Here in California, we’ve all been hearing the news about the all-nighters our state legislators have been pulling trying to negotiate a budget that will close our 26 billion state deficit. With all of the competing viewpoints and priorities, the one place we can find common ground is in our concern over our public education system and the drastic cuts that our schools are facing.

I’ve heard it said that the best way to address a challenge is to approach it as an opportunity, and when it comes to Arts Education, the coming months pose an unparalleled opportunity for us to make our voices heard. Although the Arts and Music Block grant is facing cuts, we are relieved that it remains in the budget and will likely remain for the next 4 years. Furthermore, the grant will be distributed to Districts to be used at their discretion. What does this mean?

It means that NOW is the time for us come together in support of Arts Education! By presenting a unified voice, our school boards will have the support they need to protect these critical programs. We all know that lots of important subject areas will be faced with cuts, but in today’s increasingly competitive economy, we cannot afford to take away integral opportunities for our kids to learn how to think critically and creatively.

Whew! Now that I’ve got that off my chest…Hello. My name is Tara and I am the new Arts for LA community organizer. Armed with 3+ years of organizing and campaigning experience, I have been charged with the exciting role of recruiting YOU - the parents, artists, administrators, activists, business leaders, and students of LA - to advocate for the support and funding of Arts Education in our schools.

Arts for LA is launching a pilot program that will build Arts Education Advocacy teams in 5 school districts across Los Angeles County.

This program couldn’t be launched at a better time. With the enormous cuts being made to public education in our state, community action for Arts Education needs to happen now. In November we have over 100 candidates running in local School Board elections in Arts for All Districts. This is our opportunity to mobilize and make Arts Education a platform issue in this election, and we can’t do it without YOU!

Click here to find out how to get involved

We’ve designed and will soon be imparting an advocacy training program that will equip community members with the tools and skills they need to support their district leaders in protecting and prioritizing Arts Education. The pilot iteration of the training program will last throughout the fall, and participants will “learn by doing” as we apply the training by implementing a campaign around the School Board elections.

Arts for LA is harnessing our collective power to make sure local school districts and our state provide well-rounded, high quality arts education to all of our students.

That is why I am asking you to get involved. It’s going to be a tough year, there will be a lot of competing priorities, and that is why it is so critical that YOU join your community in this effort. Together we can ensure that every child has access to the tools they need to succeed, and I promise, we’ll have a lot of fun doing it!

So stay tuned. Get involved. I would loved to hear from you any ideas you have on how we can make this program as dynamic and effective as possible. Who should be involved? PTAs? School advisory committees? Arts organizations? Businesses? What do you want to learn about? What are the best strategies we can implement to strengthen our Arts Education programs at the District level? Tell me your ideas.

Until then I am looking forward to hearing from you and learning how we can work together to sustain and improve arts education for all in our region.

Tara