I don’t have an artistic bone in my body. But I know the value of the arts to our communities and the value of arts education to our students. For many students ARTS are the reason they come to school and stay in school. Whether it be a favorite music class or teacher or the opportunity to express themselves on canvass, ARTS impact our students. It’s heartbreaking to me, and to my colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus that I lead, that so many schools can no longer offer art or music in any form. We are committed to seeing those programs funded. On a statewide scale, I was so proud of my colleague Rep. Domingo DeGrazia – the son of iconic Arizona artist Ted DeGrazia and an incredibly successful Flamenco musician in his own right – for sponsoring a bill last session to provide $2.5 million ongoing for the arts. In the end, we helped secure $2 million one time, but we will be back in January to make that funding ongoing. The work continues….
