Creating JROTC in my HS

U

US21

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Jun 11, 2018
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Howdy y’all
My school has no JROTC. I want to change this and create one for my school even though I am going to be a senior.
Any advice or tips at all for me? Who should I contact to discuss with? What would be the requirements?
I am planning on talking with my grade’s counselor and a veteran teacher.
Even if I cannot create one, I want to plant the idea.
 
I have heard my son's Senior Naval Science Instructor say that there is a long waiting list of schools that want to add JROTC programs. The services have only limited money to support them and half of the cost of the instructor's salaries is born by the local school district. So, it is not easy to get a new JROTC program started. I imagine the request must come from the principal of the school and the superintendent of the school district to the services. Then, wait in line.
 
Out of curiosity I googled ‘how to create a JROTC program in your school’ and a plethora of information for multiple services came up to include directives and other items. Might be a good start. Probably would take a few years, but a great way to get the ball rolling.
 
NavyHoops said:
Out of curiosity I googled ‘how to create a JROTC program in your school’ and a plethora of information for multiple services came up to include directives and other items. Might be a good start. Probably would take a few years, but a great way to get the ball rolling.
Click to expand...

Thank you. all I’ve been able to do so far is search on google, but hoping I can find a way to start it up this yr.
 
Doubt it will start there taking a look at the applications. It costs money, personnel assignments, evaluations, facilities, school approval, etc. Being a leader means sometimes you aren’t around for the final results. It’s a great essay topic and a great way to show leadership taking something on like that. Part of being a military is doing what is right for those coming behind you.
 
If you can get the ball rolling that would be great. But it could be a long battle. Not all communities are supportive of the military and there has been a lot of criticism of JROTC over the years. If you Google it you’ll find many articles. There are political issues involved concerning how the school District spends it scarce resources and not all will agree that the dollars should go to JROTC. You should read up on the subject and be prepared for the opposing points of view that you will have to deal with. But it is certainly worth pursuing.
 
I watched a Volleyball team be created at our HS.
First there were many kids with interest.
Then their were parents who fundraised and publicized.
Then there was community involvement.
Then it finally got created.

So for your initiative, I would think the first step should be:
Is there interest from students?

What is the profile of a school that has JROTC?
For example, if they are all schools of 5000+ kids and your school is 500+, does it make sense to try?

If you think it feasible, then also find younger students who are interested.
If you have enough students, then start talking to the Principal.
They will probably need to talk to the School Board.
 
Hi!

I can speak to AFJROTC only, but I would imagine the process to be similar. First...you're talking several years just to get it going.

I teach AFJROTC. I worked with an officer that did start a program at the high school in his town. It took almost five years for him to be able to get it approved by the school board, approved by the USAF, and then created. I'll try to be brief, although folks that know me say I never use 10 words when I can use 100. JROTC is governed by "10 U.S. Code § 2031.Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps." If you really want to read all of that... Here's the short version. When a school is identified and the service agrees to start a program, it will start under one of two programs: the JROTC Unit or the NDCC Unit. JROTC units are funded immediately by the service: all uniforms, texts, O&M costs, and such are supplied by HQ AFJROTC and HQ reimburses the school for 1/2 of the instructor salaries. Future funding is determined annually by the number of cadets in the program. NDCC units are fully funded by the school (all costs to include the full salaries of the instructors) and are not common, but they do exist. In my experience, NDCC units either fold in a year or two or are fully "upgraded" in that time.

Now...you've gotten all that done...what's next? You need classroom space (and all that includes: desks, etc.), inventory storage space, two instructors, and then students! That's the hardest part: recruiting students into JROTC. Title 10 requires that you have at least 10% of the ENTIRE student body enrolled in JROTC until your school exceeds 1,000 total students. At that point and regardless of how many students the school has, you must have at least 100 enrolled. And you must stay at or above that level every year. If you fall short, your unit will be placed on probation for viability. A couple of years like that and the service may close you. If they close a unit, it can't be reopened for a minimum of five years.

Okay...I said short...that's the bare minimum, shortest description I can give. Is it possible? Yes. Is it a quick thing? No. Can a student start it? Yes/No. It'll require the school administration to start the process with their school board, get buy-in from all parties, then a formal application to the service...and then the quest will begin. In the end, the service may say no.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
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