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State Arts Advocacy Agenda 2006
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
FY2007 State Arts Advocacy Agenda for MISSOURI CITIZENS FOR THE ARTS
MISSOURI ARTS COUNCIL
$500,000 appropriated for the core budget of the Missouri Arts Council.
This request maintains core funding from general revenue for the Missouri Arts Council. The Missouri Arts Council received $5.9 million from general revenue in FY2001.
MISSOURI CULTURAL TRUST
Transfer of $3.6 million of the tax from non-resident athletes and entertainers who work in Missouri to the Missouri Arts Council Trust Fund.
According to state statute, $10 million is the maximum amount allowed to be transferred from the tax on non-resident athletes and entertainers who work in Missouri to the Missouri Arts Council Trust Fund. Missouri Citizens for the Arts (MCA) will work for the restoration of funding from the Non-Resident Professional Athletes & Entertainers Tax (143.183 RSMo).
The Non-resident Athletes & Entertainers Tax (A&E Tax) is a tax on the earnings of professional athletes and entertainers when playing or performing in the State of Missouri. It is collected by the State of Missouri and, by Statute, is to be distributed among the following five Cultural Partners: Missouri Arts Council Trust Fund (60%); Missouri State Library Networking Fund, (10%); Missouri Humanities Council Trust Fund, (10%); Missouri Public Broadcasting Corporation Special Fund, (10%); and Missouri Historic Preservation Revolving Fund, (10%).
The 60% of the A&E Funds distributed to the Missouri Arts Council is dedicated to supporting the arts in Missouri. For the past six years these funds have not been appropriated as outlined in Missouri Statutes and the income has gone into general revenue for other purposes. MCA will oppose any attempts to allow other groups to benefit from A&E revenues prior to fair and equitable distribution of A&E monies to the Missouri Cultural Trust Fund.
Actual amount collected as reported by the Missouri Department of Revenue is approximately $20 million.
MISSOURI FINE ARTS ACADEMY
Appropriate $302,370 for the budget of the Missouri Fine Arts Academy.
The Academy is a three-week residential program for 200 rising high school juniors and seniors who are gifted in the arts.
FINE ARTS ASSESSMENT
Appropriate $545,000 to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to assess all Missouri fifth grade students in the Fine Arts.
More than $2 million of state funds have been spent in development and pilot testing of the Fine Arts Assessment.
Inclusion in the statewide accountability system restores the arts as a critical component in education, reflecting the integral role the arts play in children's development.
With Fine Arts MAP data, fine arts educators will have the tools to make informed decisions about curriculum and instruction with the same precision as do teachers of other subject areas.
The FY2007 MCA arts advocacy agenda was voted upon at MCA’s Annual Meeting on October 21, 2005 in Kansas City, Missouri, and adopted by the Springfield Regional Arts Council Board of Directors on November 16, 2005.