Arts Funding Important To Education of Children

Posted on Tuesday, March 3, 2009

A Madison high school teacher is hoping the South Dakota Arts Council will continue to have support from the South Dakota Legislature.

When Governor Mike Rounds brought his second proposed budget to the Legislature in January, he proposed eliminating state funding for the arts.

Doc Miller teaches literature at the high school and hosted resident artist Linda Bruning last week as part of the South Dakota Arts Council's Artists in Schools and Communities program, cosponsored by the Madison Area Arts Council.

Miller says without state funding for the arts in South Dakota there will be no federal funding, and there would be no such program. He says he hopes the debate doesn't become a partisan one.

Miller says exposure to the arts is a very important part of the education of children and young people in the schools.