The Status of Arts Education in Ohio's Public ... - Ohio Arts Council

ROLE OF ARTS EDUCATION IN SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
Strengthening arts education is part of school improvement, and arts educators
can make a valuable contribution to school improvement plans.
The Status Survey data show that 74 percent of schools reported including arts educators on
school improvement teams. Among the schools surveyed, arts educators participated in
improvement teams at 76 percent of elementary schools, 76 percent of middle schools and 73
percent of high schools.
ALLOCATING ADEQUATE RESOURCES FOR ACCESS AND HIGH QUALITY
High-quality arts instruction for all students requires adequate budgets for
equipment, supplies, field trips and other needs.
According to the Status Survey, budgeting for arts education varied widely.
Total Amounts Budgeted: More than 60 percent of schools reported budgets of over $1,000 per year
for arts education, while 36 percent reported budgets of $1,000 or less. Those included 12 percent reporting
no budgets for arts education.
Ten percent of schools reported budgets of
more than $10,000 for arts education, as
shown in Figure 25. (The survey defined
arts education budgets as dedicated
amounts of funds schools received to
support arts education for the current
school year, excluding teacher salaries,
non-district funds or one-time allocations.
The study did not compare arts education
budgets to budgets for other subject areas
and activities.)
Figure 25: Range of Arts Education Budgets
More than
$10,000
10%
$5,000-
10,000 14%
$2,001-
5,000
23%
Per-Student Budgets: Nineteen percent
of schools reported a budget of $1 or less per
student for arts education. Five percent
reported having a budget of more than $30 per student. (See Figure 26, next page.) The maximum per
student budget for arts education reported was $135.
Overall, the median amount of per-student funding was highest for visual arts and music ($3.97 and
$1.52 respectively).
The median per-student budget by school type was $3.00 for elementary schools; $4.67 for middle
schools; and $9.16 for high schools. The gaps in per-student funding for different school levels tended to
be wider for music. The median per student spending for high school music was $15.50, compared to
$1.01 for elementary schools and $1.61 for middle schools. For visual arts, median per-pupil spending
was $2.50 for elementary schools, $3.92 for middle schools and $8.89 for high schools.
$0
12%
Less than
$1,000
24%
$1,000-
2,000
17%
Status of Arts Education in Ohio’s Public Schools 52