Calling All Arts Warriors!

Please make every effort to attend the Guilford County Commissioners meeting on Thursday. Maybe we can all grab some dinner afterwards!

Please read and react to the good news below….

Thanks for caring,

Jennifer

*****
From Debbie Lumpkins, Executive Director, High Point Area Arts Council

After attending Arts Day in Raleigh on Wednesday, several of us continued our advocacy efforts by attending the Guilford County School Board's meeting that night since we knew that discussions about arts education positions were being voted on ... please read the great news below! Part of advocacy is saying thank you and we need to personally thank the school board members and interim superintendents for listening to the public and restoring arts education to our schools. If you would like to send a personal thank you card instead of e-mailing at the addresses below, snail mail addresses can be found at www.gcsnc.com/boe/members.htm

IMPORTANT: Our advocacy efforts are not done, however, and we need your support. The County Commissioners' Meeting is next Thursday, May 22, at 5:30 p.m. at the Old Courthouse on W. Market Street in Greensboro. In addition to being in attendance to show your support of the School Board's budget request to the County Commissioners, Jeanie Duncan and I will be making a presentation to the County Commissioners' for the united arts councils' grant request. Last night in a discussion with one of the county commissioners, it was recommended that Jeanie and I be the only ones that speak and that we have supporters in attendance. Same as the City Council meeting last month, we will recognize our supporters from the podium ... so it is imperative that you are there and show that the arts do matter.

*****

From: Save GCS Music and Art

Board of Education says YES! to Arts Education!!!
Arts education scored a major victory last night!

The Guilford County Board of Education voted 10 to 0 to fully restore art and music instructional time that was cut from many elementary schools this year. The BoE also voted 9 to 2 to restore the position of cultural arts coordinator. These votes were part of the budget process. The next step in the process is consideration of the BoE's budget request by the County Commissioners.

Importantly, both arts education measures approved last night use redirected funds. This means that the arts measures did not contribute to an increase in the budget request (i.e., they are not part of the "10%" increase reported in the press). In theory at least, the restored instructional time and coordinator position are therefore less vulnerable to further budget changes even if the budget increase is not fully approved by the County Commissioners.

Nevertheless, nothing about the budget is truly final until the process is complete and these gains cannot be considered "locks" until that time. To protect these measures and to keep faith with the BoE, your help will be crucial over the coming weeks in encouraging the Commissioners to fund the schools' budget request. More information about that will be forthcoming.

In the meantime, please take a moment to email the BoE members and the co-interim superintendents to thank them for their support of arts education in Guilford County. They came through for our kids and now is the time to show our appreciation!

Walter Childs mailto:childsw@gcsnc.com
Garth Hebert mailto:garth@thecpafirm.com
Darlene Garrett mailto:dygarr@aol.com
Alan Duncan mailto:alan.duncan@smithmoorelaw.com
Anita Sharp mailto:sharpea@gcsnc.com
Jeff Belton mailto:beltonj@gcsnc.com
Kris Cooke mailto:kcooke73@triad.rr.com
Dena Hayes mailto:hayesd@gcsnc.com
Amos Quick mailto:quicka@gcsnc.com
Dot Kearns mailto:dotkendall@aol.com
Nancy Routh mailto:nrouth@bellsouth.net
Eric Becoats mailto:becoate@gcsnc.com
Sharon Ozment mailto:ozments@gcsnc.com

The hard work of each and every one of us over the past year made a tremendous difference in bringing about a positive change for arts education; our community; and most importantly, our children!! THANK YOU!!