This is an opportunity for Arkansas Citizens to show their support for theatre and arts education in Arkansas Schools. You stand with the constituency of Arkansas in its dedication to enhancing and promoting theatre education throughout the nation.

We, the undersigned, passionately believe in the importance of theatre education for Arkansas students. Theatre education is an integral part of education, and we firmly call upon the Arkansas State Legislature to increase funding for theatre education across the state of Arkansas.

Background: Theatre education has historically been vital for students and embodies the collective belief of the people of Arkansas. Theatre education supports, enhances, and improves the entire Arkansas School System. Despite the importance of theatre education in our schools, there HAS BEEN NO legislation passed by the state of Arkansas funding or assisting theatre education across our state. We believe theatre education is vital to the future of our education, and we call upon the Arkansas Legislature to increase funding across the state for theatre education in Arkansas.

Why This Matters: Theatre education has a massively important role within education. Students who participate in theatre while in high school increase standardized test scores, have better attendance rates, and are more likely to become more successful in their future. Currently, Arkansas’s education system is ranked in the bottom tier nationwide. Despite our low rankings and Theatre Education's ability to improve our education system, there has been no legislation supporting Theatre Education in Arkansas. This petition seeks to rectify this issue by encouraging the Arkansas Legislature to increase funding for Arkansas Theatre Education.

Our Petition: We, the signatories of this petition, express our support for an increase in Theatre Education spending across the state of Arkansas. We believe theatre education is vital in improving Arkansas’s crumbling education system, and that its funding is of paramount importance.

We urge the Arkansas Legislature to:

Improve Funding for Theatre Education: We implore all relevant authorities to acknowledge the overwhelming support this resolution has received from the people of Arkansas.

Protect Theatre Education: We urge you to take all necessary measures to ensure the continued funding of Arkansas Theatre Education.

Enhance access to Theatre Education: Recognize the role theatre education plays in our school system as a whole, and enhance access to it across the state of Arkansas.