Final budget makes crucial commitment to arts education by investing in cultural institutions and arts programs  NEW YORK, NY — Today, the New York City Council passed the FY 2027 budget, which adds $30 million to support cultural institutions and arts programs and improve transparency in arts education. The budget also includes $4.05M for the Support for Arts Instruction and a new Cultural Stability Fund for arts organizations facing emergency or unexpected costs. In response, Kimberly Olsen, Executive Director of the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable, issued the following statement: “Dance, music, theater, media, and the visual arts…

Teaching artists who provide arts education for thousands of NYC public school students are suffering from slow contracting, poor wages, and inconsistent city support NEW YORK, NY —Today, teachers, advocates and artists rallied outside City Hall to urge the NYC Council and Mamdani Administration to better support the thousands of teaching artists who provide arts education to public school students across the city. The executive budget included $10 million for cultural institutions and arts programs. The group is pushing for an additional $20M in the adopted budget and for provisions to improve transparency in arts education. Watch a recording of…

NEW YORK, NY — Yesterday, the New York City Council released its preliminary budget response, which included a call for $30 million for cultural institutions and provisions to improve transparency in arts education. In response, Kimberly Olsen, Executive Director of the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable issued the following statement: “The arts are essential for New Yorkers across the five boroughs. Dance, music, theater, creative writing, and the visual arts help students to grow both in and out of the classroom, develop awareness, broaden their perspectives, and pursue their passions. But without sufficient support for the institutions and the invaluable workforce that…

“Support for Arts Instruction Initiative” will provide $4.05MM to schools to fund arts instruction, up slightly from last year NEW YORK, NY (03/30/2026) (readMedia)– Today, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable joined with Education Chair Council Member Dinowitz, Bronx Arts Ensemble, Dancing Classrooms, NYC Public Schools, and students celebrated the success of the Support for Arts Instruction citywide initiative: a $4.05 million dollar investment to provide every public school student with a rich, diverse arts education throughout New York City. This is the fourth year of initiative – and the first year at $4.05 Million. A recording of the event…

Advocates Call on City Lawmakers to Address Cost of Living Crisis Facing Teaching Artists and Protect Arts Education in Schools Today, teaching artists, educators, and advocates rallied on the steps of City Hall to call on the Mayor and City Council to address the affordability crisis facing New York City’s arts education workforce and protect access to arts education in public schools. Despite playing a critical role in arts instruction across the city, many teaching artists struggle with low pay, delayed payment from city contracts, and limited access to benefits, making it increasingly difficult to afford to live and work…

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.…

Letter signed by 120+ educators states clearly: “Without ensuring hiring across all subjects — including the arts — the City cannot achieve its goal of improving education outcomes for all students” NEW YORK, NY — Today, more than 120 educators across the five boroughs sent a letter 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 — but only if…

Historic $41 million investment in arts education will support hundreds of thousands of students across NYC who rely on public funding for access to the arts NEW YORK, NY — Today, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable joined with Council Members Keith Powers, Eric Dinowitz, and Chris Marte, 2025 Tony Award-winner and Brooklyn teacher Gary Edwin Robinson, educators, artists, and students to celebrate $41 million for arts education that was restored and baselined in the Mayor’s FY2026 city budget. The historic investment will help level the playing field for NYC Public School students who lack sufficient arts instruction, and provide…

PRESS RELEASEFOR PLANNING PURPOSES: April 8th, 2024 Group urges Council leadership to improve arts education data transparency so all students can more equitably access and participate in quality arts instruction — especially as Trump admin threatens to disrupt access for students who rely on public funding most NEW YORK, NY — Today, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable rallied outside City Hall with Council Members Carlina Rivera, Rita Joseph, Keith Powers, Eric Dinowitz, Mercedes Narcisse, educators and advocates to urge the Council to prioritize greater transparency around arts education funding and how student access and participation are measured across schools. The…

“We want inviting, colorful, vibrant, and thriving communities — that starts with the arts.” NEW YORK, NY — Today, Kimberly Olsen, Executive Director of the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable, testified at the New York City Council Committee on Cultural Affairs’ Preliminary Budget hearing about the critical role cultural organizations play in providing all students with arts education. Olsen urged Councilmembers to protect funding for arts and culture and ensure no student loses access to arts education opportunities. Full testimony linked below. In her testimony, Olsen noted that, “The Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Development Fund are…

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…

As Trump admin threatens cuts to education and cultural programming, Roundtable will urge Council to step up and protect at-risk funding for arts education Group launches “It Starts with the Arts” campaign for the fourth year, following successful effort to protect expiring arts education funding  NEW YORK, NY — On Wednesday, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable will rally 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.  As the Trump administration moves to dismantle…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Kimberly Olsen, kolsen@nycaieroundtable.org NEW YORK, NY — Yesterday, following Mayor Eric Adams’ State of the City address, Kimberly Olsen, Executive Director of the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable issued the following statement on the need to fund arts education: “The arts are essential for both our students and our city. Dance, music, theater, media, and the visual arts are integral to students’ ability to grow, develop awareness, broaden their perspectives, and celebrate their abundant talents. We appreciate Mayor Adams’ commitment to improving educational opportunities, especially for multilingual learners and students with disabilities. When we talk about making sure…