WHEREAS, King County comprises 18 school districts, more than 722 schools, and more than 300,000 students; and

WHEREAS, King County invests in arts and heritage education through 4Culture, a public development corporation chartered by county government to promote arts and heritage programs for all King County residents and visitors; and

WHEREAS, the arts, including dance, music, theatre, and visual arts, are defined as a core content area in Washington State’s definition of basic education, and are considered an essential component of a complete education that should be provided for all students; and

WHEREAS, education in the arts enables students to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills, imagination and creativity, discipline, alternate ways of communicating and expressing feelings and ideas, and cross-cultural understanding—thereby supporting academic success across the curriculum, as well as personal growth outside the classroom; and

WHEREAS, imagination and creativity are increasingly understood as critical capacities needed for success in life in the 21st century, and students learn these skills through meaningful education in the arts; and

WHEREAS, we applaud the efforts and dedication of educators and advocates around the state and call for school and community leaders to continue to broaden and strengthen their arts education focus, and also to ensure equity of access to arts learning for all students; and

NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Metropolitan King County Council, hereby proclaims May 2009 as

ARTS EDUCATION MONTH

in King County. We encourage all communities to celebrate the arts with meaningful activities and programs for students, teachers, and the public that demonstrate learning and understanding in the arts, and urge all county residents to become interested in and give full support to quality school arts programs for children and youth.

DATED this fourth day of May, 2009.