Above: Members of AVRT’s MCJROTC leadership education program. (from school website)
Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School has grown a thriving Junior ROTC program. But now it may be too robust for its budget. According to Shrewsbury Wicked Local, the program is in jeopardy of being shut down. And the popularity of the program is at the root of it.
An auxilary for the Junior Reserve Officer Training leadership program is working to raise money to cover $100,000 in uncovered costs for FY17. That represents the salary and benefits for the second instructor required in order to continue the program past the next school year.
I’ll explain the issue behind the needed funds. But first, here’s important info on their ongoing fundraisers. (I missed hearing about a big one last weekend, but there are two more ways you can still help.)
A direct contribution can be made to their gofundme website.
Or, participate in their clothing and household goods drive through July 10th. Drop off donations in bags clearly marked as AVMCJROTC at the Savers stor at 222 East Main St., Marlborough.
As for why a second instructor is needed – It was required in the school’s 2014 agreement with the Marine Corps if they surpassed 75 students. According to the article, they are now have 122 in the program and another 40 signed up.
If they don’t have the second instructor by the end of the 2016-17 school year, the Marine Corps won’t renew the contract. Meanwhile the FY17 budget was passed before the request came in. So, the school can’t budget the teacher until FY18.
SWL shared the plight from the perspective of Superintendent Ernest Houle:
“This year is the first year we are making a debt service payment on our building project, so we made an agreement with our towns to have a level services budget, and even with that, it was a 2.9 percent increase to cover the COLA (cost of living adjustment) and health insurance increases.). . .
Houle said that it was important to remember that the Junior ROTC program is an elective, and not a core requirement.
The district has other priorities it has to balance,” Houle said. “There are 1100 students in the district.”
Wondering what a Jr. ROTC program is about? The AVRT website shares:
The program’s focus is reflected in its mission statement, “To motivate young people to be better citizens.” It prepares high school students for responsible leadership roles while making them aware of their rights, responsibilities, and privileges as American citizens. The program is a stimulus for promoting graduation from high school, and it provides instruction and rewarding opportunities that will benefit the student, community, and nation. Students who choose to enroll and take MCJROTC Leadership classes are not obligated to join the Marine Corps or any other branch of the service. Students, however, must accept Marine Corps standards of discipline, appearance and training.
To learn more about the program, click here.
For more details on their currten plight, read the full Wicked Local article.
