• Voluntary activities sponsored or approved by a school entity’s governing body or administration are suspended, however these extracurricular activities may be held virtually. This includes, but is not limited to, attendance at or participation in activities such musical ensembles, school plays, student council, clubs and school dances.

On Friday May 29, 2020, Governor Wolf signed into law a budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year that begins July 1^st.  A large piece of the budget is short-term and funds government operations through November.  That was done for a variety of reasons but mainly because the state won’t fully know what deficit will be in place as income has slowed with the state allowing taxes that would normally have been due April 15^th to be due July 15^th.

Most noteworthy to PMEA members is that the budget does fund K-12 and higher education for the entire 2020-21 school year.  This is a major victory for schools as it provides school guidance on the amount of funding they will receive from the state before their local budgets are due on June 30^th.  Education funding in the budget is level funded at the 2019-20 budget year levels.  This is another major victory and one of PMEA’s legislative asks.  With the current state of the economy, the commitment from the state to education is extremely noteworthy.  Other states are already calling to cut billions of dollars from the education budgets.  For Pennsylvania to maintain education funding in current times is extraordinary.

This does not mean our advocacy work is over.  School districts will still have to make tough decisions as they determine local tax revenues and how that relates to their state and federal funding, and their reserve funds.  It is important that you monitor your school district’s budget situation over the next month.

On June 8^th, during PMEA’s Virtual Advocacy Day, we will ask you to join us in thanking members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly for putting education first and providing predictability and funding to school districts as we enter the 2020-21 budget and school years.

Here are some other important budget highlights:

As part of the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (EESER) has been established providing over $13 billion to schools.  The ESSER allocates funds to states which are then allocated to school districts.  The funding can be used for any program that are already allowable under guidelines of other federal education programs.

School districts and charter schools in Pennsylvania can now apply for this funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. NOW is the time for you to talk to your administrators about ESSER funding and how you can use the funding for your music program.

Here are some questions to think about so you can ask for ESSER funding.

• Are all of my music students receiving equitable access to instruction?
• Are there plans for equitable instruction in the future?
• What additional equipment does my program need to ensure music instruction?
• What cleaning protocols are necessary to ensure the safety of music students? Do instruments need to be sent out for repair? Do you need to purchase extra reeds or mouthpieces for students?

As we have talked about when it came to ESSA, Title IV funding, you can do a needs assessment of your program to ensure you are asking for the correct use of funding.  What needs does your program have NOW to ensure students have and will continue to have access to music education?

Once you’ve determined those needs, have a conversation with your administrators AS SOON AS POSSIBLE and ask that you receive some of the ESSER funding.  Applications are now open for school districts and charter schools so time is critical to communication with your administrators so they can include music education in their use of funding.

View proposed allocations to school districts and charter schools on PDE’s website.

If you have any questions, contact us at advocacy@pmea.net and we’ll do our best to assist.

The Pennsylvania Constitution requires the state to pass a budget by June 30^th each year.  This year, the budget came in just under the wire and was signed into law in time to start the new fiscal year. The $34 billion budget is a nearly 4 percent increase from last year’s $32.7 billion budget with no increases in sales or income tax rates.

Here are some of the key highlights of the budget as they relate to education:

• This budget provides $160 million more for basic education for a total of $6.2 billion.
• $50 million more is allocated for special education.
• Early intervention programs will see a $15 million increase.
• An additional $7 million is provided for career and technical schools and $3 million more is allocated for related equipment grants.
• $60 million for school security grants.
• The four state-related universities, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, and community colleges will see a 2 percent increase for a total of $1.3 billion.

PMEA had advocated for an increase of $225 million in the state’s basic education subsidy.  While the budget did not meet that target, we are thankful to the General Assembly for a $160 million increase.  That money will be distributed to school districts to be used in their local budgets and can be used to support music and arts programs.

Governor Wolf proposed a reduction in funding for the school safety program while PMEA advocacted for it to reamin at last year’s funding level.  The final budget does not reduce that amount and keeps it at last year’s funding level of $60 million.  Not only is that money useful for school safety initiatives, it allows school districts to use other monetary resources from the local, state, and federal level for other education expenses that they would have otherwise used for school safety.

PMEA also advocated for at least a $7 million-dollar increase to the State System of Higher Education schools to support the work they are doing to educate Pennsylvania’s future music educators.  The General Assembly exceeded that amount and provided over $9 million to the State System schools.  PMEA will continue to work with our members at State System schools to advocate for their programs.

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Important Links

When the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) became the nation’s education law in 2015, PMEA began notifying members about the new federal grant program under Title IV of ESSA – know as the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants.  Generally known as Title IV, this federal grant program is designed to provide equitable access to a well-rounded education to all students.

The federal law defines a well-rounded education as including a list of subject areas including music and the arts.  That means music educators can access these funds to expand their programs.  We have provided a variety of resources on pmea.net explaining the program but also explaining how you can access the funds for the program.  Now that we’re through a full year of grant applications, we have some success stories of how Pennsylvania districts applied for Title IV funding and used that funding for music programs.  This is not a complete list but a sampling of ideas that could help you apply for and use these funds for your program.

Remember, when you are applying for funds, you are required to do a needs assessment of your program (as simple as looking at your district wide program and identifying deficiencies), and then work with your administration and apply for funding for a specific item or project that would provide access and opportunity to music for students in your school.

Here are some of the success stories we heard in Pennsylvania that were funded by federal Title IV dollars in the last year:

• A band and drama camp workshop.  This school hired a new band director and felt adding this supplemental camp would be beneficial for the students and the new director to begin the marching band season.  The drama workshop allowed for additional drama skills.  Prior to the workshop, the only drama skills were those taught for specific roles in the high school musical production.  This workshop was supplemental and provided extra drama learning.
• Additional equipment for the band and chorus program. The school districts music program has been growing and some schools were teaching without proper equipment to allow the program to continue to grow and provided a well-rounded music education.  Equipment was purchased and used to fill the gaps in schools where there was a deficiency in adequate equipment for all students.  By presenting an argument that all students were not receiving equitable access to a proper music education, the district was able to use the federal Title IV money for equipment at specific schools.
• A new piano. One district showed the need for a piano that would benefit students in the band, chorus, and orchestra program.  By showing that having a piano would benefit many students and that it was supplemental to the regular budget in the school district, the music department was able to justify the use of Title IV funds for a new piano.
• A pilot theater program with a community theatre. A program between a community theatre and a second-grade glass was designed to introduce the second graders to theatrical performances as well as audience behavior and expectations.
• A variety of things. One district used a part of their Title IV funding for the music program but decided to use that part on a variety of things.  In addition to purchasing supplies, they funded arts teachers attending workshops during in service days.  In one particular district, in addition to professional development, they realized a need for an additional genre of music that wasn’t initially budgeted for and if one building covered the cost with current funds and another didn’t, then a case was made to use Title IV funds to make sure the course was offered equitably across all schools.

You can tell that some of these examples range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand.  Each district receives a different allocation based on a formula.  And districts have the option on how they spend this money and are able to split up their allocation in a variety of areas.

As a music educator, you can take the first step and begin conversations with the rest of your music department to discuss where you find need for supplemental items, activities or experiences.  Once you do that, you should have conversations with your administrators – especially those handling federal funding in your district – about how to access federal funds.

Remember, even if you don’t receive these federal dollars for your program, simply by doing your homework, you may present a compelling enough case that your district will fit your request into their regular budget allocations.