By Rich Bockmann
Nearly one in five public schools in Queens is lacking a certified arts teacher and about 17 percent of borough schools do not have a partnership with an outside arts and cultural organization, a new report by the city comptroller’s office shows.
The figures for Queens are comparable to citywide averages detailed by Comptroller Scott Stringer’s “State of the Arts” report released last week, which found arts programs have been significantly underfunded despite state requirements to provide instruction at all grade levels in a city with a thriving cultural scene.
“Funding for arts education in New York City has been on a steady decline over the last seven years,” Stringer said. “It’s time for us to draw up a new plan so that we can give all our children, in every corner of the city a quality, comprehensive arts education.”
In Queens, about 20 percent of schools had neither a part-time nor a full-time certified art teacher on staff and a quarter of schools did not employ a full-time art teacher.
More than 16 percent of schools did not have a partnership with an outside arts organization, which is ironic given that Stringer released his report on the day Mayor Bill de Blasio named Queens Museum President Tom Finkelpearl as the new head of his Department of Cultural Affairs — the arm of the administration tasked with forging such relationships.
Finkelpearl said he had only glanced at the report, but was aware of the disparity in funding.
“It’s not just that we’re not in compliance. It’s that we’re not in compliance in particular neighborhoods and low-income neighborhoods with a lack of art teachers and spaces,” he said.
The new commissioner went on to praise the work of an organization the museum partners with to bring the arts to low-income families in Far Rockaway.
“Which is great, but it underscores the lack of other opportunity or access points for low-income families to culture,” he said.
While schools in traditionally underserved areas lacked amenities, some schools in areas such as northeast Queens also came up short. There are more than a dozen schools in the city, including PS 213 in Oakland Gardens, that had no arts teacher, dedicated arts classroom or a cultural partner.
Pushing more partnerships is one of the recommendations made by the comptroller’s report, which said the city should host cultural fairs in each borough at least once a year.
In addition to increasing funding for the arts, the report also recommended the city encourage small schools share art teachers, ensure that no art space in school buildings be lost when the city co-locates two different schools in the same building and include arts education as part of each school’s annual progress report.
Reach reporter Rich Bockmann by e-mail at rbockmann@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4574.
