Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Council pushes to restore arts programs at NYC public schools
By
Jessica Gould
Published Apr 17, 2023
Modified Apr 17, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
By
Jessica Gould
Published Apr 17, 2023
Modified Apr 17, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The City Council is calling on Mayor Eric Adams to increase funding for the arts at public schools — a push that aims to restore some programs and teacher positions that were trimmed following last year’s budget cuts.
The lawmakers earlier this month called for a $79.9 million funding boost for arts offerings at public schools. The extra money must be approved in the city’s annual budget, which is due by the end of June.
Council members said the proposal aims to reverse reductions to arts programs at “many schools,” and would increase the per-student arts allocation from $80 to $100. The funding would also support arts teacher training and certification, according to the proposal.
“I still have my music notebook from middle school until today, so those skills are lifelong skills,” said Councilmember Rita Joseph, who chairs the Education Committee. “If we really use the model [of] educating the whole child, music, theater, dance, should also be incorporated.”
Joseph, who taught at PS 6 in Flatbush, Brooklyn before she joined the Council in 2022, said the funding boost could prevent more cuts to arts programs and allow some open teacher positions to be filled.
Council members said the proposal could also help restore programs destabilized by $375 million in enrollment-based budget cuts that went into effect last summer. While schools were not required to cut arts programs, some administrators who faced budget shortfalls opted to trim or eliminate arts positions to help balance their books.
“We are reimagining what education looks like in this post-pandemic, 21st century world,” said Kim Olsen, executive director of the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable, which advocates for increased investments in the arts. “As we think about keeping kids in school and having them return to school every day, we know that starts with the arts…This is not an extra, this is a must have.”
Paul Trust, who had been a music teacher at PS 39 in Park Slope for more than a decade when he was informed by his principal last year his program was being cut, said it’s crucial that schools have enough money for arts programming.
“I would love to see every school offer a thriving arts program, but in order for that to happen, the city needs to take the arts seriously, drastically improve funding and rebuild from the ground up,” Trust said.
Trust ultimately found another job teaching music at a school in Brownsville, but he said his old job was never filled. The parent association at PS 39 has supported music instruction by funding a partnership with the nearby Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, a parent said.
But Trust, one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging last year’s budget cuts, said some schools haven’t been as lucky. He said the music teacher at his daughter’s elementary school, PS 56 in Richmond Hill, Queens, left more than a year ago and has not been replaced by another full-time employee.
Education department spokesperson Jenna Lyle said the city's current fiscal budget includes nearly $500 million for arts education and programming in schools.
“The arts are a critically important outlet of expression, connection and healing for our young people," said Lyle. "Much of this funding is within school budgets, and decisions on how allocations are utilized are made at the school level."
The Council also wants to budget more funding for the city's free 3K program, which has since 2020 been supported by federal stimulus dollars that will soon run out. City officials have said they plan to maintain and redistribute the current number of 3K seats for next school year, rather than expand the program.
Adams’s preliminary budget released earlier this year avoided some of the additional enrollment-based cuts the mayor previously said schools would face this spring. But education advocates remain anxious.
The mayor earlier this month issued a memo directing all city agencies to reduce spending.
Editor's note: This story was updated with a statement from the DOE.
Tagged
new york city
education
Politics
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Parents grumble as NYC schools chancellor dodges calls for NYC schools integration plan
Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones said she felt disappointed by the lack of details.
By
Jessica Gould
Published Oct 20, 2026 at 10:01 p.m. ET
Driver found with apparent gunshot wound on George Washington Bridge, officials say
The westbound upper level was closed Tuesday night as Port Authority police investigated the incident.
By
Charles Lane
News
Driver found with apparent gunshot wound on George Washington Bridge, officials say
The westbound upper level was closed Tuesday night as Port Authority police investigated the incident.
By
Charles Lane
16 arrested in New York auto insurance fraud crackdown involving nearly $500K
By
Giulia Heyward
Coney Island's small, 1890s lighthouse may be landmarked by the city
By
Catalina Gonella
New renderings are out for Queens' Metropolitan Park casino
By
Willow Higgins
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .