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Parents and cadets hail decision to continue Romeoville MCJROTC at Valley View CUSD 365U
Summary
At its April 13 meeting the Valley View CUSD 365U board announced the Romeoville High School Marine Corps JROTC program will continue after weeks of community advocacy; cadets returned from national competitions with top finishes and parents credited the program with scholarships and student transformation.
At its April 13 regular meeting, the Valley View Community Unit School District 365U Board of Education confirmed that the Romeoville High School Marine Corps JROTC (MCJROTC) program will continue after recent discussions with the national program’s office and sustained community advocacy.
The announcement followed testimony from dozens of parents, cadets and alumni who credited the program with discipline, scholarships and tangible changes in students. "You changed their world," community member Nicole Alanis told the board, thanking members for intervening to keep the program running.
Board members and administrators described a recent conversation with the national office and said paperwork to formalize the program’s continuation is expected to follow. District speakers also highlighted the cadets’ recent competition results: Romeoville’s MCJROTC team placed second overall in national competition and earned top finishes in multiple categories, a point repeated by school leaders and the district’s student ambassador.
The testimony at the meeting included a written letter from a program graduate who said JROTC helped him build a career in the automotive trades and develop leadership skills. Parents and cadets described daily training commitments and the program’s role in keeping at‑risk students engaged; current cadet Sophia Alvarado said, "This program is more than just an activity. We are a family."
Board members, administrators and parents emphasized that keeping the program will require continued recruitment and local support. Community speakers asked the district to sustain staff and resources so that cadets can continue to compete and benefit from associated scholarships and career pathways.
The meeting’s public-comment record shows broad local support from families, instructors and former cadets; the board said it will follow up with the national office on required paperwork and with district staff on implementation details and recruitment needs. No additional formal vote on the program was recorded during the meeting; the continuation announcement was presented as an administrative update and community success story.
