Arts education — or the lack thereof — at LA Unified by the numbers
L.A. plans to unveil a major initiative to save public arts education. Meanwhile, L.A. Unified's school board is looking at a measure that would make arts a "core subject." Credit: Grant Slater/KPCCIn the last three years, Los Angeles Unified has had to cut nearly $1.5 billion from its annual operating budget, which is now roughly $6 billion. "Arts education is one of the most impacted components of LAUSD instruction as a result," according to the district.
I'm still working on getting specific breakdowns on arts education funding from L.A. Unified, but in the meantime, here are some numbers the district had handy.
In 2008, L.A. Unified employed 345 art specialist teachers — the district called that year its "peak." Now there