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NYC Arts in Education Roundtable

Testimony to the New York State Legislators – January 30, 2024

5 minutes

JOINT LEGISLATIVE BUDGET HEARING ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Re: Support for Arts, Culture, and Arts Education in New York State FY 2025 Budget

Dear NY State Legislators,

There is a critical need for support for the arts and culture sector of NY State in the FY25 budget. Investing in culture in every community in every locality will lift our whole state and lead to a robust and equitable economy.. The Executive Budget reflects a major cut compared to the funding of last year. This will be devastating to the sector and must be addressed. We are asking for a $100M investment in NYS culture via the NYS Council on the Arts. 

Culture is the core of NY State’s economy. The Rochester Family Foundation working with Center for Urban Future did a study recently which showed that the state’s investment in culture was proving to be an undeniable boon to local economies upstate! Employment in the cultural sector grew by 35%, outpacing every other industry and the state’s 4% growth in jobs overall. Tourism is up by 33% in the Finger Lakes to a whopping 61% in Central NY. Finally, it’s leading to a boom in population, with a 34% population increase of arts and design workers everywhere from Buffalo (up 45%) to smaller municipalities in the North Country (up 54%). The state has finally found a way to catalyze economic and community growth upstate—now is NOT the time to retreat!

New York’s tourism industry depends on a thriving creative sector.** Culture taken as a whole is one of the top drivers of tourism in New York State. The NYS Comptroller’s report found that of the $74B tourists spend statewide in 2019, 12% went to “arts, culture, and entertainment”, and the other 88% went to: hotels, restaurants, retail shops, and local transport.***** If we want to get dollars to the local businesses listed, we need to support the arts sector that attracts the visitors!

Cultural centers anchor communities, improve mental health, and keep residents in NYS. Cultural activity drives street traffic to local businesses, strengthens communities, provides programs for children and youth, and safer streets for everyone. Data also shows arts provide measurable improvements in mental health for children, elders, and all residents. With a more mobile remote workforce nationwide, it is more important than ever to invest in reasons to live in NYS. Arts and culture are what NY excels in and what makes us a great place to raise children. 

Arts Education is underfunded and inequitably delivered. Although the Federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) outlines that the arts are a critical component of a child’s education, New York is one of only 18 states that does not consider arts a core curriculum subject. tent. According to New York City’s Annual Arts in Schools Report, just 33% of eighth-grade students meet the New York State Education Department’s requirements and guidelines for arts education, which recommends students have access to at least two different arts disciplines. That number has remained largely unchanged since 2015, while the number of arts teachers citywide has declined. With only one associate in the arts at the state education department to serve 2.5M students, arts deserts abound in urban and rural school districts. We are failing to grow our own talent for NY’s creative industries. 

We ask that the legislature

  • Fund the NY State Council on the Arts at a baseline of $100M in order to fully support the thousands of arts organizations doing critical work across the state. The NYSCA baseline hasn’t been increased for 15 years, and for decades it has been far below levels of funding in the 1970s in real dollars! This increase is long overdue and much needed if we are to build a stable cultural economy in every community in this state. 
  • Ensure that there is an equitable funding stream for local decision making in communities and localities It is a fact that cultural organizations in rural communities AND in low wealth urban neighborhoods are both more dependent on public funding, and less receiving of stable state support. With robust funding, NYSCA can fully fund local regranters who know best how to invest their cultural dollars to create thriving arts ecosystems in every community. 
  • Support Arts in Education Arts Education is woefully short-changed at NYSED. We support the Regents request to restore one Associate position. 
  • Support Senate Bill S5714A and Assembly bill A4912A  aimed at increasing access to resources for culturally diverse arts and culture organizations that advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, racial and social justice, and cultural preservation
  • Support Senate Bill S285 and Assembly Bill A1502 which would add arts and music education into the public-school curriculum outlined in NYS education law. Given the lack of compliance with current arts education teaching requirements, this sets a baseline for greater equity and opportunity across the state. It also ensures that more students have exposure to arts education as a means of bolstering the pipeline for arts workers in addition to building important life skills needed across career paths.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Olsen
Executive Director, NYC Arts in Education Roundtable

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