Coatesville’s ROTC must find its own funding for another year

Program will look to combat Air Force’s closure decision with CASD support

By Kyle Carrozza, Staff Writer, The Times

With his ROTC compatriots behind him, Chasan Hall asks the school board for a letter of support. “This program offered me insane opportunities that I would never have dreamed about in middle school,” he said.

CALN – The status of the Coatesville Area High School’s Air Force Junior ROTC program sparked debates — but no funding from the Coatesville Area School District Board of Education, at Tuesday night’s board meeting.

The district passed its 2013-14 budget, leaving out funding for the program in the coming school year. For the second year in a row, the ROTC will have to independently generate money to keep the program running.

The matter had been previously discussed and agreed upon between the school board  and ROTC parents and students, with the district passing an August 13 deadline for fundraising. However, the retirement of the teacher Leon Johnson and aide Andrew Kraft complicated the matter.

The district must now find replacement personnel for a program still in search of funding. After the Air Force notified the district that they would be closing Coatesville’s ROTC branch PA-771, the district responded with a letter voicing support and asking them to reconsider.

“These cuts in no way reflect the regard the Coatesville Area School District has for any of our reductions in force inclusive of the Air Force JROTC,” the district wrote.

The Air Force responded with a letter requesting more specific language from the school board.

“What they’re looking for is a commitment; it’s not a contractual commitment but an emotional commitment,” said Safiya Edwards, who has led many of the ROTC’s efforts.

The district agreed to send another letter, but disputes arose over what language would be used. Board members wanted the letter to reflect their support while ensuring that it did not suggest any monetary commitments. A few thought that the second letter would simply be redressing the points from the first and that the Air Force was complicating the process, rather than the ROTC or the school board.

“It seems like a fight between upper and lower-level brass [at the Air Force], and we’re getting caught up in it,” said Superintendent Richard W. Como.

The board held an executive session immediately following the school board meeting to hammer out the final language of the letter, which is due at the end of the month. While they did develop a framework, not everything was agreed upon exactly.

“The hard thing was there were three parties trying to negotiate the language, and they weren’t all in the same room at the same time,” said Edwards.

The night ended with Solicitor James E. Ellison slightly modifying the words from the executive session, which he said he would consult his colleagues about as soon as possible.

The ROTC ordeal comes as part of the 2013-14 final budget, which was adopted on Tuesday night.

The $144,229,127 budget will see a property tax increase of 3.6%.

While discussing the final budget, district Financial Adviser Gary A. Pulcini warned that CASD cannot afford to operate at a deficit, like it has for the past six years. Last year’s finances resulted in the district’s credit being downgraded, which will make it more difficult for the district to borrow money and sell bonds.

Como emphasized operating “the right way” saying that preventing deficits could result in more money for the district, which could then allow them to hire more staff and fund more programs.