Public Input on Arts Education Funding!

As part of the American Rescue Plan adopted in March of this year, $122 billion is dedicated to the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER III) and is being sent to every school district and state department of education in the country.

In South Carolina, over $2 billion will flow to districts and the SC Department of Education (SCDE).
90% of all funds must go to districts, with the SCDE retaining 10%, or roughly $211 million.

SCDE is looking for input on how to use their portion of ESSER III funding statewide, and we need to be sure the arts are included!

Happening Soon! The SCDE is asking for public input during a session held virtually on Tuesday, May 25 from 5:30pm – 7pm.

Take Action

We’re asking arts education supporters – especially parents and students, but of course educators and those working in education within arts organizations as well to push for state and district level support of the arts within the ESSER III funding.

There are three ways you can reach the Department to encourage support for arts education:

1) REGISTER FOR PUBLIC INPUT SESSION on May 25!

2) Email comments to [email protected]

3) Submit comments via this form on the Department’s website.

The “Ask”
Arts education supporters should request that the State Department of Education lean on existing, statewide, arts education infrastructures to address learning loss across content areas, and support effective summer and afterschool learning opportunities in the arts. Doing so will not only help existing programs regain learning losses over the last year, but open the door for more students to have access to a well-rounded education.

We’ve put together a few key talking points for you to use, along with your personal testimony on why arts education is important:

The Profile of the SC Graduate is explicitly supportive of the arts and creativity, making the need to address the arts in the state’s ESSER III plan imperative.
The arts easily fit within the priorities set by ESSER regulations (see below).
Arts have suffered great learning losses over the last year. In-Person instruction was severely altered to ensure safety, which led to canceled performances (part of SC standards), group work, and more.
Inequitable access to resources in virtual environments, and limited in-person learning, meant some students had little to no materials (instruments/brushes/scripts/etc) for at-home learning. In many instances, teachers paid for these out of pocket.
Districts will make decisions at the local level, leaving room for unintentional inequity across the state, potentially leaving the arts out in the cold in some of our most rural areas. A statewide approach to these content areas will help ensure some base level approach to equity.
Arts programs held afterschool and during the summer help bridge the “summer gap”, both in the arts and other content areas.
Many community arts organizations partner with schools, providing community connections and enhanced learning opportunities outside of the school day and building.

Please email us if you submit comments so we can keep track!

Background

What is ESSER III Funding?

ESSER III funding provides a total of nearly $122 billion to States and school districts to help safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools and address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the nation’s students. In addition to ESSER, the ARP Act includes $3 billion for special education, $850 million for the Outlying Areas, $2.75 billion to support non-public schools, and additional funding for homeless children and youth, Tribal educational agencies, Native Hawaiians, and Alaska Natives.

South Carolina will receive $2,112,051,487 in ESSER III funds from the Act, of which 90 percent will flow through to school districts with amounts determined in proportion to the amount of Title I, Part A funds they received in Summer 2020 from funds under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The remaining funds will be used for state-level activities to address issues caused by COVID-19.

Where the Arts Fit

ESSER III funding has a number of eligible uses at the state-level, but three in particular are directly tied to the arts:

The implementation of evidence-based interventions aimed specifically at addressing learning loss.
5% of total SC allocation ($105 million)
Evidence-based summer enrichment programs.
1% of total SC allocation ($21 million)
Evidence-based comprehensive afterschool programs.
1% of total SC allocation ($21 million)

Local districts will also have the ability to provide funding to these areas.

Dive Deeper:

Here is a breakdown from the US Department of Education >>

Here is the SC Department of Education’s dedicated page >>