San Diego school board members met yesterday to take a closer look at a Junior ROTC program at Mission Bay High School. Parents say the district approved that program without community input. KPBS Reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.
It would be the first Marine Corps Junior ROTC program in the San Diego Unified School District. Administrators plan to spend $60,000 on the new initiative -- the only problem is the school board never approved the program in the first place. Now trustees members worry other programs may have gotten by. Trustee John de Beck says administrators aren't being open and honest about where district money is going.
de Beck: This issue for me is a crappy presumptive budget process that should never happen in this district. And without people having an opportunity to both pro and con discuss the merits of a program.
District officials are developing a plan to make the budget process a more open and collaborative experience. They admit Mission Bay High School administrators could have done more reach out to parents like Stephanie Jennings. She believes Junior ROTC allows the military to recruit poor and minority students.
Jennings: This is tantamount to tracking and has no place in our district. Every student has a right to an education and should not be tracked into a war zone.
Supporters say the program would be just another option for students. They say it teaches teenagers discipline, leadership and respect. The school board votes on the whether to approve the program next month. Ana Tintocalis, KPBS News.
