Budget Defense for the Arts
Defense of the annual public school art budget using research and story-telling.
Overview
Project: Defending the Art Budget for EIS
Role: Sole Researcher and Designer
Timeline: 40 hours
Tools used: Canva, G-mail, Figma
Background
Before I became a designer, I was an art teacher for 12 years, teaching roughly 600 3rd-5th graders. I fortunately worked for a district that was supportive of the Arts and provided a yearly budget for supplies.
Problem & Solution
In the 2023-24 school year the Edgewood Intermediate art budget was cut by 50%. We went from $3,000 annually to $1,500. I was going to have to rethink my entire curriculum for the school year. I was upset for myself and my students. I knew they deserved better because we had provided them with the resources before, we would do it again. I was determined to get the art budget back up to where it previously was by the next school year.
Empathize
Research Approach
I wanted to make sure that I found data from a variety of sources to remind administration how important the Arts are to our community. I began looking at the data that I personally had, then I reached out to colleagues, and finally I looked at the community’s population trends.
Art Class Data
I looked at what I was teaching in the art room and the variety of mediums we use in the short amount of time I see the students. I found that throughout the entire year:
Community Growth
Based on the enrollment from when I began teaching in 2012, our population has steadily increased by roughly 12%. These are from enrollment numbers found on ElementarySchools.org and the current number of students enrolled during the 2023-24 school year.
We also know that our population is going to grow in the years to come. Through Envision Ellettsville, data was found showing how town rebranding, housing developments, and business growth will encourage more individuals and families to move to the Ellettsville area. Naturally, this would increase the enrollment at Edgewood in the future.
Graduate Profile
The next area I looked at was our school corporation’s graduate profile. This is something we have been working on for a few years and it is a summary of what we want our students to have when they graduate from the Edgewood school system. These may be considered more soft skills that are proven to be important to employers and business owners.
Image provided by Edgewood Ready Schools Initiative I looked at each one of these areas of the profile and thought about how Art reinforces all of those areas. This was something I wanted to communicate to administration so they knew how Art directly related to an Edgewood student’s success.
Monetary Trends
Through all my time working at Edgewood I have never inquired about other building’s budgets for art. I do know that the other art educators teach a variety of 2D and 3D lessons. The high school has divided 2D and 3D art into two separate classes.
I reached out to the other art teachers within our district and found out what each school received during the 2023-24 school year:
Primary School - $1,500
Intermediate School - $1,500
Junior High School - $2,500
High School 2D - $1,833
High School 3D - $2,867
The other art teachers also shared with me that all but the primary school has seen their budget slowly decrease over time.
Inflation
There is also the issue of inflation over time. According to officialdata.org there has been a 27.47% increase in inflation between 2012 and 2022.
Using the Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation calculator, I looked at the Intermediate from the years 2012, 2020, and 2023 and factor in the inflation rate per student over time.
This data shows that over 12 years the budget has dropped by 59%. (Note: the 2020-21 data is approximate due to COVID-19 fluctuations).
Art Statistics
After being in Art Education for over a decade, I knew there was data available showing how the arts benefited students academically and in the professional world. The data from fromipaintmymind.org backed my knowledge based on students who were involved in the Arts.
This data, and much more, shows how valuable the Arts are to students who are attending and have graduated from school.
Define
Pain Points
Problem Statements
How might we convince the administration to reinstate the previous budget of $3,000 annually?
How might we revalidate the importance of the Arts for all of the students attending Edgewood Schools?
User Journey
Knowing what is all involved in the art curriculum, I was thinking of all the projects my students would not be able to do this year. With my experience in UX, I began to image what a student’s year would look like as a journey map. It can depend on the specific student’s interests, but I tried to imagine the average student’s thoughts and feelings through the art making process.
Knowing what is all involved in the art curriculum, I was thinking of all the projects my students would not be able to do this year. With my experience in UX, I began to image what a student’s year would look like as a journey map. It can depend on the specific student’s interests, but I tried to imagine the average student’s thoughts and feelings through the art making process.
Generally the students enjoy the lessons taught to them, but it can change based on external factors. I can adjust the curriculum as needed depending on the general attitude of the students.
Presentation
I was not sure when I would be able to present my information to administration, so I set out creating a presentation in Canva so synthesize all of the data I had found.
Before presenting the information to administration, I wanted to test out the flow of the presentation. I presented it to a friend, Andy, who is an accomplished public speaker. I found I needed to rearrange some slides so the flow of the presentation felt natural to me.
Results
I was able to record and send the presentation to administration so they could get the information quickly. After the presentation was viewed, administration met with me and reinstated the Art program budget to $3,000. They also ensured me the budget wouldn’t be cut in the future.
View the recorded presentation below.
Reflection
What I Learned
The most important lesson I learned is that I really enjoy UX skills of researching and storytelling. With reflection and practice I have the ability to present information in an engaging way that produces results.
Next Steps
I will continue to keep advocating for the arts while also passing off my research to the future art teacher at Edgewood Intermediate. Even though I am no longer an art teacher, I still want the students to get the best Art education they can possibly get. Arming the next art teacher with my research could benefit all students if the budget gets cut again.