JROTC removed because of gays?

[Sortep]

But as you know, the whole Army is about cheating the system. Period.

[Bengal]

Quite a snarky thing to say, but what do you base it on?

[Sortep]

Certain school i got into.... an example is when our navigation skills were assessed and we were completely prohibited from using the road under the penalty of failure... well some of us used to the road and got caught, some of us used to road and didn't get caught.. some of us passed with plain old land nav skills... and some failde on their own meritt... when the school was completed... the head instructor said... those of you who failed for whatever reason aren't the right material... those of you who cheated and got caught aren't the right material.. those of you who passed welcome aboard.. and those of you who cheated and didn't get caught are the best material... we're talk to the soldiers wearing the 11w basic issue, the size 8 jungle, the size 11 jumps, and the size 12 basic issue. And those of us who were wearing those boots barely managed not to snigger... i still have my 11w basic issues

[Malvado]

Wow this was a interesting read. Ever since my Father croaked I never got to hear any military talk. I bow to you all for servicing in the forces(no matter your view on how it should be ran).

[ryusenka]

We had one final rally for saving JROTC.........

(11-14) 18:54 PST -- Hundreds of students packed the sidewalk outside the San Francisco school district headquarters Tuesday evening, yelling, chanting and hoping the last-chance rally would convince the school board members inside the building to save the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps.

With four board members publicly opposed to the program, JROTC cadets said they were holding out hope just a couple of hours before the expected vote.

"We going to fight this to the end,'' vowed JROTC Cadet Mick Del Rosario, a 15-year-old sophomore at Lowell High School, as he stood on the Franklin Street sidewalk with about 400 other supporters of the program.

Two proposals to eliminate JROTC were on Tuesday's board agenda. The first resolution would terminate the JROTC next June and create a task force to develop alternatives to the program. The other proposal, a revision to the first, would phase out the program over two years with no new students added after this semester, but would not create a replacement.

About 1,600 San Francisco students participate in JROTC at seven high schools across the district.

Board members Dan Kelly and Mark Sanchez, who co-authored both proposals, led the charge to eliminate the 90-year-old program. Board members Sarah Lipson and Eric Mar were expected to side with them.

They and other opponents say the armed forces should have no place in public schools and the military's discriminatory stance on gays makes the presence of JROTC unacceptable.

"We don't want the military ruining our civilian institutions," said Sandra Schwartz, of the American Friends Service Committee, an organization actively opposing JROTC nationwide. "In a healthy democracy ... you contain the military. You must contain the military."

Students, parents and school staff from each of the seven high schools converged outside the school board meeting carrying signs and waving at cars, some of which honked in support.

At least 100 cadets edged into Franklin Street waving their signs before being pushed back to the sidewalk by their ROTC instructors.

Inside, an hour before the meeting was to start, more than 60 people had signed up to speak on the issue.

The students say they learn leadership and organizational skills, personal responsibility, money and time management and how to be a team player, among other things.

Many students say that they have found a home in the program, a place they are accepted.

Supporters say the military's "don't ask, don't tell policy" doesn't apply to JROTC -- there are gay cadets - and gay instructors - in the program.

"This is where the kids feel safe, the one place they feel safe," said Robert Powell, a JROTC instructor at Lincoln High School and a retired Army lieutenant colonel. "You're going to take that away from them?"

Opponents acknowledge the program is popular and even helps some students stay in school and out of trouble.

Yet they also say the program exists to lure students to sign up for the armed forced.

"It's basically a branding program, or a recruiting program for the military," Kelly said.

The school district and the military share the costs of the $1.6 million annual costs of the program, with the military paying $586,000, or half the salaries of 15 instructors -- all of whom are retired military personnel. The district pays the other half of salaries and $394,000 in benefits.

Mayor Gavin Newsom weighed in on the debate, chastising the board for the effort to eliminate JROTC.

"The move sends the wrong message," he said. "It's important for the city not to be identified with disrespecting the sacrifice of men and women in the uniform."

Students in the program receive physical education or elective credits required for graduation.

A budget analysis found the district could hire nine teachers with the money the district now spends on JROTC -- enough to cover the gym and elective courses for the 1,600 students should the program be eliminated.

