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NYC Arts in Education Roundtable

NYC Arts in Education Roundtable Applauds Mayor Adams for Major Investment in Arts Education

Historic $90 million down payment on arts and arts education for the cultural capital of the world

NEW YORK, NY — Today, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that this year’s city budget will permanently restore and baseline $41 million for arts education in NYC Public Schools and add an additional $4 million for arts programs for the 2025-2026 school year. The Mayor’s budget also made a historic $45 million increase to the baseline budget for the Department of Cultural Affairs. In response, Kimberly Olsen, Executive Director of the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable issued the following statement:

“Today’s announcement 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. Arts opportunities are uneven in our public schools, leaving many students without access to education that we know allows them to grow both in and out of the classroom. At a time when the arts are under attack, New York City leaders are proudly investing in our students’ futures, signaling that New York City values culture. 

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 prioritizing arts and cultural education and securing this critical funding. We look forward to getting this funding over the finish line with our city leaders to protect the arts and ensure every student has the arts education they deserve — because it starts with the arts.”

Background

Last month, 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. 

In addition to baselining the $41 million in expiring city 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 ($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 
  • 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.