Sponsors (4)
The bill expands access to standards-based arts and music education—especially for Title I and low-income students—and funds teacher development and materials, but creates new local hiring and sustainability costs, reduces some Title I funding flexibility for core academics, and risks uneven implementation across States.
Students in Title I and other participating schools (especially low-income students) gain access to sequential, standards-based arts and music education (dance, media arts, theater, visual arts, and music), expanding curriculum and learning opportunities.
Certified arts and music educators (and community arts providers) and classroom teachers receive funding and/or requirements that support professional development and higher-quality instruction.
Schools can use federal Title I funds to purchase arts and music supplies, instruments, technology, and instructional materials, reducing local budget pressure for arts programming.
Local school districts and schools may face increased personnel costs to hire or reallocate staff to meet certification requirements and sustain new arts/music positions once federal funds expire, putting pressure on local budgets.
Mandating arts/music as a required component of Title I schoolwide or targeted-assistance plans may reduce local flexibility and divert funds away from other core academic interventions (e.g., reading/math) that serve high-need students.
Leaving certification definitions to States risks uneven implementation and variable program quality across districts, and may create teacher shortages where existing staff do not meet State certification standards.
Based on analysis of 10 sections of legislative text.
Introduced March 5, 2026 by Cory Anthony Booker · Last progress March 5, 2026
Requires schools to include sequential, standards-based arts and music education as part of their schoolwide plans and permits targeted assistance funds to be used for arts and music instruction, materials, and educator support. The measure adds explicit references to arts (dance, media arts, theater, visual arts) and music in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provisions that guide schoolwide and targeted assistance programs, while leaving funding and implementation details to states and local districts.