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Showing this Friday morning is Class Act, a film about former high school drama teacher Jay W. Jensen which stresses the importance of continuing to fund arts education for public schools.

We’ve all read about the controversy surrounding the No Child Left Behind Act and witnessed how important test scores have become. However, not many headlines convey the dwindling support for the arts in public education. This is a huge issue nationwide and with the likes of SCAD, should resonate heavily in Savannah. Class Act examines just this subject.

The film centers around Jay W. Jensen, a Miami Beach drama teacher and legend in South Florida. In his 50 years of teaching, Jensen has spent 31 years as the drama director at Miami Beach High School and has donated millions to the arts - on his paltry teacher’s salary. In addition to the story of Jay Jensen, the doc. also interviews government officials and public school faculty members on both the No Child Left Behind Act and the dwindling budget for arts education. The filmmakers visit John Philip Sousa Middle School in Washington, D.C., only to discover that there is no longer a music program at the school. The principal laments the loss of the program, explaining that they have kept all of the band instruments in hopes of reinstating a program in the future (which it does by the movie’s end). The school’s former band room has been transformed into an in-school suspension room.

Although the list of experts interviewed in the documentary is too long to include, it is important to note the similarities and differences in what they believe. Everyone interviewed said that the arts are important in public education. However, many differed on why they thought the arts were the first programs to get cut. Some said it was easier to cut arts than find alternative funding; others said they had no choice but to cut the programs because there were only so many hours in the day and the remedial courses had to fit somewhere. Interesting points which I don’t think will fall on deaf ears. I will certainly be in the audience of this one and I hope to see you there too!

When: 11:30 a.m. Friday

Running time: 90 minutes

Where: Lucas Theatre, 32 Abercorn St.

Technorati Tags: No Child Left Behind, SCAD, Savannah