ADVOCACY

Buncombe County has commissioned a School Consolidation Feasibility Study to explore a possible merger of Asheville City and Buncombe County School Districts.

The North Carolina General Assembly mandated that the Asheville City and Buncombe County school systems jointly study the feasibility of a merger through House Bill 142 / SL 2023-128, which was signed by the Governor on September 29, 2023. The Asheville City Board of Education & Buncombe County Board of Education voted to designate the Buncombe County Government as the lead entity for the project. Buncombe County Commissioners accepted the lead role on October 17, 2023. The Buncombe County Board of Education and the Asheville City Board of Education must report findings and recommendations to the standing committees of the General Assembly hearing elections matters no later than February 15, 2025. Prismatic Services, Inc. is the vendor that has been selected to conduct this feasibility study. Findings are expected to be presented to Buncombe County Commissioners in January 2025.

There are currently 45 schools in the Buncombe County School District and 9 schools in the Asheville City School District. 22 of these schools rank above the state average of 51% for the number of students that are considered economically disadvantaged– with some reaching nearly 80%. Exposure to the arts, both in and outside the classroom, is proven to improve academic success and aid in social-emotional learning. However, not all students have the same opportunities to enjoy these benefits. While affluent families are able to subsidize children’s exposure to the arts, students living in poverty face numerous systemic barriers which make such access nearly impossible. ArtsAVL will continue to monitor how a possible merger might impact arts access for students across both school districts.

ArtsAVL Value:

• Arts for Schools: Arts-integrated schools, where our youth have the opportunity to experience new cultural experiences and express their creative side.

In Western North Carolina (WNC), there exists untapped potential within the Creative Manufacturing industry cluster, harboring numerous scalable businesses eager for support to flourish into sustainable job generators. Our initiative, the Upscaling WNC’s Creative Manufacturing Sector project, is dedicated to realizing this potential by enacting key priorities outlined in the Creative Manufacturing Sector Development Plan (CMSDP).

Over the next 3 years, a partnership of local organizations will work collaboratively across 26 counties to implement strategies that bring together local leaders to invest in and grow the capacity, strength, and sustainability of the creative manufacturing economy of Western North Carolina. Funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission’s POWER Initiative and a grant from Dogwood Health Trust, partner organizations include Land of Sky, Southwestern Commission, High Country Council of Governments, Arts AVL, Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, AB Tech, Mountain BizWorks, Center for Craft, and others.

In response to growing concerns from the local arts professionals and businesses, ArtsAVL launched the Creative Spaces study in 2023. The process included an assessment of population demographics and cost of living averages across 7 study regions, including Buncombe County, Haywood County, Henderson County, Madison County, Asheville MSA, North Carolina, and the United States. Cost of living was compared with median earrings and demographics for 66 creative occupations.

A survey of creatives across the four counties was conducted in early 2024, along with multiple interviews, follow up polls, and an inventory of current studio and rehearsal/ performance spaces. Cases studies of local and national initiatives to address similar space concerns were also collected.

The resulting Creative Space Report was released in May 2024, following a town hall presentation and panel discussion.

Learn more at artsavl.org/spaces.

ArtsAVL Value:

• Thriving Workforce: A thriving creative workforce that can afford to live and work in Buncombe County.

A cultural plan is a place-based planning process that generates a vision and action plan for strengthening and growing arts and culture assets. It provides an inventory of current assets, identifies maintenance and support needs, and highlights gaps and future opportunities for growth.

There has never been a cultural plan for Asheville or Buncombe County– even though we are widely known as an arts and cultural destination and our arts scene drives many people to want to live, work, and play in our community. As we hope you are seeing for the previous questions, our cultural community is being impacted by Asheville’s continued growth. It is important that we consider conducting some sort of cultural planning process to provide a roadmap to support this growth over time for the social and economic benefit of our community.

ArtsAVL Value:

• Strong Support: Strong local government and community support, where the arts are valued for their contributions to Buncombe County.
• Well Resourced/ Connected: A well resourced and connected arts sector that works together towards common goals.
• Thriving Workforce: A thriving creative workforce that can afford to live and work in Buncombe County.
• Diverse Assets: Cultural assets that reflect who we are as a community, are well-maintained, thoughtfully created, and that support local creatives.
• Accessibility: Accessible arts programs where everyone has the opportunity to create and participate in the arts.
• Arts for Schools: Arts-integrated schools, where our youth have the opportunity to experience new cultural experiences and express their creative side.
• Low Barriers: An equitable arts sector with low barriers to entry, and wraparound services that are accessible and inclusive.

The City currently supports the arts through facilities like Thomas Wolfe Auditorium (more about this below), programming through the Parks & Recreation Department, grants like the Event Support Grant (in partnership with ArtsAVL), and the Public Art Program. However, all of these services are failing to reach their full potential due to funding shortages for things like maintenance, operations, and staffing.

Asheville does have a 1% for the arts policy that provides some support for public art from qualifying Capital Improvement Projects (CIP)– this does not generate a lot of funding. However, it is also common for cities to have additional dedicated funding streams for arts and culture like a Food and Beverage Tax. For example, Wake County currently has a countywide 1% Prepared Food and Beverage tax which supports arts, culture, sports and convention facilities in Wake County. Similar local taxes are also in place in Dare, Cumberland, and Mecklenburg Counties, as well as in the Town of Hillsborough.

ArtsAVL Value:

• Strong Support: Strong local government and community support, where the arts are valued for their contributions to Buncombe County.

On July 5, Thomas Wolfe Auditorium closed its doors due to a massive failure of the HVAC system. In the short-term, that failure immediately resulted in scheduled shows being shifted to the ExploreAsheville.com Arena or other locations. In the longer-term, this current closure of Thomas Wolfe, even if it reopens in a limited capacity, is estimated to result in a loss of over $20 million for Asheville businesses.

At a work session on September 26th, Asheville City Council directed staff to explore two potential paths forward—both major redesigns of the historic space. Staff is expected to come back to Council with more fleshed out recommendations for renovation in early 2024.

You can find more information about the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium issue here.

ArtsAVL Value:

• Diverse Assets: Cultural assets that reflect who we are as a community, are well-maintained, thoughtfully created, and that support local creatives.