Date: Mon, 31 Oct 1994 19:03:36 -0800 From: cccowr@igc.apc.org Subject: 13 Cities Targeted 4 HS Milit Acads /* Written 6:30 PM Oct 31, 1994 by cccowr in igc:military.draft */ /* ---------- "13 Cities Targeted 4 HS Milit Acads" ---------- */ 13 Cities Targeted For High School Military Academies! The U.S. military is planning to install 8-10 additional military "partnership" academies (formerly called "career" academies) inside public schools in the coming year. Capitalizing on concern about "at- risk" youth (read potential recruits) and invoking successful civilian school-within-a-school models, the Pentagon has already established military "career" academies at 30 public high schools nationwide in the last two years. We know of 13 cities which are most at-risk. The targeted cities are: Charleston, SC; Jacksonville, FL; New York, NY; Newark, NJ; Pinal County, AZ; Richmond, CA; Seattle, WA; Little Rock, CA; Nashville, TN; Newport News, VA; San Diego, CA; Kansas City, MO; New Orleans, LA. At this time, we only know the names of the 13 primary cities. We don't yet know the names of the 7 secondary targets (except Lenoir County, NC) or the names of the school districts and schools targeted within these cities. However, Harold Jordan at AFSC (215- 241-7176) and I are trying to uncover this information. Representatives from 20 school districts, including the 13 primary targets, are meeting in Alexandria, VA on November 1st, 1994 to receive pro-military academy information from Cities In Schools, Inc., which has a contract with the Pentagon to set up the next round of military "partnership academies." Their plan is to create military academies in 8-10 of these cities. In the past, Cities In Schools has facilitated corporate takeovers of public schools, including the creation of Burger King Academies. The creation of these academies is part of the increasing militarization of our public schools, most in evidence in the attempt by the DoD to double the number of schools with Jr. ROTC units to 3500 by school year 1996-97 (1997 is the official goal, but Jr. ROTC officials now see 1999 as more realisitic). Our goal is to inrcrease opposition, stop the expansion, and expel existing units from the schools. These academies are a puffed up expansion of previously existing Jr. ROTC units, involving almost twice as many students for triple the time by militarizing core subjects such as math and science (if you're in an aviation academy for example, you might learn how to calculate the speed, distance and impact of a patriot missile in science class). The DoD propaganda says the academies will "provide at-risk high school students with leadership, vocational and academic training" by establishing a three-way partnership between the school, the military and local business (with the DoD very clearly having final say). In the agreement the school districts sign with the DoD, they agree to expand a Jr. ROTC unit to include at least 150 students and up to ten retired officers as JROTC instructors. Each military academy host school gets an initial $500,000 start-up "grant" from the DoD, but then is required to pick up the entire cost of the academy after the second year. There are promises of technical assistance, equipment, field trips, work opportunities, and mentoring. The Cities in Schools model entails bringing corporate sponsors into the planning of the military academies and funding the military academies through these corporate "partners" after the two year start-up money is gone. The DoD is able to offer these deals by taking money from economic conversion funds. You got it, the peace dividend is paying for the military's invasion of schools across the country! It's also important to note that despite the Pentagon's posturing about helping the schools, every school district we've investigated so far subsidizes the DoD for their JROTC programs. On average, the net cost of Jr. ROTC programs is about $50,000 per school. In addition to all the other advantages, getting rid of JROTC would save school districts money. Communities organizing against the military academies and JROTC are stressing opposition to the militarization of young people, opposition to the promotion of violence in schools, opposition to the imposition of a racist and xenophobic military curriculum outside of local control, and opposition to allowing the officially homophobic and ableist military to operate in schools in violation of both human rights standards and civil rights laws. We are trying to track local struggles across the country. IUm also interested in examples of locally produced literature or press clippings re: JROTC for our anti-JROTC database and files. Finally, if you have any video footage of JROTC or video clips of press coverage, we are compiling a video to be used by organizers and would appreciate receiving copies. An interim Anti-JROTC Organizing Kit is available through us at CCCO-WR for $5. AFSC plans on releasing an academic study of Jr. ROTC programs in mid-November (AFSC, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA 19102, 215-241-7176). For more information online, please check the military.draft conference on PeaceNet (igc.apc.org), or the misc.activism.prog conference on Usenet. For more info or to get more involved, contact us at: CCCO-WR, 655 Sutter St. #514, SF, CA 94102, 415-474-3002, 415-474-2311 fax, cccowr@igc.apc.org email