But there wouldn'tbe money to create an alternative serving that many students, said board member Jill Wynns.

"I think the people who want to get rid of it have a responsibility to look at how we're going to pay for that and what we're going to do to replace it," she added.

Newsom also said he believed the vote would push more city residents away from the public schools.

"You think this is going to help keep families in San Francisco?" the mayor added. "No. It's going to hurt."

But we still lost! JROTC is going to be cancelled in two years, so many kids were crying over the loss of JROTC, including me. They're all a bunch of bastards that don't think about how much kids love this program.

After 90 years in San Francisco high schools, the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps must go, the San Francisco school board decided Tuesday night.

The Board of Education voted 4-2 to eliminate the popular program, phasing it out over two years.

Dozens of JROTC cadets at the board meeting burst into tears or covered their faces after the votes were cast.

"We're really shocked,'' said fourth-year Cadet Eric Chu, a senior at Lowell High School, his eyes filling with tears. "It provided me with a place to go."

The proposal approved by the board also creates a task force to develop alternatives to the program that will be tried out next year at various high schools.

The board's decision was loudly applauded by opponents of the program.

Their position was summed up by a former teacher, Nancy Mancias, who said, "We need to teach a curriculum of peace."

The board's move to dismantle the popular program was led by board members Dan Kelly and Mark Sanchez with support from Sarah Lipson and Eric Mar. Casting votes against it were Jill Wynns and Norman Yee. Board member Eddie Chin was absent.

"I think people should not despair too much," Sanchez said. "I think now the work begins -- to work within the community to develop new programs that will fulfill the needs of our students."

About 1,600 San Francisco students participate in JROTC at seven high schools across the district.

Opponents said the armed forces should have no place in public schools, and the military's discriminatory stance on gays makes the presence of JROTC unacceptable.

"We don't want the military ruining our civilian institutions," said Sandra Schwartz of the American Friends Service Committee, an organization actively opposing JROTC nationwide. "In a healthy democracy ... you contain the military. You must contain the military."

Students, parents and school staff from each of the seven high schools converged outside the school board meeting carrying signs and waving at cars, some of which honked in support.

At least 100 cadets edged into Franklin Street waving their signs before being pushed back to the sidewalk by their ROTC instructors.

Yet, in the end, the effort -- one of several rallies in the last several weeks -- fell on deaf ears.

"This is where the kids feel safe, the one place they feel safe," Robert Powell, a JROTC instructor at Lincoln High School and a retired Army lieutenant colonel, said earlier in the evening. "You're going to take that away from them?"

Opponents acknowledged the program is popular and even helps some students stay in school and out of trouble.

Yet they also said the program exists to lure students to sign up for the armed forces.

"It's basically a branding program, or a recruiting program for the military," Kelly said before the meeting.

The school district and the military share the $1.6 million annual cost of the program, with the military paying $586,000, or half the salaries of 15 instructors -- all of whom are retired military personnel. The district pays the other half of salaries and $394,000 in benefits.

Earlier, Mayor Gavin Newsom weighed in on the debate, chastising the board for the effort to eliminate JROTC.

"The move sends the wrong message," he said. "It's important for the city not to be identified with disrespecting the sacrifice of men and women in uniform."

Students in the program receive physical education or elective credits required for graduation.

A budget analysis found that the district could hire nine teachers with the money the district now spends on JROTC -- enough to cover the gym and elective courses for the 1,600 students should the program be eliminated.

But there wouldn't be money to create an alternative program serving that many students, Wynns said.

"I think the people who want to get rid of it have a responsibility to look at how we're going to pay for that and what we're going to do to replace it," she added.

Newsom also said he believed the vote would push more city residents away from the public schools.

"You think this is going to help keep families in San Francisco?" the mayor added. "No. It's going to hurt."

On other matters, the board introduced a resolution that makes race a factor in deciding what school a child will attend starting with the 2008-09 school year. No action was taken.

We still have only ONE more chance to save it if there are new school board members and they vote. If they decide to fully cancel it out then there will be no replacement program, it will be COMPLETELY gone. I'm keeping my fingers crossed all the way. DON'T TKAE JROTC AWAY FROM US!