Greetings Delaware Music Educators,

Just when you find a slight reprise from the start of the school year, holiday concert season creeps up in full swing. Along with a rigorous fall start, we are in the midst of appropriations season for Fiscal Year 2024.

FEDERAL
September through October was quite dramatic in the house with no speaker. There was even the potential of a government shutdown. Although having no speaker proved to be a saving grace for education, especially arts education, on October 25th, the house selected their 56th speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (LA). With less than a month to negotiate FY2024 spending package and NEA expiration date quickly approaching, arts advocates nationwide were able to rally together and get the House to agree upon Short-Term funding until February 2, 2024, this came only 2 days before ALL funding for federal agencies were set to expire.

Funding, in general, for the Department of Education Budget is facing a 28% cut!

Here are some major programs, that are essential to music education, facing hardship during these Fiscal Year 2024 budget negotiations:

National Endowment for the Arts - NEA

• What is NEA? It’s the largest federal funder of the arts and arts education, public and private.
• New speaker in the house - Mike Johnson (R-LA)
• The funding is still in jeopardy! It has only received an extension for current funding until February 2, 2024
• Appropriations bills may cut this budget severely, by 10 %
  • FY 2023 = $207 million
  • FY 2024 = $186 million
• What can we do? Submit, as often as you can, a letter to our DE Representatives to vote against amendment numbers 250 and 251 to the House Interior Appropriations bill, as well as any other amendments that lower funding levels for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in FY2024.
  • https://www.artsactionfund.org/arts-action-center - voter voice
• Writing your own letter is great! But even just submitting a “canned response” garners attention

Title I - A

• Title 1-A would have an 80% decrease for FY2024
• This budget decrease estimates 220,000 teaching positions eliminated.

Title II

• Latest proposal provides NO FUNDING. None. It would be completely eliminated.
• Title II funding is all about professional development.

Title IV - A

• Does not have any proposed changes, but the funding it receives would then have to supplement the budget decreases/loss for both Title I and II.

Go here, https://nafme.org/advocacy/grassroots-action-center/, to send a message to our DE Representatives and advocate for their support in music education.

Arts Education for All Act -

• Seeks to support arts in early childcare, K-12 and juvenile justice education
• Further clarifies federal funding eligibility streams to support arts education
• Requiring states to collect data on arts programs
• Elementary and Secondary Act “ESEA” expanded
• Not yet cosponsored by DE!
• Send an email to our DE Representatives today, tomorrow and everyday through the voter voice links below. The more we share the more we are heard.
  • https://www.artsactionfund.org/arts-action-center?vvsrc=/Campaigns/107581/Respond
  • http://www.votervoice.net/Shares/BfBt0At6ACOrYAAnr7c7FA

​STATE
​Delaware Arts Alliance - DAA

• Creative Economy Revitalization Act
  • The path to recovery from COVID-19 for Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation.
  • The arts play a critical role in that recovery and the DAA aims to establish a clear road map for policy changes and sector investments to achieve sustainable and resilient profit and nonprofit locally produced arts and culture organizations
  • Sound Diplomacy will partner with DAA to manage data collection, analysis and content development.
• Arts Education Dashboard - The Delaware Arts Education Data Project
  • https://www.delawareartsalliance.org/resources/arts-education-dashboard/

LOCAL
This section is meant to highlight you and all the incredible things you do for music education. Reach out to your county representative and share your success stories, upcoming concert dates, school/district board meetings, and even any concerns you may have regarding music education. We are here to support each other. When we know better, we do better.

RESOURCES
NAfME SEL Brochure for Music Education

• https://nafme.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/NAfME-SEL-Brochure-for-music-educators-March-2021.pdf

NAfME Civic Action Field Guide

• https://nafme.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Civic-Action-Field-Guide-November-2022.pdf

Remember, our greatest resource is each other,

Anna Ramon
DMEA Advocacy Chair
[email protected]

Music In Our Schools Month - MIOSM
March is a great time to advocate for you, your program and music. With the month of March with a spotlight on Music we can help demonstrate to our communities how critical music is, to students, education and the communities we serve. Take pictures and share stories with us about how you are celebrating MIOSM. Below you will find some Daily Prompts created by NAfME to help get MIOSM started.

Interested in being a part of the Advocacy team? There is always room for more advocates!
Follow this link to fill out the advocacy interest form.
Advocacy Interest Form

What’s happening in current legislation:

•  Local & State
  • Tax season... Now is the time many districts/charters are preparing their budgets for next school year. Is there something that may be concerning you? Has your program, parts of your budget, or even staff been considered for cuts? If you have any concern about this being a possibility for you, please reach out ASAP.
• Federal:
  • A resolution to federally designate March as Music in Our Schools Month has been introduced to congress. Thanks to NY Representative Nydia Velasquesz and NJ Senator Cory Booker. Reach out to DE Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester today and request their support for this resolution. Follow the link below to votervoice.net and share your story and request to our state representatives and learn more about the resolution. Voter Voice - Support MIOSM
    
  • Dec. 19th President Biden signed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 appropriations bill. Key funding areas, specifically impacting music education, received slight increases:
    
    • Title I, Part A - $18.4 B (5% increase over FY22)
      
    • Title II, Part A - $ 2.19 B (1% increase over FY22)
      
    • Title IV, Part A - $1.38 B (8% increase over FY22)
      
    • IDEA, Part B - $16.3 B (22% increase over FY22)

Please reach out to me and tell me about your current needs. If you are in need of any assistance, maybe you’re not sure if you are but have questions about advocacy.

Our greatest resource is each other,
​
Anna Ramon
DMEA Advocacy Chair