Councilpersons Goode and Jones to Receive Hero Capes for Support of Education and Arts in Schools, 6/6

A coalition of arts and education supporters, parents and school staff organized by Public Citizens for Children and Youth, ArtsRising, an initiative of the Philadelphia Education Fund, and the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance's GroundSwell movement (among others) will present Concilpersons Curtis Jones, Jr. and W. Wilson Goode, Jr. with Arts Education Superhero capes for their outspoken support for keeping arts and music education in Philadelphia's public schools.

Councilman Goode is being honored for his support for a proposal to increase the Use & Occupancy tax that is expected to generate between $32 million and $72 million, mostly for public education. Councilman Jones, on the other hand, has committed to voting for full funding for public schools and has taken a leading role in rallying his fellow councilmembers to take action to save arts education.

Event Schedule:

9:30 AM - A students will recite a poem for the councilmember outside City Hall Chambers
9:35 AM - A parent will speak, followed by the councilmembers.
9:40 AM - Students will present the councilmembers with a cape and thank them for supporting arts education in Philadelphia.
9:45 AM - Students and parents will walk to city council offices presenting council members with DVDs of a Claymation video, "Be a Superhero," created by the Clay Studio intern Samantha Ashok, a senior at Masterman High School. The video encourages politicians to support the arts and "be a superhero for arts ed." WATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE: http://youtu.be/6r9rQaTNYH0

The Pennsylvania state education budget is in crisis, having been cut by $1 billion since 2010. Locally, the cuts have financially distressed the School District of Philadelphia, which has asked City Council in its FY 2014 budget to provide an additional $60 million to schools.

Without this additional funding, concessions from the unions and an additional $120 million from the state legislature, Philadelphia public schools will be left with a bare bones budget, cutting instrumental music, art and music teachers, sports teams, nurses, secretaries, extracurriculars, and more.

"My school will not be able to open its doors," said Leslie Mason, principal of Mifflin School. Arts education is the key to keeping students engaged in school, making learning matter, and preparing students for 21st century careers. Without strong school arts programs, the strong arts organizations and businesses that are the underpinning of the city's creative economy are also at risk.