SANTA CRUZ – The Santa Cruz County Alliance for Arts Education has been attending school board meetings and advocating for 
increased arts instruction for local schoolchildren countywide. These efforts are beginning to pay off at Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) and Live Oak School District (LOSD).
On June 25, PVUSD accepted their new Local Control Action Plan (LCAP), which includes the hiring of 14.5 arts teachers and an additional $5,000 to update its arts plan. “PVUSD leaders should be commended for listening to input from parents, teachers, and community members who voiced the importance of making the arts a core part of every child’s education. The reception in PVUSD has been so encouraging – both board members and staff understood early on that the arts needed to return to this district,” said Celeste DeWald, PVUSD parent and Alliance volunteer.
The LOSD will offer credentialed Music and Visual Arts instruction to every child in its three elementary schools, a change from only grades 4 & 5 receiving this sort of instruction previously. “I’m so pleased to learn of the Live Oak School District’s increased investment in the arts. We know from the district’s visioning process that ensuring students have opportunities to engage in the visual and performing arts was one of the community’s priorities; as a result it has been adopted as one of the Live Oak Education Foundation’s fundraising priorities as well,” said Stacey Kyle, Live Oak Parent and Founding Director of the Live Oak Education Foundation.
The vision of the Santa Cruz County Alliance for Arts Education is that every student, pre-K through 12th grade, should have access to a quality education as an investment in the well being of the larger community. Through events and advocacy efforts by volunteers over the past year, the Alliance has highlighted the benefits students draw from arts education, including better school attendance, overall improvement in performance in all academic disciplines, lower dropout rates, and the development of skills such as critical thinking, flexibility, and innovation required for future economic success.
For more information or to get involved, contact: [email protected]
In its 35th year, the Arts Council’s mission is to promote, connect, and invest in the arts in order to stimulate creativity and vibrancy in Santa Cruz County. artscouncilsc.org