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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Trenton Price, Executive Director of Salvadori Center on Arts Education in NYC Public Schools
3:44:16
ยท
3 min
Trenton Price, Executive Director of Salvadori Center, testified on the importance of arts education in NYC public schools. He highlighted Salvadori's STEAM education services and their impact on students across the five boroughs, emphasizing the need for continued investment in arts education despite budget constraints.
- Salvadori Center taught over 12,000 students in 45 different schools and NYCHA community centers last year
- A study with NYU showed increased self-efficacy in elementary students up to a year after Salvadori's residency
- Price urged the city to take several actions, including extending at-risk arts education funding, ensuring certified arts teachers in every school, and improving data transparency on arts education access
Trenton Price
3:44:16
Am I on?
3:44:17
Okay.
3:44:18
Thank you Chair Rivera and Chair Joseph and members of the committees on education and cultural affairs and libraries.
3:44:25
I'm Trenton Price.
3:44:26
I'm the executive director of the Salvadori Center.
3:44:29
I'm a former middle school teacher, a school leader, and district leader for arts education in the New York City Public Schools before joining Salvadori two years ago.
3:44:37
At Salvadori, we provide STEAM education services, that's STEM plus the A, and in our case arts and architecture, to schools, after school sites, and NYCHA community centers across the five boroughs.
3:44:49
For context, last year, Salvadori taught over 12,000 students in a 45 different schools in NYCHA community centers across the five boroughs.
3:45:00
We are grateful to have the support of multiple city council members including yourself through CASA and digital inclusion and literacy grants.
3:45:06
I wanna thank you for hosting this joint hearing and putting a magnifying glass up to arts education and bringing a megaphone to the work that so many of us care so deeply about.
3:45:16
As we say, it starts with the arts.
3:45:18
At Salvador, we have seen firsthand the impact on that investment on arts education can have.
3:45:24
For example, our residencies explore and have kids creating community models that reflect their values or monuments of things that are important to them.
3:45:32
Amplifying student voice is one of the most powerful things that creative education can do.
3:45:37
In East New York and in Astoria last summer, middle school students learned about design and then applied that learning to their NYCHA community centers.
3:45:45
In the fall, we were able to then realize those renovations bringing the young people's visions to life.
3:45:51
That's the type of authentic design and arts education that every child deserves.
3:45:57
Having worked in arts education for many years, I know it is one of the first things that can get cut when funding gets tight.
3:46:03
But to the contrary, schools and cities that know the true value of arts education know that tight times are when we need to double down on the arts.
3:46:12
A recent study with NYU showed that Salvadori elementary school students showed increased self efficacy up to a year after our residency.
3:46:20
What could be more important than an individual's belief in their ability to succeed, which impacts motivation, effort, and persistence.
3:46:29
Investing in arts education is an investment in our future.
3:46:32
I join my colleagues in urging the city to take action to ensure that students have access to high quality arts education including extend and baseline the at risk arts education funding that was previously funded through federal stimulus, ensure every school has a certified arts teacher, restore and enhance support for arts education initiative, Increase and restrict the DOE arts funding to be spent on the arts.
3:46:59
Ensure nonprofit providers have contracts and payments from DYCD in a timely manner.
3:47:04
Restore and increase baseline funding for the Department of Cultural Affairs.
3:47:08
Improve data transparency and accountability from the public schools about arts education access at each school, and expand CASA and digital inclusion and literacy grants which have remained flat for years.
3:47:20
I thank you for facilitating this joint hearing.
3:47:22
We are grateful to be of service to New York City's children and we stand ready to do more.
3:47:27
Thank you.