MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2021 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Representatives Hines, Stamps, Bell (65th), Clarke, Gibbs (72nd), Summers, Foster, Paden, Clark, Bailey, Banks, Barton, Blackmon, Brown (70th), Carpenter, Goodin, Harness, Holloway, Hopkins, Newman, Rushing, Straughter, Tullos, Watson, Williams-Barnes, Yates
A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING AND COMMENDING THE STELLAR SUCCESS OF THE JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT'S JUNIOR RESERVE OFFICER'S TRAINING CORPS (JROTC) PROGRAM.
WHEREAS, the Jackson Public School District's Junior Reserve Officer's Training Corps (JROTC) Program annually serves thousands of at-risk students throughout the district's seven high schools, with an annual enrollment average of approximately 1,800 cadets; and
WHEREAS, the largest in the State of Mississippi, Jackson Public School District's JROTC Program, analyzed by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor for effectiveness utilizing interviews, accreditation documents and outcome data, has been determined to outperform many outstanding JROTC programs at the state and national levels; and
WHEREAS, a program that centralizes its focus on the use of retired military service members, each of whom possess a minimum of 20 years of military experience, discipline and structure, as instructors of military history, other military-based courses and drill formation in more than 3,400 high schools throughout the nation to fulfill its mission "To Motivate Young People to be Better Citizens" through leadership and character development, including in Mississippi's 84 JROTC programs affiliated with each of the nation's four military installations, Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines; and
WHEREAS, an active component of the Jackson Public School District since 1936, the district's JROTC program experienced exponential growth between 1971 and 1980, when each of the district's high schools implemented its own units, with Powell Middle School establishing a Junior Cadet Corps Unit in 2016; and
WHEREAS, students enrolled in JROTC consistently reflect increased academic achievement, higher daily attendance rates, higher graduation rates, lower disciplinary and dropout rates, claims which have been consistently validated in JPS' statistical evidence over the course of the last decade, which accounts for: an almost 100% graduation rate of cadet participants in comparison to the state's 85% and district's 75.1% respective graduation rates; 26.4% enrollment rate across the district's entire high school student population; average daily attendance of 95% in comparison to three of the district's high schools which accounted among the top five worse absenteeism rates in the state; average GPA of 2.8; average ACT score of 18.2, in comparison to the district average of 15.4 and state average of 17.86; and an accumulation of an average of 38,783 annual service hours; and
WHEREAS, every three years since 2005, the JROTC Program for Accreditation (JPA), an independent national accrediting agency, has reviewed and evaluated the JPS Army JROTC programs on personnel and administration, education and training, operations, school logistics and supply, and in its 2020 accreditation audit, all seven JPS high schools scored in the top tier, which now affords every JPS JROTC cadet the esteemed privilege to wear a gold star on his or her uniform, signifying the program's excellence; and
WHEREAS, to receive evaluation scores that translate into Gold Level Support assignment, programs must achieve 95-100 points, and after accreditation review the following score assignments were issued: Lanier High School - 97; Forest Hill High School - 98; Callaway High School - 99; Murrah High School - 99; Provine High School - 99; Wingfield High School - 99; and Jim Hill High School - 100; and
WHEREAS, led by retired Army Colonel Paul Willis for the last 16 years, the JPS JROTC Program has benefitted from Colonel Willis' 25 years of Army experience, having served until July 1, 2004, after initially enlisting on May 13, 1979, upon graduating from Alcorn State University, and coupling his service in Operation Desert Shield as a military transportation logistics and organization strategist with his practical real world experience of capitalizing on essential partnerships with former service members, postsecondary educational institutions and other organizations to provide training and education programs that expose cadets to opportunities available beyond high school; and
WHEREAS, capitalizing on a concerted team effort, the success of the JPS JROTC Program is directly attributable to the highly talented and hard-working instructors who go above and beyond the every day call of duty to ensure cadets have the greatest ability to maximize opportunities for exposure to the best learning and leadership development experiences possible, in addition to the supportive relationship fostered among school and district level administrators, the City of Jackson, the State of Mississippi, and graduates of the program who have adopted the mantra, "Once a cadet, always a cadet," and who remain actively engaged to build character and inspire others to succeed; and
WHEREAS, in a true attestation to the riveting success of the JPS JROTC Program in the last ten years, the program has averaged 233 cadets graduating each year with a college acceptance rate of 95%, which accounted for an annual average of $4,993,806.00 in scholarships, roughly $22,394.00 per cadet, and further culminated in apex performance during the 2018-2019 school year with 288 graduating cadets with a 96.8% college acceptance rate and tallying more than $10.1 million in scholarships; and
WHEREAS, the success of the JPS JROTC Program hinges on the support of the many parents and organizations which emphasize the paramount importance of citizenship coupled with academics, leadership and discipline, breathe life into and lay the foundation for the effectiveness of the African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child"; and
WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to underscore the diligence and commitment of each administrative, instructional and student component that comprises the Jackson Public School District's Junior Reserve Officer's Training Corps (JROTC) Program, each of whom have zealously contributed to the program's ability to reach and sustain its zenith of excellence throughout the state and nation:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby recognize and commend the stellar success of the Jackson Public School District's Junior Reserve Officer's Training Corps (JROTC) Program and the distinguished leadership of Colonel Paul L. Willis, and extend best wishes for continued success in all their future endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Colonel Paul L. Willis, the Superintendent of the Jackson Public School District, the principals of all seven Jackson Public School District High Schools with JROTC Programs and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.