Board and administration outline club-first approach for ROTC, student manufacturing and FFA/DECA integration

Board members and administrators discussed options to expand extracurricular and potential curricular offerings, with an emphasis on starting new activities as club pilots to measure student interest and work through staffing and facility questions.

Administration described three components under consideration: an initial JROTC/ROTC club (reported as no direct cost for starting as a club), a student-run manufacturing enterprise that would require planning around facilities and tech resources, and strengthening FFA ties while integrating student business skills through DECA. Kyle and other staff have initiated outreach — including contact with JROTC representatives and FFA staff in Harrisburg — to explore logistics.

Administrators and board members emphasized a phased approach: begin as clubs in the fall, gather student feedback (for example via surveys or QR-code responses at school assemblies), and then plan any transition into core curriculum if interest and staffing capacity support it. Board members noted budgeting and certified-staffing challenges for any program that scaled beyond a club.

What’s next: administration will continue outreach, assemble implementation details (facilities, staffing, budget implications) and return to the board with formal proposals and any required budget requests.