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Governor’s School for the Arts & Humanities seeks operating funds, extra mental‑health staff and capital gallery space
Summary
President Cedric Adderley asked the House Ways and Means subcommittee for increased operational funding tied to rising utility and maintenance costs, $100,000 for film equipment, a full‑time mental health counselor, FTE conversions and a capital project for a new front‑of‑campus gallery.
Cedric Adderley, president of the Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, briefed the House Ways and Means subcommittee on enrollment, outreach and a multi‑item budget request focused on operations, program equipment and student support.
Adderley said the school has celebrated its 25th anniversary and that outreach efforts served more than 63,000 individuals across all 46 counties last year. He said the campus has been phasing a residence‑hall renovation without shutting operations and thanked lawmakers for recent salary conversions and support for noninstructional staff.
The school’s prioritized budget items included: an increase in “other operational expenses” to offset inflationary pressures (the Department of Administration, acting as fiscal agent, projects utilities of about $605,000 for the current year and $623,000 for the next year); $100,000 for film equipment to support a new film program; an additional full‑time mental health counselor to expand a current single‑counselor capacity; conversions of temporary positions to FTE for recruiters and other mission‑critical staff; and a nonrecurring capital project to build a new front‑of‑campus art gallery and instructional space to improve campus security by moving public activity away from residence areas.
On mental health, Adderley said the school currently has one counselor who last year served about 48 percent of the student body. He noted the Governor’s School of Science and Mathematics (GSSM) has three counselors for its enrollment of about 288, while the arts school serves about 238 students and needs expanded counseling capacity.
Adderley also described the new film program (first class of juniors enrolled; two summer programs previously offered) and the return on investment the school sees from outreach and scholarship success. Committee members asked a few clarifying questions but did not vote on funding; staff were invited to follow up on specific dollar amounts and position conversions.
Ending: Adderley said the school will provide requested demographic and staffing information to committee staff and invited members to visit the campus to view ongoing renovation work.
