Schenectady snags national arts honor |
By Eric D. Randall
Editor-in-Chief
The Schenectady City School District has won $10,000 and a national award for excellence in arts education. NYSSBA had nominated the district and its school board for the award, which is sponsored by the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network and National School Boards Association (NSBA).
District officials were honored in a ceremony March 31 at NSBA’s annual conference in Orlando, Fla.
“The Schenectady school board has always found a way to keep the district’s arts programs thriving,” according to a news release from the Kennedy Center. “This is one community that responds to parents’ insistence on retaining the arts in schools, despite budget cuts.”
The district’s fine arts budget is more than 5 percent of the total annual instructional budget, which the Kennedy Center called “unusually high.”
Schenectady, a K-12 district, offers arts programs in all schools and has special schools such as the Yates Arts in Education Magnet School for K-6 and the John Sayles School of Fine Arts for high school students. The Sayles school attracts tuition-paying students from outside the district.
The school board has also created a subcommittee for the fine arts to work with the community on retaining and expanding arts offerings in the schools.
Students in Schenectady receive classes in visual arts and music beginning in pre-K. Arts opportunities continue throughout the elementary grades with the addition of beginning strings and band programs. In middle school, students can apply for the arts magnet school or two other magnet schools which have rich arts offerings. For older students, AP and International Baccalaureate courses in the arts are offered.
The district offers fee waivers and scholarships for low-income students, so that they have equitable access to the arts programs. The board also supports professional development for teachers, requiring 30 hours to be completed outside the school day. Included in the professional development offerings are courses in the arts for non-arts teachers. This helps support the integration of the arts into other core academic areas.
“The board’s commitment to the arts has truly made them a model for arts education in New York and throughout the country,” according to the Kennedy Center.
The Kennedy Center has one of the most extensive arts education programs in the world, reaching more than 11 million people each year.