District arts team chosen for Perpich CAP cohort; $9,000 grant and multi-year plan outlined

Presenters identified as the district CAP coordinators (Sarah, Todd and Karen) described Little Falls’ selection as one of eight Minnesota schools chosen for the Perpich Center for Arts Education Comprehensive Arts Planning (CAP) cohort. They said CAP will support a K–12 approach to the arts that includes music, visual arts, theater, dance and media arts, and they outlined four priorities: increasing access to the arts, showcasing student work, elevating a collective arts voice and expanding a K–12 media-arts program.

The presenters said the CAP grant delivers $4,500 to the district each year for two years (a total of $9,000) to support staff development, after-hours work and planning. One presenter summarized the team’s progress simply: "We have a plan." They described a year of reflection (current year), a year of planning (next year) and a multi-year implementation phase to follow.

Presenters discussed state requirements that schools offer at least three of five arts areas K–12 and said Little Falls currently provides music and visual arts across K–12 but lacks a third elementary-level arts area; expanding media arts into elementary grades was a primary driver for joining CAP. They also noted the district’s existing partnership with Great River Arts and said they hope to form a community arts council to sustain programming, and invited board support for professional development time and events.

Why it matters: The CAP cohort and Perpich Center partnership give the district planning assistance and modest seed funding to align arts programming with state standards and to expand media arts access.