Pa. Culture Groups Take Hit as Schools Curb Outside Activities

Pennsylvania cultural institutions are feeling the ripple effect of state cuts in education spending as strapped schools curb field trips and other extracurricular activities, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes.

Absorbing $930-million in state spending reductions, Pennsylvania schools are hard-pressed to pay for transportation and substitute teachers to mount field trips. In a survey this month by the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators and the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, more than half the schools questioned said they were curbing or eliminating such activities.

Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Science Center, which hosted some 80,000 students and chaperones last year, saw field-trip requests and registrations decline 15 percent in February or March, a trend that could translate to $200,000 in lost revenue.

“I’m very worried about it,” said Lisa Hoitsma, executive director of Gateway to the Arts, an arts-education group. “When you hear schools are cutting teachers, you know there’s not much money for cultural arts opportunities.”

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