By Elizabeth Kramer
Frankfort, KY – Arts advocates want to see Kentucky's Department of Education include arts education in its application for federal funds. More than $4 billion is being offered to states for school reform under the Race for the Top fund. The group Arts Kentucky recently sent out a request that stakeholders in education, from parents to education leaders, take an education department survey. The group wants to generate support for funds to cover the costs of assessing school arts programs. David Cupps is with Arts Kentucky.
"We believe that if they included Race to the Top funds for arts education that could help with the implementation and, thus, help keep arts in schools."
Cupps says the funding could help ensure arts education is assessed at schools statewide in the wake of Senate Bill 1, which passed last spring. The legislation to revamp Kentucky's student testing system requires the state to assess arts programs at all schools.