A PDF of this letter can be viewed HERE.
This is an A.I. generated summary of the letter:
Nye County School District (NCSD) leadership is composed of veterans who value JROTC programs.
NCSD previously had a grant-funded JROTC program at PVHS that never met minimum enrollment or staffing requirements.
The grant was pulled by JROTC USACC.
To be considered for a future grant, NCSD would need to fully fund its own program for several years, at a cost of $250,000-$500,000 per year.
Due to financial burden and confidential human resource issues, the Superintendent decided not to pursue a JROTC program at this time.
July 1, 2024
Parents, Guardians, and Stakeholders,
First and foremost, I want to emphasize that our district leadership is composed of patriotic individuals who support and value our great country, the United States of America, our Armed Services, and our JROTC programs. Among our School Board Trustees and district leadership, we are proud to have four veterans (two of which are combat) and a spouse of a veteran. Having served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, I am a combat veteran of the Iraq War/Global War on Terrorism. Each of us has a deep love and appreciation for the United States of America and our freedoms and rights as citizens of the USA.
Secondly, as the hired Superintendent of the Nye County School District (NCSD), I am ultimately accountable for all programs, operations, and finances. Because there has been so much concern and disinformation expressed and repeated on social media regarding the reasoning behind the absence of a JROTC at PVHS, I am posting this public statement clarifying the history and reasoning behind our current status.
A little over two decades ago, we hired a Superintendent who was a retired Colonel from the Army. He had connections with the JROTC Operations United States Army Cadet Command (USACC) over our area. Even though NCSD did not meet the minimum criteria to warrant a competitive grant-funded JROTC program, NCSD was able to secure a grant under an agreement that we would meet the minimum required student enrollment and staffing numbers within the first few years of implementation. During the entirety of our PVHS JROTC program, we never met the minimum required student enrollment, and we were almost continuously plagued with staffing issues/turnover/vacancies. The JROTC USACC finally pulled the grant from NCSD. Considering we never actually qualified for the grant, we should be extremely grateful to the JROTC USACC for allowing us to have a JROTC program for so many years.
I have had several virtual meetings with the Chief of JROTC Operations, 8th Brigade, USACC. For NCSD to be considered a potential candidate for a future grant-funded JROTC program, we would have to fully fund our own program and meet all the minimum student numbers and staffing requirements for at least three consecutive years. USACC would not guarantee a program but rather allow us to qualify to apply for the competitive grant.
Funding our own JROTC program would cost upwards of $500,000 in the first year and between $250,000 and $300,000 each subsequent year.
Given the significant financial burden of funding a multi-year JROTC program, coupled with the ongoing confidential personnel issues that have continuously plagued the PVHS JROTC program, I, as the Superintendent of the school district, have made and communicated the decision to our School Board, district leadership, and PVHS administration that we will not, at this time, pursue a JROTC program.
Sincerely,
Joseph H. Gent, Ed. D.
Superintendent