Scared Straight, Washington-Style

"We're gonna send you to military school" will no longer be an idle threat only of rich parents, if Governor Gregoire gets her way. She's backing a "boot-camp-style" academy for our state's high school dropouts.

The governor is seeking about $6 million to build and operate the academy, which would serve about 300 dropouts each year — two intensive five-month sessions of 150 youths, drawn from around the state.

After scouring the state for possible sites, sponsors selected an 80-acre parcel already owned by the National Guard in Bremerton's West Hills. The property adjacent to Olympic College has armory buildings that include a large new commercial kitchen, portable classroom buildings and other facilities that can be adapted for academy use.

The state's proposal includes a co-ed dormitory and the other improvements.

It'll be called the "Washington Youth Academy." There's a whole bunch of these schools in other states, they are administered by the National Guard. It's called the National Guard Youth Challenge Program. According to the site, they look for participants "who are unemployed, drug-free and law-free high-school dropouts, 16 to 18 years of age." Law-free? Huh? Whatever.

Some of the program's graduates, instead of working at McDonalds, are enjoying successful careers as target practice for Iraqi insurgents! The system works!