Education In Arts Getting More Funds

Responding to a public call for more emphasis on arts education, the Idaho Commission on the Arts is boosting its support.

One program getting help is “School Connections: Audience of Tomorrow,” which brings performing, visual and literary arts to children, especially in rural Idaho.

The commission got the leeway to expand programs last winter when legislative budget writers authorized more than $47,000 beyond what Gov. Phil Batt recommended for the budget year that begins next week. That helped push the budget up 8 percent to nearly $1.3 million.

Local financial support also has increased in recent years. Revenues of 32 arts organizations have climbed from $3 million six years ago to $9.3 million now.

As a result, School Connections spending will climb 24 percent, from $55,000 to $68,000. During the past year, the program took the arts to 62,000 students in 35 counties, more than a quarter of public-school enrollment.

Last fall, the commission held 14 public hearings, and “everyone said they wanted arts education,” Director Margot Knight said.

Other grants to schools and teachers are also increasing, including spending on artists residencies and education innovations.

The commission decided to sponsor a three-day national conference on training artists to serve troubled children, an effort backed by a special $25,000 appropriation from the Legislature. Knight convinced lawmakers that the program could help check juvenile delinquency and reduce the skyrocketing costs of dealing with that problem.