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Davisite fights for arts programs in the schools
Davis resident Joe Landon
By Jeff Hudson Enterprise staff writer
Joe Landon — a longtime Davis resident and statewide advocate for arts education in the public schools — is a worried man these days.
School districts up and down the state have absorbed huge budget cuts from Sacramento. As a result, during the next six weeks, school boards in hundreds of communities will consider resolutions to lay off some of their teachers. And Landon worries that a disproportionate percentage of those layoff notices may go to people who teach music, theater and other arts-related subjects.
“We're watching closely, knowing the vulnerability of arts education,” said Landon, who is policy director with the California Alliance for Arts Education — a tiny organization with a staff of four. “We know how lean it is for school districts right now. School board members are being forced to make really tough decisions.”
The task Landon now faces is to help as many communities as possible keep the arts in their public school curriculum for the next generation of kids.
“Our argument is that the arts are at the core of a good education, just like English and math,” he said. “ We need to be mindful that some people perceive the arts as an 'extra treat.' But our research indicates that in many cases, the arts are the glue that holds a student's education together.”
This article originally appeared in the Davis Enterprise February 2, 2010. The complete story is available to subscribers at http://www.davisenterprise.com.