President Bush Releases FY 2009 Education Budget Proposal

On Monday of this week, President Bush sent his FY 2009 budget request to Congress, including yearly appropriations recommendations for the Department of Education’s Arts in Education programs as well as the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Office of Museum Services (OMS), and Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). MENC wants you to know that the President has proposed substantial cuts to key arts programs and encourages you to contact your Members of Congress to let them know that you do not condone of this action.

Specifically, for the eighth consecutive year, President Bush has asked Congress to eliminate funding for the Department of Education's Arts in Education programs which include such staples as model arts programs, teacher professional development and arts programs for at-risk youth. The President has also requested $16.3 million in FY 2009 cuts for the NEA (from $144.7 million to $128.4 million) as well as cuts lowering the NEH budget from $144.7 to $144.3 million.

Congress has the power to set its own priorities and challenge President Bush's proposed funding levels, but your help will be needed.

Music education advocates can make their voices heard by writing or calling their Members of Congress and urging them to increase funding for music education and the other arts by restoring designated monies for arts in education programs in the FY 2009 budget. MENC highly recommends that when writing, members add their own personal thoughts and stories about why music education is so very important to them and to their communities. To contact your representatives, go to www.congress.org, enter your zip code in the "Write Your Officials" box at the top left of the screen, locate the individual(s) that you wish to contact, and choose to either send an e-mail message, or to call.

Thank you for your continued support of music education!
*To read more about the President's FY 2009 Education Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Education, please click here.

Help Gain Access to Title 1 Funds for Local Music Education Programs
In a July 2004 letter from U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige to school superintendents, Secretary Paige articulates that Title I funds can and should, in fact, be used to strengthen music and other arts in education programs across the country. In his letter, Secretary Paige states clearly, "Under NCLB, Title 1, Part A funds also can be used by local education agencies to improve the educational achievement of disadvantaged students through the arts." The full text of Secretary Paige's letter can be accessed by going to the link below. Keeping in mind the U.S. Department of Education's recent FY 2007 Title I school district allocations, MENC recommends that music education advocates nationwide attempt to leverage such funds for use in strengthening local music education programs by writing and calling local education and political leaders to share Secretary Paige's comments in light of the new district allocations.
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