When someone is committed… REALLY committed to creating change… great things can happen.
In some places people just TALK about supporting arts education and being committed to change but do not back it up with resources or political will (See New York Article below)
This is what real leadership looks like:
In January I proposed a budget that made a historic investment in paying down our debt and into education. And in May, because of our rebounding economy and because of the extra revenues, I proposed even more investment in those two areas.
Now the legislature is set to vote on and pass the budget, and for the first time in years it will do so before the start of the new fiscal year. We are putting a total of 5 billion dollars into paying down our debt and into the rainy day fund. We are fully funding education with 55.1 billion dollars. That is a record amount of money for education, and that means that we are expanding again preschool, putting arts, music and physical education back into our classrooms, and providing desperately needed counselors.
This is a huge victory for both parties, for the Democrats and the Republicans, but especially this is a huge victory for the people of California.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
