CAA News Today

As last year, the U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill to eliminate FY 2006 funding for federal Arts in Education grants through the U.S. Department of Education. Last year, fourteen grants totaling about $3.9 million were made to support the development, implementation, and expansion of arts education programs and the integration of arts instruction into the core curriculum. Additionally, 23 new awards totaling $6,169,184 were made in the Professional Development for Arts Educators Grant Program, which supports the implementation of high-quality programs in elementary and secondary education for music, dance, drama, media arts, and visual arts.

The Senate, however, is expected to approve next year’s funding for the Arts in Education (AIE) program. Once the Senate passes its version of the bill, it will conduct negotiations with the House to work out a compromise. To ensure that the final bill does not zero out this important grant program, please write your U.S. Representative and Senator to express your support for the Arts in Education funding.