School board approves NJROTC funding in case of shutdown by feds
Federal funding for Riverhead’s Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program hasn’t been threatened yet by the government shutdown. But now, the program won’t be in jeopardy, even if the funding dries up.
The Riverhead school board approved a resolution at its meeting Tuesday night that allows the district to use money from the general fund to pay for the program. Superintendent Nancy Carney said the resolution was a precautionary measure to keep the program afloat in case federal funds are held back.
Had the resolution not been signed, the district would have been unable to use its funds to pay for the program without board approval, Ms. Carney said. Board vice president Greg Meyer also said the district didn’t hear that the federal funding would be cut, but wanted to play it safe.
Lt. Col. Peter McCarthy, the program’s senior naval science instructor, said in an email Monday that he is “pleased to see [the board] are looking at the possible impacts of the shutdown and are planning to keep things on track.”
The board also unanimously approved a settlement agreement involving a “non-instructional” employee.
Last month, the school board OK’d Ms. Carney’s recommendation to suspend a “non-instructional” employee without pay for 30 days pending an investigation. Though school officials did not provide information about the settlement approved Tuesday, Ms. Carney did say the settlement wasn’t monetary.
The board also heard a presentation from Ms. Carney and Michael Griffin from the nonprofit security group Project SAFEguard. Mr. Griffin described how the district’s security upgrade through SAFEguard made it possible for district administrators and first responders to use an online map of Riverhead High School to view live camera footage.
The district has also installed 45 new security cameras that can zoom and rotate, built a new security office that combines digital and analog security features being used by the school, and will implement SAFEguard at the middle school, Ms. Carney said.
