Public Will Building

I've recently discovered an important reference to help guide our advocacy efforts.

Check this site and download the power point -"Building Public Will for Arts Education" (you'll find it at the bottom of the list.)

http://www.wallacefoundation.org/NewsRoom/speeches-and-presentations/Pages/Presentations-Access-Equity-and-Quality-in-Arts-Learning.aspx

Also, look for a more thorough discussion on Building Public Will on the website: http://www.metgroup.com/

I intend to plug in the notes from our efforts in Sonoma County so far into the 5 phases of Public Will Building. This should give a much needed structure to the creative brainstorming we've accomplished and give us a clear direction for next steps. I'll keep you posted.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Reinforces Importance of the Arts in Schools

On Tuesday, August 15th, the The NAMM Foundation hosted a live, public teleconference with U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan to discuss his recent letter sent to school and education community leaders outlining the importance of the arts as a core academic subject in U.S. public schools.

Invitation to the call went out to 1.75 national arts and music advocates and was initiated after Duncan issued a letter last week to school and education community leaders stating, "At this time when you are making critical and far-reaching budget and program decisions for the upcoming school year, I write to bring to your attention the importance of the arts as a core academic subject and part of a complete education for all students. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) defines the arts as a core subject, and the arts play a significant role in children's development and learning process..."

Duncan reminded listeners that under the ESEA, states and local school districts have the flexibility to support the arts through Federal Title programs and U.S. Department of Education programs, including professional development of arts teachers as well as for strategic partnerships with cultural, arts and other nonprofit organizations. In addition, Duncan stated that local school districts can use funds under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the arts along with other district expenses.

Duncan also outlined the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics' (NCES) next steps for supporting the arts as part of a well-rounded curriculum. These efforts include:

• Conducting a survey to assess the condition of arts education in grades K-12. This fall, elementary and secondary principals will be asked about their schools' offerings in music, dance, theater, and visual arts.
• Surveying elementary classroom teachers next spring as well as music and visual arts specialists at the elementary and secondary levels about their programs and resources.
• Reporting findings from this comprehensive profile in early 2011, the first report like this since the 1999-2000 school year. The data is expected to help practitioners and policymakers make more informed decisions about arts education.

Duncan made these recommendations when asked what education and community organizations should do:

• Highlight successes by sharing best practices and shining a big spotlight on those arts education opportunities that are really world class.
  
• Recognizing that school districts can't do it alone, we need to build upon creative partnerships with arts organizations and non-profits.
  
• Encourage and support parents to demand that arts education is part of the norm rather then the exception.

Could these recommendations guide our advocacy efforts?


If you were unable to participate in the call, you can listen to an MP3 recording by clicking here.

To view a copy of the letter Duncan sent, visit www.supportmusic.com

Has Arts Education Fallen So Far Off the Radar ...

... that the diversion of the historic Arts and Music block grant funds to general funds (and the subsequent loss of arts in our public schools) does not even merit a mention in this Sunday front page article?

Who is willing to write an op-ed?

By KERRY BENEFIELD
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Saturday, August 8, 2009 at 3:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, August 8, 2009 at 10:09 p.m.

Kindergarten classes with 28 students. Middle schools with no sports. Counselors with 500 students to manage. Shorter library hours. And perhaps most dramatically, a school year shortened by as many as five days.

Welcome back to school, kids.

Students across Sonoma County will begin heading back to school this week, descending on campuses amid real evidence the harsh economic climate in California is having an impact.

“I really think that the community and the parents understand this time, in this economic collapse, the impacts are going to be felt at the school level,” said Wade Roach, chief financial officer for Cotati-Rohnert Park School District.

And school officials are casting a wary eye at the months ahead, predicting an even grimmer 2010-11 year when federal stimulus dollars disappear.

Cotati-Rohnert Park, hammered by both budget cuts and declining enrollment, faces some of the most dramatic cuts in Sonoma County.

