On December 12, 2024, Command Master Chief Ken Ballar, the National Junior Reserve
Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) Area 22 Manager, came to Milpitas HS to conduct the
NJROTC Annual Military Inspection (AMI). This is a significant occasion that assesses the
program’s development and honors the cadets’ accomplishments. The inspection evaluates the effectiveness, discipline, and performance of the program with an emphasis on team movement skills, dress code uniformity, and community leadership.
Along with parents, teachers and administrators, in attendance for the inspection were: retired leaders from Santa Clara County Red Cross and American Legion; representatives from the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy representatives; Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors incoming President and retired Navy Officer Otto Lee; Milpitas Police Sergeant Peter Tachis; and City of Milpitas Veterans Commissioners.
Joining them on campus for the Annual Military Inspection were: Sinnott Elementary School
Teacher and 2024 Milpitas Veteran of the Year Jeannie Lam; former City of Milpitas Planning
Commissioner and Army veteran Bill Chuan; Milpitas HS Principal Greg Wohlman; MUSD
Superintendent Cheryl Jordan; future MUSD Board President Chris Norwood; Board Vice
President Kelly Yip Chuan; and future Board Clerk Robert Jung.
Contrary to popular belief, the Milpitas HS NJROTC is not a military program. It serves as a
leadership development, college-and-career readiness program with curriculum developed and partially funded by the United States Navy, in collaboration with the Milpitas Unified School District, and in compliance with the California Department of Education high school elective. The Milpitas HS NJROTC offers unique off campus experiences such as hearing from engineer leaders at NASA, mentorships, college scholarship opportunities, and if a participant so chooses to enroll in military service, a higher starting classification or ranking ahead of other students who may not have had NJROTC experience.
This year at Milpitas HS, there was much more at stake for the NJROTC program and its
student cadets. Due to low enrollment in the program caused by the pandemic and staffing
challenges, Milpitas HS received a letter from the Navy earlier this year stating that the school is in danger of losing its NJROTC status and funding. It placed the program on “probationary status” and sent shockwaves throughout the Milpitas community for two reasons: 1) the MHS NJROTC program has been in existence within MUSD since 1977; and 2) it is the only program of its kind within Santa Clara County. All other programs in the region have either been disbanded or discontinued.
In response to the letter and potential budget restructuring of the school district, student cadets and community members attended a school board meeting and asked the MUSD governing board of trustees to extend the life of the program one additional year in order to increase its enrollment, local community service activities, and fundraising efforts. The MUSD governing board of trustees unanimously approved the request citing the history of the program, its inclusivity, and its community service efforts with the City of Milpitas Veterans Commission and outside of the school day.
At the conclusion of the Annual Military Inspection, the preliminary report stated exemplary
status for cadet morale and satisfactory compliance in all areas besides enrollment. There was also a positive mention of a 60% increase of student participants and expansion to middle school grades.
Principal Greg Wohlman, in his second year of leadership at Milpitas HS, offered the following assessment: “The Milpitas HS NJROTC continues to show great promise and potential. The growth that students speak of and experience in terms of leadership, self-determination, and personal growth in a short period of time is second to no other program.”
“NJROTC develops future leaders who are adept at collaborating creatively and who achieve
results,” Superintendent Cheryl Jordan remarked. She went on to say, “Three of our MHS alumni in NJROTC each received approximately $200,000 scholarships for college, and one of those graduated with a degree in biology from UCLA and is working at Ecolab. NJROTC prepares learners for their future careers in Silicon Valley and the world.”
With school districts across the state closing schools, declining enrollment, pending budget cuts, and chronic absenteeism on the rise, the Milpitas Unified School District governing board of trustees awaits the final report from the Annual Military Inspection and end of school year NJROTC enrollment numbers to determine its next steps and possible future of the program.
