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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Skye E. Kowaleski, Director of Artist Programs, Learning and Engagement at Brooklyn Arts Council
3:38:02
ยท
3 min
Skye E. Kowaleski from Brooklyn Arts Council testified in support of prioritizing funding for arts education in New York City schools. She highlighted the impact of their programs, serving approximately 2,500 students across Brooklyn, and emphasized the challenges faced due to uncertain budgets and funding delays.
- Brooklyn Arts Council employs 32 teaching artists across 50 residencies in over 80 classes, offering various arts programming.
- 83% of their funding comes from city partnerships, but uncertain budgets and payment delays cause program disruptions.
- Rising costs have led to a 35% increase in operating expenses from 2022 to 2024, while funding remained stagnant, potentially leading to cuts in programming.
Skye E. Kowaleski
3:38:02
Thank you so much, Chair Joseph and Chair Rivera.
3:38:06
I'm really glad to be able to speak here today.
3:38:10
I am here to support the It Starts with the Arts Coalition calling on our city to prioritize funding for arts
Nadia Jean Francois
3:38:16
in you just say your name for the record?
Skye E. Kowaleski
3:38:18
Oh, great.
3:38:19
My name is Skye Koaleski.
3:38:24
I'm here to call in our city to prioritize funding for the arts in New York City schools.
3:38:29
My name is Skye E.
3:38:31
Koalewski.
3:38:32
I'm the director of artist programs, learning, and engagement at the Brooklyn Arts Council.
3:38:37
The Brooklyn Arts Council centers and empowers artists through programs that build and invest in a self sustaining Brooklyn Artist community.
3:38:44
We envision Brooklyn in which authentic and diverse creative voices are accessible to all, where artists are supported, thriving, and recognized as fundamental to a healthy and engaged society.
3:38:56
And we know that a core piece of realizing this vision is ensuring that every student across Brooklyn has access to quality arts education.
3:39:04
We employ 32 teaching artists across 50 residencies in over 80 classes serving an estimated 2,500 students across Brooklyn each year.
3:39:14
We offer a wide variety of programming for students in digital digital, literary, performing, and visual arts.
3:39:21
We're also proud partner with organizations like the Arts and Education Roundtable to forward equitable labor practices for our teaching artists so that they can ensure that they have the resources they need to continue to deliver responsive arts educations to students across the borough.
3:39:37
Approximately 83% of our funding for these programs comes from partnerships with the city through a combination of CASA and Catalyst grants.
3:39:46
So we could not operate these programs without the steadfast support of our council members and the Department of Cultural Affairs, and we're really grateful for your support.
3:39:56
However, each year, uncertain budgets and delays in funding notifications and city payments mean that we are either fronting the money to deliver our services, or we are significantly delaying our programs resulting in a loss of arts education for the students.
3:40:13
Programming is most effective when it begins at the start of the school year so that students can create routine.
3:40:18
The current funding structure does not allow for this.
3:40:22
January is usually the earliest that we can start, and we can only do this by taking out a bridge loan to hold us over until we receive city funding, which comes with significant administrative costs.
3:40:33
Overarchingly, inflation and rising costs of labor and administration has left us operating these programs with a growing shortfall.
3:40:41
Between 2022 and 2024, our operating costs rose 35%, yet the funding stayed stagnant.
3:40:50
Cuts and continued stagnation in funding has and will continue to necessitate cuts in our programming.
3:40:56
If we cut, for example, just two weeks of programming from each of our in school residencies, That's approximately a loss of three hundred hours in arts education programming each year.
3:41:09
That's an estimated three hundred hours of childcare that each student's caregivers are losing as a result, an estimated three hundred hours less investment in the livelihood of our teaching artists, and it's three hundred hours that could be spent nurturing students' creativity, innovation, helping them develop self confidence, critical thinking, improve academic performance, motor skills, problem solving skills, the list goes on.
3:41:34
Thank you so much for your time today.