Ohio Arts Council Positions Itself for Sustainable Growth
by Jami Goldstein
During the Ohio Arts Council Fall Board meeting on September 24, the Council Board addressed the strategic direction of the agency given the drastically reduced budget for the FY2010/11 biennium. State support was slashed from $24.9 million two years ago to $13.1 for the biennium- a reduction of 47 percent.
With this challenge comes a need for strategic investment of state funds that will benefit the agency now and will also preserve prior investments in Ohio’s cultural infrastructure. The Board approved a plan to position the agency for a sustainable future while meeting the agency’s core priorities—organizational operating and project support, arts education and individual artists. The budget reduction included a significant decrease in the personal services line for the agency requiring a reduction in the number of full-time employees in order to maintain a balanced budget. As a part of the restructuring, six full-time positions have been eliminated, reducing the agency’s current full-time staff from 26 to 20. The six positions that will be eliminated are: communications specialist, fine arts administrator, grants assistant, two fine arts specialist/program coordinators and information technology supervisor. The last day of work for these staff members will be October 9, 2009. The duties assigned to these positions will be condensed and redistributed to other employees with the necessary experience and expertise. “Unfortunately, the magnitude of the cut the OAC sustained this biennium left us with no options but to once again reduce our staff levels and further reduce other expenses such as travel, communications and supplies,” said OAC Executive Director Julie Henahan. “While this staff reduction is the second in less than 18 months, I want to assure our constituents and the citizens of the state that as we conduct the reorganization of the agency our goal is to maintain the national-level status of our programs and services to the field as best we can. The depth and breadth of the arts infrastructure in Ohio is one of the state’s proudest achievements and the envy of many other states. It is crucial to Ohio’s future prosperity that every effort be made to protect the investment our citizens have already made in their artistic and cultural heritage.” Over the last year and a half, the Ohio Arts Council has had to restructure its operations as state funding declined and staffing levels were reduced from 32 full-time to 20 full-time staff members. The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically.[top]