Kindergarten through third grade classes will grow from 20 students to 28; middle-school competitive sports have been axed; classified staff are working 10 fewer days this year and management has cut five days from their schedules.

In March, the district issued notices for the elimination of nearly 55 full-time jobs, 32 of which were elementary school teachers. Of those, officials have reinstated six positions at the elementary level, two of three middle school counselors and two high school teachers, said Superintendent Barbara Vrankovich.

The district is expecting an enrollment of 6,100 when school opens Aug. 27, a drop of 200 students over the previous year. That decline equates to a loss of about $1 million annually in state support for the district.

“I think that parents and the community will see that schools can’t do everything that they once used to do,” Vrankovich said. “Like back-to-school programs, events at night and on weekends, Halloween carnivals on Saturday ... I have told (administrators) they cannot continue to do the things they used to.”

Cotati-Rohnert Park, the third-largest district in the county, is not alone.

Kindergarten through third-grade classes in Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Windsor will grow from 20 to 22 students.

Santa Rosa, which begins Aug. 17, cut funding for Lewis Adult School, boosted bus fees while eliminating routes, increased class sizes in ninth-grade math and English and is reigniting talks over shortening the school year to save money.

If Santa Rosa cuts five days from its 180-day student calendar, it could save more than $2million, said Associate Superintendent Doug Bower.

“We have had some preliminary discussions: What would we do in this scenario? Now that it’s actually here, the budget is done, those discussions would have to start again,” he said.

When school starts Thursday in Windsor, kindergarten teacher Dru Moore may be without a transitional aide for the first time in years.

Typically, the district has paid parents and other adults to spend the first week of school in kindergarten classrooms, helping 5- and 6-year-olds transition to school schedules, community bathrooms and new faces.

Not this year.

“This is the first year we won’t have them,” the 18-year teaching veteran said. “We usually used our parents, but they were paid, TB tested and fingerprinted. We are looking for that same kind of person, but they won’t be paid.”

Superintendent Steve Herrington said many students could be forced to change classrooms and teachers three weeks into the school year because the district can’t afford to keep under-enrolled rooms as is.

“It is really hard on a kiddo,” Moore said of potentially shifting rooms and teachers 20 days into the school year. “They have to let go of mom, they get used to me, then they have to move to another teacher.”

There will be 25 fewer employees in the 560-person Windsor district, Herrington said. Of those 25, 18 were classroom teachers, he said. There will also be fewer support staff doing maintenance and clerical work, he said.

“It’s going to wear people thin, that’s what I worry about,” he said. “You are going to see this play out over the next couple of years, some of these problems are going to fester.”

On Wednesday, Windsor teachers will vote on whether to accept a two-day reduction in the school year around Thanksgiving. Teachers have already agreed to one less professional development day.

In Petaluma, 10 teaching positions in grades four through 12 were eliminated and four were cut from kindergarten through third grades. In addition, employees there have a tentative agreement to shorten their work year by three staff development days.

That cut is equivalent to about 1.6 percent less pay a year, said Steve Bolman, Petaluma’s deputy superintendent.

Petaluma will no longer pay for substitutes to fill in for teachers who are members of professional groups like curriculum committees. Those meetings will now have to take place after school.

The district cut two counselors whose job was to deal with emotional and behavioral issues with students. That will now fall to academic counselors who will see their student load increase from 350 to 500 students in junior high and from 300 to 400 in high school.

“A lot of things that were outstanding and provided a great service for a lot of years, we just can’t afford,” Bolman said.

The district will this year only pay for coaches’ salaries and will turn to boosters and gate receipts to pay for other sports-related costs. And groups wishing to use the districts’ ball fields and multipurpose rooms will have to pay 10 percent more for the privilege.

The district slashed adult education in half — moving $500,000 to the general fund.

“We are keeping the mandated programs, which are basically adults without high school diplomas,” Bolman said.

It also cut the coverage area of home-to-school bus service.

