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JROTC leaders, boosters tell Valley View board they surveyed cadets and parents and are organizing a booster club
Summary
Representatives for the Marine Corps JROTC program reported they collected cadet and parent survey responses, plan action items addressing feedback, and are forming a booster organization with bylaws, an EIN and pending tax‑exempt status to support program access and fundraising.
Speakers at the July 13 Valley View CUSD 365U board meeting gave updates on the Marine Corps JROTC program and a nascent booster organization.
Nicole Elanese, who said she previously brought concerns about JROTC to the board, told trustees she and a colleague developed a culture‑and‑climate survey for cadets and parents to collect data to guide program improvements. "We wanted to come up with a culture and climate survey to give to our cadets to really see what sort of data we needed to collect in order to guide our actions forward," Elanese said, adding that the results produced both positive statistics and actionable feedback. She said packets provided to the board include a cadet summary, a parent‑feedback summary and proposed action items.
A booster representative (Liz) described steps to form an official booster organization: establishing bylaws and a constitution, applying for an EIN, and filing for federal tax‑exempt status (pending). The representative said the boosters will help fund equipment, travel and participation costs and that they expect to register with the Illinois Attorney General and Department of Revenue once tax status is confirmed. "The booster organization provides significant financial support," the presenter said, and boosters commonly cover 30–50% of an athletic department’s budget, the representative added while noting local fundraising and volunteer plans.
Board members thanked the presenters and asked for future updates; administration said it will continue to partner with program leaders and the booster group as they formalize operations.
Next steps: Program leaders plan to return to the board with updates and to coordinate with district staff on fundraising compliance and registration requirements.
