Gilbert Public Schools strengthening elementary art education

District adding teachers, frequency to classes

By Tom Blodgett
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Twitter: @sp_blodgett

Gilbert Public Schools bolstered its elementary school art education Jan. 31 as the GPS Governing Board unanimously approved adding 12 full-time art teachers for the 2023-24 school year. 

The move, long sought by the district’s elementary-level art teachers, brings staffing to a level that will allow all elementary schools in the district to offer art class to students once a week. Currently, students have art every other week. 

It also puts art on an equal footing with other elementary “specials” — physical education, music and library — and provide the elementary academic classroom teachers planning periods daily. 

The move will cost the district about $940,000 annually to cover the cost of the additional teachers’ salaries. In response to a question from board President Lori Wood, Associate Superintendent Bonnie Betz said the funding was sustainable and the district was making this a priority. 

Superintendent Shane McCord said after the meeting the district’s arts teachers had worked steadily toward making the proposal a reality. He said he appreciated the way they approached it and calmly putting together strong arguments in support of it. 

McCord also said making the move fits with the district’s strong fine arts program, which is supported in Gilbert. 

“This community is passionate about the arts,” he said. 

Anne Schwaab, an art teacher at Highland Park Elementary and Oak Tree Elementary and the district’s elementary school art department chair, spoke during public comment in support of the proposal, saying she was hoping the board would make her dream and that of her colleagues come true.  

“I speak for all of the elementary art teachers when I say how grateful and appreciative we are to see this finally come to a board meeting,” she said, with the district’s elementary art teachers in attendance supporting the proposal. 

The board members expressed enthusiastic support for the addition. 

“The real value in this is the art, the kid and the knowledge, the experience the kids are going to get from the art program,” said Board Member Chad Thompson, who noted his refrigerator is full of drawings from his children who love the art program. “Thank you for what you guys do, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for our budding artists in elementary school.” 

Board Member Sheila Uggetti said she had the benefit of seeing what the art program had done for students and in particular a grandson who had some fine motor issues. 

“There’s so much more to art in a brain,” she said. “It’s not just art.” 

Board Member Jill Humpherys said she has desired this for a long time. 

“Art brings in a lot of different aspects to learning,” she said. “Not only right brain and left brain, but culture, colors, understanding of others, work ethic, organization. There’s just a lot of different benefits to all of our specials, including art, and I am really excited to be on the board at a time when we can make this a possibility for our students.” 

Board Member Ronda Page said she too was excited. 

“I have had four kids go through the Gilbert Public Schools system, and those specials meant everything to them,” she said. “I also substitute-taught for three years in this district, mostly at the elementary level and I can’t tell you how many kiddos would come in every day, ‘Mrs. Page, it’s P.E. today. Mrs. Page, it’s art, it’s music.' They get so excited about these specials, and I’m such an advocate of them, and I believe it brings our students a more well-rounded, more balanced education.” 

Before the vote, McCord addressed the art teachers in the audience and thanked them for being who they are and helping kids.

“You guys really need to know, when this was presented to the board in a retreat, not one of them flinched,” he said. “Not one of them hesitated, and everything they said right here, right now, they said then at that retreat.” 

Tom Blodgett
Senior News Editor | Gilbert
@sp_blodgett

tblodgett@iniusa.org

Meet Tom
Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.

Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.

Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism. 

Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.  

Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).