After officials determined there wasn’t enough student support to move forward with a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Program at Brighton Area Schools, commissioners were slated to discuss reallocating $150,000 in funding.
The Livingston County Board’s Finance and Asset Management Committee was scheduled to consider a resolution reallocating the program’s earmarked $150,000 in funds through the American Rescue Plan Act to the Livingston County Fiber Project during a meeting July 14.
The project is county-wide effort aimed at installing an expanded trunk line system, improving access potential for hundreds of residents. The reallocation would increase total funding of the fiber project to over $12.7 million, according to meeting documents.
What happened to JROTC?
The Livingston County Board approved a resolution in September 2023 providing funding for a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Program at BAS under certain conditions, one of which was required approval from one of the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces by Jan. 26, 2024.
BAS was expected to pilot the county-wide program in 2024, but the program’s start was pushed to 2025 following setbacks, including late approval from the U.S. Navy.
The district also noted a lack of student interest in the program, noted during a school board meeting in April when BAS Superintendent Matthew Outlaw said only three students had signed up.
“Despite two years of extensive efforts and support by many, we still were unable to spark enough student interest to launch the (JROTC) program in the fall,” Outlaw wrote in an email to The Daily. “We are disappointed, but based on the limited student interest on each attempt, the decision was made to return the funds for the commissioners to use elsewhere.”
JROTC prepares high school students for leadership roles while making them aware of their rights, responsibilities and privileges as citizens, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
— Contact reporter Makayla Coffee at mcoffee@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: JROTC won’t move forward at Brighton Schools, commissioners discuss reallocating funds
Reporting by Makayla Coffee, Livingston Daily / Livingston Daily
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