Open Book

Billionaire Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s executive budget calls for millions of dollars worth of cuts from our struggling public library systems.

It's austerity for everyone, except the rich.

For instance, 14 of the  51 community branches in Queens will have to close up shop. Hours of service at the libraries that remain open may need to be cut in half, and 1/3 of the staff could be fired. The Brooklyn Public Library, and the New York Public Library, which runs branches in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island face similarly devastating cuts.

Teaching artists can lend their voice to the debate over the wisdom of these cuts, but time is running out. On their website, the New York Public Library warns that this  is the last week to take action, and urges you to write a letter to your local officials to tell them how you feel about the impact the Mayor's budget will have.

Teenagers now have an excuse to use Wikipedia, and if they need a place to socialize after school, I suppose the thinking is there's always the street.

The Real Deal

Over at Crain's New York Business, ace arts reporter Miriam Kreinin Souccar points out that City-funded cultural institutions should expect cuts of up to 40%. If cultural institutions are forced to scale down,  teaching artist jobs will be collateral damage.

Crain's New York Business, 5/16/10 

"The Queens Botanical Garden could be forced to cut its hours during the summer and to close down for part of the winter, and it just started charging admission fees for the first time. The New York Hall of Science may have to cancel its spring and summer exhibits next season. And the Public Theater is considering shortening its free Shakespeare in the Park season to six weeks from eight..."

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Also:  The Fab Four - Get Back (rooftop version)

In the Cut

On a budget page that proposes massive cuts to education and the arts, the state of New York also expresses its "strong commitment to quality public education". Irony is lost in the confusion--poor thing.

Governor David Paterson's Executive Budget was proposed in January, and has not yet been adopted. In fact, New York State is still operating without a budget, well after the budget deadline has passed. Governor David Paterson has ordered a set of 1-day cost-saving furloughs--but those have been blocked after legal appeals by state worker's unions.

Theoretically, there is still time for your voice to be heard on these cuts.

Find your local representative's contact information at Americans for the Arts' Arts Action Center.

Defend Education

March 4th is a National Day of Action to Defend Education, which, you may have noticed, is dying the death of a zillion budget cuts. 

The crisis is nationwide. The reasons are numerous and varied, but the main cause is fallout from the economic apocalypse and blatant disregard for the facts.

To those who believe that public education is the foundation of our democracy this is the time to say something, such as "stop!"

The call to action for this national day of protest originated in California, which is now threatening to eliminate art teachers entirely, as part of a broader strategy to fill huge holes in the statewide education budget.

At her self-titled blog, Writer/Activist Arlene Goldbard, examines the issues in her usual clear-eyed fashion; setting the crisis in education within a larger conversation about the importance of fostering a "hunger for learning" in a society which encourages apathy, and undermines democracy.

Teaching Artists who care to join the struggle, can  check the national organizer's website to find links to protest events in their state.

The New York event planning committee website is here.

Also: Woody Guthrie - This Land Is Your Land