fund that supports competitive grants and national initiatives”. While small reductions to budgets are common during a recession, some states have reduced their arts budgets drastically. According to the Teaching Artists Journal, “In 2004, total state funding for the arts will drop to $272 million, a 23% decrease in just the last year. And nearly two-thirds of that total decrease comes from cutbacks in just three of the hardest hit states: California, Michigan and Florida”. While the reduction of funding for the arts has been reduced nearly a quarter in different areas, educators often struggle to maintain their arts program as a vital skill to teach to students. The funds that have been reduced now disallow the arts to provide furnishings and supplies as well as instructor salaries that are essential to these programs. As a result, art courses are not regarded with the same amount of respect and students are denied a creative outlet within their education. Budget issues and the reduction of spending for the arts has caused numerous schools to attempt to find additional sources to help support their arts program. School administrators frequently look towards state funding to assist in financing the arts. Grants and other means to finance the arts are increasingly becoming more frequent, but they are temporary solutions to fund these programs. Schools often work with local and state governments to receive income; however numerous state governments are experiencing other budget deficit issues and can rarely afford to finance such a program in the amount that is needed. So to help support the arts, often there is need for assistance from private contributors. Still, as with grants, private contributors cannot donate enough funds to adequately support the arts in education and cannot contribute as consistently as the government could. Funding the arts in education still remains a large and unresolved issue for many school districts nationwide. Practical uses Advocacy for the arts raises an issue of how essential teaching the arts to students actually is. Due to statistical analysis of a perceived lapse in mathematical and reading skills of our youth, many parents feel that importance of the arts is less crucial than other fundamental areas of academic study. This is namely due, in part, by the fact that art is viewed as less needed in the workforce. However many advocates argue that students in the arts excel in interpreting and analyzing visual