I got to travel the world all thanks to the guitar lessons I was lucky to have as part of my public school education. That experience has made me a better elected official in surprising, but direct and impactful ways. Arts education unlocks opportunities, and all kids across our city deserve a chance to have them. The Council was proud to protect funding for arts education in last year’s budget, and now we must do it again to expand arts opportunities to all students.”

“The arts are a critical part of a well-rounded education. The Support for Arts Instruction initiative has allowed New York City’s students access to cultural institutions, meaningful arts instruction, and once in a lifetime performances. With federal funding cuts on the horizon, it’s more important than ever that the city supports equitable access to arts instruction, and I will be pushing for these programs in this year’s budget,” said Council Member Keith Powers.

“Arts in Education is crucial to the development of a young person’s creativity, thinking outside the box, and helping them to set goals for themselves. Arts in Education had a profound effect on me as a child and it changed my entire life. I was introduced to the arts in the third grade and I am who I am today because of Arts in Education. I strongly believe in the positive influence the arts has on the social-emotional well being of a person, and especially young minds who are still discovering their voices, confidence, and place in the world. The arts provide a safe space for self-expression, resilience, and growth, empowering the next generation to dream big and think creatively,” said Jamel Gaines, Founder and Artistic Director, Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet.

Between 2020 and 2023, public schools across the five boroughs lost 425 full-time certified arts teachers – that means roughly 1 in 7 school children do not have a full time arts teacher. At the same time, spending on arts education, which accounts for just 3% of NYC public schools budget, is currently budgeting $40.8M less than in FY17, when adjusted for inflation. Less funding will only continue to widen the gap for the students who already lack sufficient arts access and who rely on public funding most. 

In addition to saving $41 million in expiring federal funding, the It Starts with the Arts campaign is calling on the city to:

  • Require DOE arts funding be spent on the arts ($12.5M): Boost the per student arts allocation to $100 from $86.67 and require that money be spent on arts education. 
  • Ensure Every School Has a Certified Arts Teachers ($39.8M): Ensure that all schools have at least one certified arts teacher, closing the equity gap for at least 379 schools. This can be done in part by bolstering the pipeline of certified arts teachers via supplemental certification program ($4M) or funding a PE Works-inspired improvement plan. 
  • Restore and Enhance “Support for Arts Instruction” initiative funding ($6M): Build on city’s down payment and boost allocation from $4M to $6M to meet city-wide demand. 
  • Center Arts and Culture in Youth Development Programs ($5M): Allocate funds to better support arts and cultural education opportunities during Summer Rising 2025 and other DYCD programs to support public safety and continued community-building opportunities via the arts. 
  • Restore and Increase Baseline Funding for the Department of Cultural Affairs
  • Improve arts education data transparency by compelling NYCPS to provide a school-by-school breakdown of the state of arts education in public schools via a Hearing, Legislative Services Request, T&C, and/or Oversight Hearing. 
  • Require more school-based arts reporting and goal-setting: Restore the inclusion of arts programs in all School Quality Snapshots and require arts education to be included in each District Education Plan and each school’s Comprehensive Education Plan. 

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.

###