Federal Impact on Illinois Arts Education
Friday, May 30
2:30 – 3:30pm
Virtual
Since this webinar took place, the White House released its FY26 Budget Proposal. Read the impacts of the proposed budget on arts education efforts here.
Panelists
Amanda Karhuse
At NAfMe, Amanda works with policymakers and other national organizations to promote music and the arts as an integral and core component of a well-rounded education. In this role, she coordinates all federal and state policy and advocacy efforts for NAfME, which includes lobbying, coalition-building activities, and strengthening the capacity of music education advocates.
César Torruella
César leads the nation’s third-largest school district in advancing equitable, high-quality arts education for over 300,000+ students, 650+ Schools, 1,300+ Arts Educators. With a deep commitment to fostering creativity, access, and high-quality arts education, Torruella oversees strategic initiatives that expand arts learning opportunities in the district. Under his leadership, CPS is implementing Arts Education Plan 2.0: Cultivating Creativity, a citywide strategy designed to ensure every student in CPS receives a robust arts education.
Nicole Upton
Nicole is a leader and advocate for arts education, dedicated to ensuring every CPS student has access to the arts. As Ingenuity’s Executive Director since 2022, she drives transformative change in access, funding, and policy. She helped develop CPS’s first Arts Education Plan in 2012 and is a key partner in shaping its next iteration.
Event Description
Federal policy decisions made in Washington can shape what’s possible in classrooms across Illinois. With recent shifts at the U.S. Department of Education and changes on the horizon for Title I and other key funding streams, how can Illinois educators, advocates, and school leaders stay prepared — and stay empowered?
Join us for a one-hour briefing on the federal policy landscape and what it means for arts education in our state. We’ll be joined by Amanda Karhuse, assistant executive director for advocacy and public policy at the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), who will share insights from Capitol Hill and offer guidance on what’s ahead for federal education priorities and arts funding. To ground the conversation locally, we’ll open with updates from César Torruella, Executive Director of Arts Education at Chicago Public Schools, and Nicole Upton, Executive Director of Ingenuity.
AAI’s Senior Director of Government Affairs Andrew Schneider will moderate the conversation and help translate what national developments mean for Illinois classrooms and policy advocacy.
Together, we’ll explore how federal priorities intersect with local action—and what it will take to keep the arts at the center of a well-rounded education for every student.
Take Action for Arts Education
This conversation couldn’t come at a more urgent moment. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is considering changes to the state’s school accountability system that would remove the weighted arts indicator — a move that threatens access to arts education across the state.
- Read more about this critical issue from our recent blog post.
- Attend the final ISBE listening session on May 22 in Chicago to insist on arts education.
- Use NAfME’s action alert to contact ISBE and urge them to keep the arts in the equation
We need all hands on deck to ensure arts education remains a statewide priority. Join Arts Alliance as a member to learn more, speak up, and stay connected.
