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NYC Arts in Education Roundtable

NYC Arts in Education Roundtable Applauds Mayor, City Council for Historic Arts Education Investment in FY2026 Budget

Historic embrace of arts and culture will support critical programming for students throughout the city for years to come

NEW YORK, NY — On Friday, the New York City Council and Mayor Adams struck a deal on the FY2026 budget, which permanently restores and baselines $41 million for arts education in NYC Public Schools (NYCPS) and adds an additional $4 million for arts programs for the 2025-2026 school year. The budget also includes a permanent $45 million increase and $30 million one-year increase to the budget for the Department of Cultural Affairs, which the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable proudly fought to secure. In addition to major funding commitments, the budget will improve arts education data transparency by requiring NYCPS to provide a school-by-school breakdown of the state of arts education in public schools. 

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

“This year’s budget is a major victory for arts education and the hundreds of thousands of students across our city who rely on public funding for access to the arts. At a time when the arts are under attack, and when many students still lack sufficient access to arts instruction, New York City leaders are proudly investing in our students’ futures and the diverse, vibrant communities that make our city the cultural capital of the world. 

The Roundtable is proud to have worked with the Mayor, Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Laurie Cumbo and City Council — including Speaker Adrienne Adams, Finance Chair Justin Brannan, Education Chair Rita Joseph, Cultural Affairs Chair Carlina Rivera, and Council Member Keith Powers — on securing critical funding for arts and cultural education. We are also proud to stand among the hundreds of teachers, artists and advocates who worked for years to make this commitment a reality. We look forward to building on this major achievement and continuing to expand access to arts education for every student — because it starts with the arts.” 

Background

Earlier this year, the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable joined with students 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. The Roundtable was proud to work alongside Mayor Adams and the City Council last year to protect $41 million in expiring COVID-era funding for arts education, and has since advocated for City leaders to continue their support for the arts by baselining funding for arts education programming in this year’s budget. 

Last week, the Roundtable sent a letter signed by more than 120 educators across the five boroughs to Mayor Adams, Chancellor Aviles-Ramos, and the City Council urging them to prioritize arts teachers as the city prepares to hire an expected 3,700 new teachers to implement its new class-size mandate. Smaller class sizes will ensure every student has more personalized instruction and help improve the overall learning environment for students — and provide a golden opportunity for lawmakers to ensure every student has the arts access they deserve. 

In addition to baselining the $41 million in expiring city funding and improving data transparency, 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 ($30.5M): Ensure that all schools have at least one certified arts teacher, closing the equity gap for at least 290 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 
  • 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.

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