"On May 25, 2011 the House Education & Workforce Committee, by a vote of 23-16, approved HR 1891, legislation that terminates 42 federal education programs, including the Arts in Education program at the U.S. Department of Education. This bill is more serious than the annual funding measures that threaten to de-fund arts education, as HR 1891 permanently strips policy language out of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that allows the Arts in Education program to be funded each year.

 

Contact your Member of Congress to register your opposition to this legislation when it is considered on the House floor and let them know the importance of arts education to students and the critical role this program has had in supporting arts education throughout the country."

LACHSA Parent Council Member (and Executive Director of Theatre West) John Gallogly actively works with arts advocacy groups and provides the following editorial comment, which he recommends referencing when contacting your local legislators:

"The 2009 Otis Report on the Creative Economy in Southern California states that the arts, design, and entertainment industries are one of the top five contributors to the economy in Los Angeles County - resulting in nearly one million jobs and $121 billion in sales in LA County (2009 Otis Report) with over $25 billion dollars in direct salaries.  We cannot afford to lose arts education and training. To do so would destroy the employee base and cause California's creative sector to move overseas, and California and the United States will lose its ability to compete in the global marketplace."