Michael Healey has been teaching art classes from his home studio for more than 10 years, and has been teaching in Houston area public schools for more than five. A fine arts graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, Healey studied under Peter Saul and continues to show his own work in Houston, including an upcoming show at Winter Street Studios.

After spending five years teaching art at Lee High School, Healey moved on to head up the art program at Yes Prep, a public charter school in the East End. Of Texas arts education, Healey says, "I don't think it's in crisis mode yet, but it could easily slip if we don't stay on the legislators."

Through the 2010-2011 school year, high schoolers in Texas must take one fine arts credit in order to graduate, but it's a requirement the Texas legislature has sought to get rid of in the past. There is no requirement for an upper division class.

Healey says besides the obvious reasons ("kids need to develop the other part of their brain") arts education is important for its practical use — especially in public schools where many students are learning English as a second language.

"You can see deficits in a student's learning that get missed or looked over," Healey says. "Many times I've referred students who fell through the cracks and needed special services. Certain steps in the way you draw are developmental."

Public schools are in a pinch, and they have to pick and choose what they offer. Of the fine arts departments, Healey says visual art tends to get the most support, in part because kids uninterested in fine arts will opt for a beginning-level art class long before they throw themselves into performance arts like dance, music or theater.

Even so, Healey says that although Art 101 is sort of built into the fabric of high school life, it's important to have advanced classes — something that's not always a priority when you need just one credit to graduate.

"You've got to pick and choose your battles," Healey says. His students at Yes Prep, for example, practice their painting skills on cardboard — a necessity that he doesn't think affects the learning experience.

"The priority is never going to be how to get art supplies to the art program," Healey says. And it's difficult, when 90 percent of the budget goes toward disposable items. Costumes and instruments are reusable; paints and canvas, not so much.

"You have to be proactive, and you have to get creative" Healey says. Some supplies can be applied for through organizations like DonorsChoose.org.

And Healey says local organizations like Mocha, the Art Car Museum, Lawndale, the Orange Show and FotoFest are beyond supportive in filling in gaps in resources.

Part of the struggle facing arts education in Texas are the guidelines set forth by No Child Left Behind. The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) guidelines for art are vague, and while Healey says he's glad there hasn't been a standardized assessment system imposed on the arts, he believes the position of many administrators is "If we can't assess it, we can't value it."