Students who continue to ride the bus will pay more — $420 a year, up from $400 last year.

Still, Bolman said he remains inspired by the resiliency of teachers and students.

“I walk onto our campuses to see what teachers are doing ... I’m always amazed at what they are doing with limited resources,” he said.

Booster groups are girding themselves to shoulder a bigger load this year, despite fund-raisers that are struggling in a blighted economy.

“Those extra things that enrich your education already rely on the community, and our community is hurting,” said Leasa Graves, president of Piner High School’s Parent-Teacher-Student Association. “You felt the crunch last year. The economy started to dip and at fund-raisers the turnout wasn’t the same and funding wasn’t the same.”

School site councils, once a body of school officials and parents from which teachers could request funding for things like lab equipment, classroom supplies, field trip assistance and computer programs, now have, in some cases, no funds to work with. Those dollars were frozen last spring and now have been swept into districts’ general funds to pay for teachers, staff and operational costs.

“We would say, ‘OK, that’s great, but there is absolutely no money and we can’t give you anything.’ What is the purpose of the Site Council? That is something we are going to have to figure out,” said Cherie Wanger, vice president of Piner’s PTSA and a site council member.

“Learning about some of the things that teachers have to come and ask for, I just assumed that those things would be available,” Wanger said. “When teachers ask for bulbs and you have to turn them down, that just doesn’t seem right.”

Staff Writer Kerry Benefield writes an education blog at extracredit.blogs.pressdemocrat.

com. She can be reached at 526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat

.com.

Elimination of VAPA Consultant Position

Please take a moment to read this message from Laurie Schell, Executive Director California Alliance for Arts Education, and take action!

As part of its reorganization process, the California Department of Education has eliminated the Visual and Performing Arts Consultant position. This decision has the potential to silence the voice of arts education within the department, and may have far ranging consequences for arts education programs throughout the state.

School districts, administrators, teachers and parents depend upon the consultant to provide the information, guidance, and encouragement to pursue standards based arts education. In addition, the consultant represents the state of California in national conversations regarding arts education policy and implementation.

It is a position of strategic importance for all of us, and we must voice our opposition to the decision now and urge Superintendent O'Connell to reconsider his decision to eliminate the position. We urge you to take the time to email a letter to Superintendent O'Connell today and copy it to other staff members within the department:

Joconnell@cde.ca.gov
gpayne@cde.ca.gov
dsigman@cde.ca.gov
plafonta@cde.ca.gov
Below, a copy of the letter that the Alliance has submitted:

Dear Superintendent O'Connell:

I am writing on behalf of the California Alliance for Arts Education to express our deep concern upon hearing that the position of Visual and Performing Arts Consultant has been eliminated by the California Department of Education.

While we recognize that the Department is acting in response to the legislature's decision to provide local education agencies with flexibility to deliver categorical funding for arts education, we would point out that the VAPA Consultant position preceded the categorical funding and has existed within the CDE system for twenty three years. The position serves a critical role in the interpretation, implementation, and representation of arts education in California.

As you are aware, high school graduates are required to take one year of VAPA or foreign language. UC/CSU requires one year of VAPA to be considered as an applicant. The visual and performing arts are considered as NCLB core academic courses and require NCLB compliant teachers of instruction.

In order to respond effectively to those requirements and to maintain your longstanding commitment to arts education as an essential component of a complete education, we believe the California Department of Education must provide adequate representation for the concerns and interests of the visual and performing arts.

We strongly urge you to reinstate the full-time VAPA Consultant position in order to provide the technical support that administrators, teachers, parents, and students depend upon as part of our educational system.

Worth Listening To ...

Artfully Speaking: Lectures and Workshops on the Arts and Education

Check out this occasional series pulled from lectures, workshops and other events for educators presented by and through the Education Department of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Of particular note is the Daniel Pink lecture at the bottom of the list. He is discussing his book "A Whole New Mind."

Click here for the lecture series list