A San Francisco assemblywoman plans to step on, over and around the city's school board with legislation that would require the district to keep the controversial Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps in its high schools.
Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, is expected to announce her bill at a press conference at Lowell High School today.
On split vote in November 2006, the school board decided to ax the program, arguing it is operated by the U.S. military, which not only seeks new recruits, but bars gays and lesbians from openly serving. The issue has been among the most controversial and divisive education issues in the last few years.
The program is scheduled to end in June.
Ma said she was motivated to introduce the bill by voter passage in November of Proposition V, an advisory measure urging retention of the JROTC program. In addition, Ma said, she has seen benefits from the course - leadership training to minorities and women, opportunities for teamwork, and a support network to students.
"I've been to many of the programs over the years," she said. "I've seen the benefits of the programs ... I've met the kids."
She also noted that five of San Francisco's seven high schools with JROTC are in her district.
JROTC is a federally sponsored program, paying half the salaries of the instructors, who are retired from the military.
It is also a voluntary program for districts - but Ma's legislation would require San Francisco - and only San Francisco - to keep it.
"The voters have spoken," said Ma, a former San Francisco supervisor.
But then, so had San Francisco's elected school board officials. Ma's move is being questioned, even by some who want to see JROTC stay.
"For me this sets a precedent," said school board member Hydra Mendoza. "Do the state people now tell the district, which has made a local decision, right wrong or indifferent ... that they have to change a policy?"
Legislators often given deference to each other's district-only bills, but Ma's measure - expected to be introduced as an urgent bill - would require two-thirds support.
Former school board member Eric Mar, now a city supervisor and longtime opponent of JROTC, said he questioned the legality of circumventing local control.
"That doesn't sound right to me," he said.
School board member Sandra Fewer, who also opposes JROTC, said she wished Ma had consulted with her and the board before taking the issue to Sacramento.
"The school district is our jurisdiction," Fewer said.
Several supporters of the program said they initially thought Ma's legislation would only restore the physical education credit to the program - making it more palatable to the school board.
Without receiving PE credit, many students don't have time in their schedule to take the elective JROTC courses. After the school board eliminated gym credit for the military classes, enrollment dropped this year to about 500 students, down from about 1,500 the previous year.
Ma is requesting that the bill - which also restores the PE credit - be put on the legislative fast track, given the impending demise of the program.
Local JROTC instructors have said that if the district loses the program, it will be difficult to bring it back because there is a backlog of high schools across the country waiting to get federal funding for the program.
