Staff Blog
How PA’s “zero out” of arts and culture grants will affect Philly orgs
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On Monday, the Pennsylvania Senate proposed zero state funding for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PMHC), a position that's in lockstep with Governor Ed Rendell's prohibitive line item for the PMHC in the 2010 budget — if SB 850 is approved, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will no longer offer arts/culture grants beginning on July 1, 2009. It's easy for arts lovers and history buffs to decry these decisions — what's not as simple is getting an detailed grasp on what, precisely, slashed funding means for Philly.
Patricia Warner, assistant director of the Wagner Free Institute of Science, recently sent out a list of Wagner programming that will be affected and/or outright eliminated if SB 850 comes to pass, in the hopes that concerned Philadelphians will bring it to attention of their legislators (head here to do just that). Read the itemized list after the jump (and remember that this is just one of many orgs and historical sites in the city that'll be touched by this).
Reduction in PHMC funding will impact the Wagner’s ability to offer programs to its audience of 30,000 annual visitors — primarily low-income children and their families in the Wagner’s North Philadelphia neighborhood. In particular, the following free hands-on science education programs are in jeopardy:
- In-classroom science lessons for more than 600 Pre-school students in North Philadelphia Head Start programs;
- After-school programs for 400 North Philadelphia elementary school children at their neighborhood branch library;
- Science lessons and activities in the Wagner’s historic natural science museum for more than 10,000 school children from throughout the greater Philadelphia region;
- The Wagner’s award-winning GeoKids program currently serves 400 students in four North Philadelphia elementary schools through a yearlong science curriculum. Since 1992, the program has helped more than 4,400 kids get excited about science and learning — not only do their science knowledge and skills improve but their reading, writing and math scores increase as well. The program has received both National (American Association of Museums, 2006) and local (Pennsylvania Federation of Museums and Historical Organizations, 2008) awards. This program will have to be scaled back or eliminated.
- Saturday Family Open-House programs that serve children and families with free science programs;
- The Wagner’s evening adult science courses, offered at different locations throughout the city (2,500 people);
- Free and open access to the Institute’s natural history museum and library collections.
when the budget gets tight,the easy pickins are the first to go.what was once nice to have became a luxury and then a frivolity.
I don’t understand how any of this can be called a luxury OR a frivolity. This is sad and scary.