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Marysville superintendent proposes Army JROTC elective; board to consider course addendum
Summary
Superintendent Howard proposed establishing a U.S. Army JROTC chapter serving both high-school campuses; the Army would provide curriculum, uniforms and reimburse about 50% of an instructor's salary, and the program requires minimum enrollment of 10% of the combined high-school population to charter.
Superintendent Doctor Howard presented a proposal on Jan. 15 to introduce a U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers'Training Corps (JROTC) program as a for-credit elective across Marysville's two high-school campuses.
Howard said JROTC focuses on citizenship, leadership, personal responsibility and community service and is not a military-recruitment program. "There is no obligation whatsoever with that regard," Howard said, adding the program includes classroom instruction, physical fitness, drill and team activities and that uniforms and curriculum are provided by the U.S. Army.
Staff outlined the staffing and enrollment model the district expects: a recognized chapter typically requires a minimum enrollment of 10% of the high-school population (the district estimated roughly 160 students across both campuses would satisfy that threshold, and eligible 8th graders taking high-school credit would count toward the total). The district said it would likely hire one to two retired certified Army instructors (one senior Army instructor and a second instructor as needed), with background checks and Army approval required.
Howard noted cost-sharing advantages: the Army will reimburse approximately 50% of an instructor's salary; curriculum, certain equipment and student uniforms are provided at no cost to students. District costs cited were classroom setup, transportation for events and the local share of instructor salary and benefits, and presenters said those district costs would be comparable to other elective programs.
Board members raised logistical questions about where classes would be held across campuses and whether homeschool students could participate. Presenters said scheduling details would be finalized during the curriculum-adoption process and that homeschool students could participate as an elective where district policy allows.
The superintendent said an addendum to the district's course-of-study guide to include JROTC and related leader-course sequences would appear under the superintendent recommendations later in the meeting for formal approval.
The board took no immediate final action on program design during the presentation; the addendum and coursework approvals were included later in the superintendent action items voted on during the meeting.
