Campaign Aims To Increase Arts Education in Schools

The Center for Arts Education is preparing to roll out a campaign to push for a dramatic increase in public schools' art offerings — and to serve as a watchdog monitoring Mayor Bloomberg's latest reorganization of the city schools.

A nonprofit organization that until now has worked primarily with individual schools, the center will begin its expansion into the policy world today at a breakfast with about 50 government officials.

"We want to ensure that the next leaders of the council, the next mayor, the next chancellor, the next governor — that they know that arts education is an important issue," the group's executive director, Richard Kessler, said.

Mr. Kessler was outspoken in his criticism of the city's new funding scheme, announced this winter, to free principals from a requirement to spend a portion of their budget, about $60 a student, on arts education.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Education, Lindsey Harr, said the department believes the change will not lead to lower arts spending. Ms. Harr said new accountability measures, including an annual report that will publish reviews of all schools' arts programs, will ensure that arts programming does not suffer.

At today's breakfast, Mr. Kessler said he will present the results of a Department of Education survey that he said shows limited access to arts education even in schools that have art programs.

Ms. Harr would not confirm Mr. Kessler's figures, saying they have not yet been released because they have not been verified and may not be accurate.

Mr. Kessler said he intends for the center's arts campaign to be on par with the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, although he does not plan to file a lawsuit. He is working with the communications firm the equity campaign hired, Douglas Gould, and said he also plans to bring on three new employees and several board members experienced in press and government affairs.

The Center for Arts Education is funded in part by private groups and in part by the Department of Education, but its director of public relations, Heather Mangrum, said it is nevertheless independent from the department.