Dear Arts Education Advocates,
It has been a WEEK! How are you all doing? Staying rested and hydrated, I hope. Because our kids need us now more than ever before. When so many of our institutions, social programs, and communities are under threat, it is hard to know where to put your energy and attention. While there are many, many urgent issues, here are just a few arts and education calls to action that we are tracking here at Arts Every Day:
- Federal Proposed Cuts to Title I and II Funding: Although Congress has yet to approve a full FY25 funding package, the House appropriations committee has taken its first steps, approving its FY25 proposal for Labor-HHS-Education funding. The current House proposal would prove devastating to education funding, not only slashing Title I funding by 25%, but also completely eliminating Title II funding. In addition to slashing funding for two of the Department of Education’s (ED) most vital programs, the current proposal would eliminate the only Department of Education program focused on supporting the arts, the Assistance for Arts Education (AAE) program. To rationalize the elimination of AAE the appropriation committee’s report stated “funding provided by the Department should be focused on core education such as reading, writing, and math”. This rationalization ignores the well-rounded focus of ESSA, as well as the benefits the arts provide across subject areas.
Join the National Arts Education Alliance call to action
- Proposed Cuts to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future: Maryland’s landmark education plan adopted in 2021, the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future continues to make a transformational impact on Baltimore City Public Schools, especially in the arts. Baltimore City schools CEO Sonja Santelises said then that the district would lose $400 million from Governor Moore’s proposed cuts to the Blueprint budget. Our colleagues at Strong Schools Maryland and SOMOS are organizing a youth rally on Monday, March 17 in Annapolis.
Want to join Arts Every Day, Baltimore Youth Arts Advocacy Council, and No Boundaries Coalition? We are organizing a bus to leave from Baltimore Unity Hall at 4:30PM. Send us an email to join our list: info@artseveryday.org.
- 4:30PM: Depart Baltimore Unity Hall
- 5:30-6:45PM: Eat dinner, make signs at St. John’s College
- 6:45-8:00PM: Rally at Lawyer’s Mall
- Depart Annapolis at 8PM, arrive at Baltimore Unity Hall around 8:45/9PM
See flyer below for more info on the Youth Rally!
