University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Art & Visual Studies Art & Visual Studies 2016 Reimagining Needed Funding for Elementary Art Programs in Fayette County Public Schools Lori M. Barnett University of Kentucky, lmb5art@gmail.com Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.523 Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits you. Recommended Citation Barnett, Lori M., "Reimagining Needed Funding for Elementary Art Programs in Fayette County Public Schools" (2016). Theses and Dissertations--Art & Visual Studies.edu/art_etds/12 This Master's Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Art & Visual Studies at UKnowledge.
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The undersigned agree to abide by the statements above. Barnett, Student Dr. Allan Richards, Major Professor Doreen Maloney, Director of Graduate Studies REIMAGINING NEEDED FUNDING FOR ELEMENTARY ART PROGRAMS IN FAYETTE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THESIS A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Master of Art Education in the Graduate School of the University of Kentucky by Lori M.
Barnett In fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Art Education Dr. Allan Richards, Faculty Advisor November 2016 Copyright © 2016 Lori M. Barnett, 2016 ABSTRACT OF THESIS REIMAGINING NEEDED FUNDING FOR ELEMENTARY ART PROGRAMS IN FAYETTE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS This study examined the budgets for art education programs in elementary schools within Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS), how they were funded, and potential solutions for attaining needed funds for art programs. FCPS elementary principals and art teachers were selected for this study and given a survey determining how art programs were funded and the amount of funding at each school.
The results of the survey suggest that art programs in FCPS at the elementary level are not adequately and consistently funded, art teachers are spending substantial personal funds to purchase art materials for the public school art programs, Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) better support schools with lower free and reduced lunch (FRL) percentages and schools and FRL percentages does not seem to affect funding from School-Based Decision Making Councils. Potential solutions included building relationships, advocacy and working with non-profits for increasing funding for art programs. KEYWORDS: Art Education, Funding, Art Programs Lori M. Barnett 12/9/2016 REIMAGINING NEEDED FUNDING FOR ELEMENTARY ART PROGRAMS IN FAYETTE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Allan Richards Director of Thesis Doreen Maloney Director of Graduate Studies December 9, 2016 Date ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The word thesis has a heavy connotation that I was aware of but did not fully understand until now. I can honestly say this was one of the hardest endeavors of my life. Therefore, I would like to acknowledge my family and thank them for enduring the large amounts of time I had to spend away from them to finish this. My advisor, Dr.
Allan Richards, thank you for your guidance, believing in and supporting my cause. You also chaired my committee to which I am grateful. Thank you to Dr. George Szekely and Garry Bibbs for supporting me through participating on my committee and taking the time to listen.
My friends, who I have taken leave from, please forgive my absence. To my pre- thesis self, I hope to take better care of you in the coming year. This study will present a better understanding of the current situation in our schools, the history and benefits of the arts, and possible solutions. My hope is that individuals choose to act upon that better understanding with support for each and every student in public schools.
iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements. iii Table of Contents. iv List of Tables. vii Chapter One: Introduction.
1 Purpose of Study .1 Background to the Problem .2 Significance of the Study .2 Definition of Terms.3 Limitations of the Study.7 Chapter Two: Review of Related Literature. 8 Background to Fayette County Public School (FCPS) District .8 Art Education in FCPS.9 Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) .14 Art Education in the United States.17 National Core Arts Standards .19 Benefits of the Arts .19 Disparity of Funding in the Arts .24 Disparity of Funding for Visual Art Programs at the Public Elementary School Level .27 Chapter Three: Design of the Study.34 Chapter Four: Results. 36 Hypothesis I: SBDM’s in FCPS elementary schools will not adequately and consistently fund art programs.36 Hypothesis II: The PTA in FCPS elementary schools will not adequately and consistently support the art program.37 Hypothesis III: The art teachers are personally funding elementary art programs in FCPS when SBDM fails to do so.40 Hypothesis IV: Art teachers in FCPS elementary are personally funding their art programs when the PTA fails to do so.42 Hypothesis V: SBDM tends to fund the elementary art program in FCPS based on the FRL status of that school.45 Hypothesis VI: PTA tends to fund the elementary art program in FCPS based on the FRL status of that school.46 v Hypothesis VII: Art teachers tend to personally fund elementary art programs in FCPS based on the FRL status of each school.48 Hypothesis VIII : Art programs in FCPS elementary schools will not be adequately and consistently funded.52 Chapter Five: Discussion. 54 Chapter Six: Potential Solutions .64 Creative Alliance for Arts Education .65 Chapter Seven: Conclusion.
