It’s a savvy approach to a long-term problem: the New York City Public Schools do not provide the minimum levels of music (and arts) education required by the State of New York.
Assembly Member Alan Maisel, acting on behalf of the Music Educator’s Association of New York, filed an appeal with David Steiner, Education Commissioner, asking that the the issue be taken over by the State, whereby the State would impose a “corrective action plan,” to be monitored by an entity outside of the Mayor or the New York City Department of Education.
And of course, this appeal is just for music. More appeals may be forthcoming, for other art forms, from other elected representatives and citizens. And who knows, maybe there will be a lawsuit brought against the New York City Department of Education. (Didn’t I tell you this was a social justice issue?)
It will be interesting to see how the Education Commissioner responds.
Stay tuned.