Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed a new law to make some changes to the state school curriculum and graduation requirements. House Bill 3278 added another required year of math. It also removed a fine arts graduation requirement and created pathways to assist students in figuring out what they want to do after high school.
Stitt stated on his Facebook page that he signed the bill because he wants students to have all the skills needed to make it in life after graduation, even if their plans don't include college.
Not everybody agrees with the change, though. Landon Johnson, Ardmore City Schools Vocal Music Director, said that fine arts is crucial for students, even if they don't plan on going into the arts professionally.
“Just because you’re in band or choir doesn’t mean that you need to do it for a career,” Johnson said. “You know, it’s an outlet. It’s a hobby. It’s something you enjoy. [Fine arts helps students’] cognitive development, their social development, emotional development, and it just helps create more wellrounded students. It’s also pretty proven that students in fine arts usually perform better academically.”
Johnson noted that sometime students find their passions while taking a fine arts course.
“Because it’s a requirement, they go ahead and do it and they fall in love with it,” Johnson said.
Johnson isn't worried about Ardmore, just the smaller schools.
“We will always need community choir members, church choir members, all of those things that make our society good and beautiful,” Johnson said. “A lot of people hone in on those skills in high school. And so we just want to make sure that we advocate for the inclusion of fine arts, especially in those schools that may not have it otherwise if it weren’t a requirement.”