79 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Cost of Materials for Four Art Forms Per Year: Printmaking, Drawing, Ceramics and Painting (based on art programs for 500 students). 23 Table 2: Three Year Average of SBDM Spending Per Student for Elementary Art Programs in FCPS, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16. 36 Table 3: Average PTA Funds Spent for FCPS Elementary Art Programs, 2013-14, 2014- 15, and 2015-16. 37 Table 4: Average Art Teacher Personal Funds Spent, per year, for FCPS Elementary Art Programs.
Years included: 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2015-16. 39 Table 5: Average SBDM Funds Versus Teacher’s Personal Funds Spent for Elementary Art Programs during the 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 school years. 40 Table 6: Average Teacher’s Personal Funds Versus PTA Funds Spent for Elementary Art Programs during the 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 school years. 42 Table 7: SBDM Funds Versus Teacher’s Personal Funds and PTA Funds Spent for FCPS Elementary Art Programs, 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2015-16.
43 Table 8: Average Free and Reduced Lunch(FRL) Percentages for FCPS Elementary Art Programs during the 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2015-16 school years. 44 Table 9: Average Free and Reduced Lunch(FRL) Percentages and Funding from SBDM for FCPS Elementary Art Programs during the 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2015-16 school years. 45 Table 10: Average Free and Reduced Lunch(FRL) Percentages and Funding from PTA for FCPS Elementary Art Programs during the 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2015-16 school years. 46 Table 11: Average Free and Reduced Lunch(FRL) Percentages and Personal Teacher Funds Spent for FCPS Elementary Art Programs during the 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2015- 16 school years.
48 Table 12: Schools with Zero to Forty-nine Percent Free and Reduced Lunch Compared to Student Body, SBDM, PTA and Personal Funds Spent for FCPS Elementary Art Programs during the 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2016-16 school years. 49 vii Table 13: Schools with Fifty to Seventy-five Percent Free and Reduced Lunch Compared to Student Body, SBDM, PTA and Personal Funds Spent for FCPS Elementary Art Programs, 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2015-16. 50 Table 14: Schools With Over Seventy-five Percent and Higher Free and Reduced Lunch Compared to Student Body, SBDM, PTA, and Personal Funds Spent for FCPS Elementary Art Programs, 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2015-16. 50 Table 15: Three Year Average of SBDM Spending Per Student for Elementary Art Programs in FCPS, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16.
52 viii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Would you reinvest over one thousand dollars a year from your paycheck to meet the basic needs of your job? Your answer is most likely no. It is expected that businesses provide basic needs such as copy paper for the printer, staples for the stapler, or pens with which to write to facilitate adequate and consistent work. Similarly, schools perform functions comparable to those of businesses and require supplies to do so. I present this example to parallel what some art teachers across Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS) appear to be doing each year.
It would appear that they are investing personal funds to support public school art programs when adequate and consistent funding is not available. To help understand why this might be happening, this thesis will (1) examine the adequacy and consistency of funding for elementary art programs in Fayette County Public Schools, and (2) propose potential solutions to schools that may not receive adequate and consistent funding. Adequate and consistent funding means that there is enough funding to operate an art education program that can provide high quality learning opportunities for all students on a consistent basis. Purpose of Study The purpose for this study is that arts education is essential to high quality learning, and it appears that art education programs in this district may not be adequately and consistently funded, based on my preliminary experiences and research.
This study will take a historical look at art education within Fayette County, Kentucky, and America to ascertain related background information. It will also examine budgets for art education programs in elementary schools within FCPS, how they are funded, and potential solutions for attaining needed funds for art programs. To further set the context of this thesis, personal background information from my teaching career is presented. 1 Background to the Problem Teaching visual art has been a part of my life since the fall of 1999.
For ten years, I taught visual art at a public elementary school and was supported financially and emotionally. The support shown by the administration made my art program feel like it was an important part of the school, and it succeeded. A line-item budget was provided by the School Based Decision- Making Council (SBDM) for my art program, and I was aware of the funds I had to work with before the school year began. This allowed me to effectively coordinate lessons and plan, if needed, fundraisers for the program.
The budget was not extravagant but sufficient for basic needs; therefore, I chose to coordinate a fundraiser each year to supplement my art program. This fundraiser, combined with my school budget, allowed me to purchase items beyond the basics to give my students more opportunities to create and experience different materials and resources, promoting an elevated learning environment for my students.