Wednesday, State Representatives Ty Mathews (R-Findlay) and Kevin Ritter (R-Marietta) announced that the Ohio House of Representatives unanimously passed House Bill 500, legislation that aims to strengthen the state’s educational system, boost Ohio’s JROTC programs, and expand career technical education pathways.
The bill allows school districts in Ohio that offer a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program or a National Defense Cadet Corps (NDCC) program to formally recognize them as part of the district’s career-technical education curriculum. By doing so, these programs would be included in the calculation of career-technical education funding, providing more opportunities for districts to support, enhance, and expand JROTC and NDCC programs for students.
“By passing House Bill 500, we send a clear message: JROTC matters,” said Rep. Mathews. “Its students deserve full recognition for their hard work, and the programs deserve the same resources and opportunities as any other career-technical pathway.”
“House Bill 500 is a modest, strategic change that better aligns one of Ohio’s strongest youth leadership and character programs with our statewide career readiness goals,” said Rep. Ritter. “By making JROTC eligible under the career tech umbrella, districts would have an additional incentive to maintain or expand these programs, knowing they can count toward their CTE portfolio.”
The Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) is a leadership program based on the values and practices of the United States military and is offered in high schools and postsecondary institutions.
The legislation now advances to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.
