Paul Kozakiewicz: JROTC the will of the voters

The voters have spoken, but will the school board listen?

San Francisco voters overwhelmingly supported keeping the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program in the November election. The popular program, which teaches leadership skills in some of the city's high schools, was axed by an insolent school board almost two years ago because of the board's anti-military stand.

The effort was led by two school board zealots, Mark Sanchez, who is no longer an elected official, and Eric Mar, who barely won a seat on the SF Board of Supervisors by about 300 votes. Sanchez, a gay, single man who didn't even work in the San Francisco school district, proposed the measure to oppose the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward gays in the military.

Sanchez and Mar, along with two other members of the board, used our children to make a political point in Washington D.C. That's if anyone on the East Coast got the point.

Last year, the School Board voted to remove physical education credits for those taking the course, lowering enrollment from about 1,500 to 500. The popular program teaches youth, many from the Chinese and other minority communities, leadership skills and discipline and gives them self confidence to become successful adults. Isn't that the aim of education? There is no other course that can replace the unique program.

The San Francisco Board of Education could vote at its April 14 meeting on a plan submitted by School Board member Jill Wynns to restore the program to the city's schools. As well, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma has introduced legislation in Sacramento that would restore the physical education requirement for the program on the state level.

According to articles in the SF Chronicle and SF Examiner, four school board members support restoring JROTC; Wynns, Rachel Norton, Norman Yee and Hydra Mendoza. Those still opposing it, despite the will of the people expressed in the last election, are Kim-Shree Maufas, Jane Kim and Sandra Fewer.

Fewer, a Richmond District resident whose child went to local schools, is the most disappointing of the three. She was actively involved in the PTA and other school organizations at Alamo Elementary School, Presidio Middle School and George Washington High School. While running for the school board, she brushed off question about JROTC saying the issue was already decided and that it was time to move on. Now, she says the program will cost money that the district can't afford due to tight budget constraints. What a cop out!

Fewer and the other School Board members should respect the will of the voters and the will of the parents whose children attend the city's high schools. She might have been elected to the School Board while not having to vote on the JROTC issue, but she might not be re-elected if she takes a position in direct opposition to the will of the voters.

Memories are long in this City.

Paul Kozakiewicz is the editor of the Richmond Review.