The Lewiston High School ME-891st Air Force JROTC Drill Team runs through a series of 30 drill step sequences during a compliance inspection in the school's gymnasium in October 2022. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer)

The Air Force has deactivated the longstanding Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps at Lewiston High School, citing unacceptable space for the program, school officials said. 

Air Force personnel told Lewiston’s superintendent on July 28 that the areas at the high school set aside for the program did not meet its requirements. Two of the spaces allocated to the program are not secured, but rather are accessible to school personnel, they said.

School leaders and alumni of the program say the decision is a great loss for students. The popular program served hundreds of students — some who went on to serve in the Air Force — in its almost 40 years at Lewiston High School.

“It was hard for me to follow. It doesn’t make sense for our kids,” Superintendent Jake Langlais said. “Four dedicated spaces that were more than reasonable were deemed unacceptable.”

SPACE PROBLEMS

Lewiston High School has four designated areas for the Junior ROTC program. 

Under a memorandum of understanding between a high school and the program, the school must meet specific space requirements, including providing classroom space, marching practice space and double-locked storage. 

A video provided by Superintendent Jake Langlais shows the Air Force Junior ROTC classroom space at Lewiston High School (Jake Langlais)

At least 400 square feet must also be climate-controlled, organized and limited to use by those in the ROTC program — the Department of the Air Force has a strict responsibility to taxpayer resources and federal equipment, a spokesperson said.

Lewiston has provided two closets — one for equipment and another for uniforms — as well as a classroom with desks and a space for marching practice.

As a result of the high school’s space constraints, the uniform room shares a space with a photocopier used by teachers and contains a hatch that allows maintenance staff access to the building’s roof. Also, the double-locked room holding Junior ROTC equipment contains two boxes of graduation supplies for the principal.

The two situations are unacceptable, JROTC personnel told Langlais, who questioned the decision.

“Anyone can see in the images the spaces were not only quite good, they have worked successfully for around 20 years. Again, it doesn’t make sense for kids,” Langlais said.

Langlais said he did what he could given the constraints of the building. He noted that seven of the school’s teachers do not have a classroom to store their supplies.

“I couldn’t take an additional classroom space away for storage when we have made reasonable accommodations,” he said.

AIR FORCE RESPONSE

Capt. Rachael Parks, public affairs officer for the Air Force Junior ROTC, said Lewiston’s program was deactivated because of sustained noncompliance, specifically with facility and space requirements after several visits to the site.

Parks said Lewiston High School was afforded a three-year remediation window from the initial noncompliance to resolve the space constraints. 

“Our staff conducted multiple on-site visits and formally documented the deficiencies for the school district on three separate occasions prior to reaching this decision,” Parks said.

Retired Lt. Col. Mark Welborn, then-senior aerospace science instructor for the JROTC program at Lewiston High School, greets U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, during a veterans’ appreciation breakfast at the Ramada Inn & Conference Center in Lewiston on Nov. 11, 2016. Some of the cadets are seen in the background. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer)

Annual inspections evaluate each program for established operational and facility criteria. When deficiencies are identified over a multi-year period the unit is placed on probation and subsequently processed for deactivation.

The decision to deactivate is never easy or rushed, she said. 

“Prior to closure, Headquarters Air Force Junior ROTC did not receive an actionable solution from the school that met baseline security and inventory control standards required across all Air Force JROTC units,” Parks said.

THE PROGRAM’S IMPACT

In 2013, the Air Force Junior ROTC program celebrated 25 years. At that time, it had over 100 cadets from Lewiston, Edward Little High School in Auburn, Oak Hill High School in Wales and other area schools. 

Nationally, there are 843 Air Force Junior ROTC units serving 91,000 cadets across the United States and its territories, according to August 2026 data from its website. 

Lewiston’s program was one of two Air Force Junior ROTC programs in the state, with the other in Brewer, though there are several Army ROTC programs, mostly in northern Maine.

Members of the Lewiston High School Air Force JROTC program carry the flag down Main Street in Auburn during the 2019 Memorial Day Parade. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer)

Moving forward, Langlais said school officials made the accommodations that they could. He also wonders if the cancellation was preconceived in response to the JROTC instructor retiring.

Parks denied that staffing impacted the decision to close the unit. Program deactivation is strictly by compliance with the agreement, she said.

Because the program requires an active host unit or cross-enrollment agreement with participating high schools, Parks encouraged students to sign up for Civil Air Patrol or the Collegiate Air Force ROTC.

Meanwhile, Lewiston High School is now offering an outdoor skills class that uses the curriculum from the Junior Maine Guides program.

A few alumni of the Lewiston High School Air Force Junior ROTC program said in a public Facebook page for alumni they are disappointed in the discontinuation of the program. At the time of the Aug. 18 post, most were unsure if it was true.

“This program helps a lot of students,” wrote one person. “If they drop it, they would be making a big mistake.”