Who makes up a pack committee?

[TIGERMOM]

Hi

as many of you know from my new and wondering post our group has been trying to organize a pack committee because of questions brought about dealing with our distributions of finances.

several of the leaders approached our cubmaster with this suggestion only to be told that any members of the committee could not be parent volunteers but had to be people who had no association whatsoever with our pack and the reason we had not had a committee was because no one would want to volunteer.

Is this the case? can parents not volunteer to serve as committee chair,secretary and treasurer?

If parents can volunteer can they also be leaders or can they serve no other position but pack committee member?

PLEASE HELP

 

[andrews]

It sounds like your Cubmaster is very confused on this issue.

 

I don't know of any restriction on committee members, except that they are an adult (probably 21, but it could be 18). Parents fill almost all committee positions in most packs, if not all of them.

 

You cannot be a den leader, cubmaster, or assistent cubmaster and a committee member at the same time, but I see no reason someone could not be a "committee member at large."

 

Brad

[eisely]

The only requirements to be a committee member are age 21 (I think) and registered as an adult volunteer. The adult registration form has a position code that must be supplied for each volunteer. In most units, "committee member" is the default registration if the volunteer does not want to fill a specific position. If my memory serves me correctly (senior member and all that), the code for committee member is "CM". I presume that the adult volunteers in your pack filled out a form and are registered. If not, then you have more serious problems.

 

It is absolutely incorrect that parents cannot be committee members. As noted by other posts above, most committees are composed of parents.

 

You ought to try to look at your charter document. This is a printout provided by council, usually through unit commissioners, for units to use in their annual rechartering process. The name of every registered adult and youth should appear on this printout. The position code for every adult should also be shown.

 

Technically the committee oversees the adult leadership (cub master, den leaders, etc) in the execution of the program. The committee is technically responsible to the chartered organization (church, school, or whatever). If you don't know who your sponsoring organization is, then all the more reason to ask to see the charter. Somebody, the cub master or committee chair, should have a copy of this.

[sctmom]

Our committee members are parents. It's great for the parents who want to help but don't want to be den leaders.

 

[eisely]

There is another technicality that your cubmaster may have been alluding to. I don't know about cub scout packs, but I do know that in boy scout units the scoutmaster and assistant scoutmasters are technically not part of the committee. If someone wanted to be a stickler, people currently filling positions may be precluded from voting in committee.

 

This was aired in another thread in this forum recently. I don't know of a single unit that enforces this idea. In our committee, if the scoutmaster and assistant scoutmasters stayed home, there wouldn't be much of a committee.

 

In every unit that I was involved in at either the cub or scout level, anybody who wanted to show up for a committee meeting did so, and when votes were called for, everybody present participated. But then, we were just ignorant.

 

Few formal votes are necessary since most committees operate by consensus. The issue of who gets to vote can become important in real controversies such as removal of a volunteer. If I were in your shoes, I would go to any meeting I wanted to and participate as fully as I wanted to.

[FScouter]

The committee is an important entity, and committee members must complete a formal application and pay the $7 to be listed on the charter. Certainly parents or any interested adults should be welcome to attend the meetings of the committee. But to preserve a bit of decorum, I would suggest the committee chair open each meeting by noting for the record which committee members are present, and then to welcome everyone else to join in the discussion. If an important vote on a controversial subject comes up, that would not be the best time to explain to hangers-on that they won't be able to vote.

[eisely]

FScouter's suggestions are well taken. Personally I don't think of active scoutmasters, cubmasters, den leaders, assistant scoutmasters, and other supportive volunteers who may not technically be part of the committee as mere "hangers on."

[FScouter]

I should have said something like "interested parties". There was no intent to belittle anyone who cares enough to attend and participate in a scout committee meeting.

 

As eisley pointed out, it's important to understand that the committee is part of the checks and balances that assures that the program leaders (Scoutmaster, Assistant SM, Den Leaders etc.) are properly executing the Scout program. It is for that reason that they cannot be members of the committee. The program leaders are expected to keep the committee informed. The way to do that is by attending the committee meetings and reporting the doings of the troop.

[Glenn]

The last few posts have me totally confused. When my son was in cub scouts and I served as the den leader, the only people who showed up for the committee meetings were the cubmaster and other den leaders. Are you saying that we never had a valid vote? I can understand the need for checks and balances, but this seems unworkable.

 

Now that my son joined Boy Scouts and I am an assistant Scoutmaster, there are parents who simply wish to be committee members. But all of our assistant Scoutmasters participate in votes here also (our Scoutmaster is busy running the boy's meeting so he does not participate).

 

After reading this, I am going to ask at the next committee meeting if the assistant scoutmasters should NOT be allowed to vote. Where can I see the official BSA rules on this?

[scoutmom]

I would find out right away when your next district training session is and sign up -- both you and your Cubmaster.

Or contact your district training chair and see if you can get a special training scheduled for your Pack. For a Pack to be Chartered you must have a Committee Chair and two committee members. So for your Cubmaster to tell you you don't have a committee is totally wrong. In our Pack (as I think most Packs) our committee is made up of the Cubmaster, Assistant Cubmasters and the Den LEaders with a few additional Parents to take on the roles of Committe Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. We always invite all the parents to the Committee Meetings in the hopes that we can get some new blood.

 

And just to be a wise guy (or girl) the abbreviation for Committee Member is MC. CM is for the Cubmaster.

[eisely]

Glenn,

 

All of the above are correct. You are supposed to be confused.

 

I am currently an assistanct scoutmaster, regularly attend committee meetings, participate actively, and vote in those rare situations when a vote is called for. It may not be legal, but that is the way most units do business. Don't worry about it.

 

I think that BSA draws the distinction between unit or "program" leaders and committee members, because BSA envisions the committee as a means for the chartered organization to oversee the unit. That is an appropriate and necessary function. As I commented earlier, who gets to vote should rarely be an issue. Raising the issue could cause hurt feelings. The idea of getting some outsider to speak to your committee about this is sound.

 

sctmomm's point about there being a requirement to actually name committee members on the charter document is also well taken. Another reason for tigermom to ask to see the charter.

[scamp]

scoutmom: I'm glad you finally brought up the point -- In order to be a chartered Cub Scout Pack there must be at least three registered committee members -- one of whom is registered as Comm Chair (one of the others typically functions as treasurer, but there is no requirement for this). There must be at least one CM and appropriate den leaders. I was always told that at an absolute minimum, five individual adults must be registered with the Pack in order for the Pack to exist. Notice that this list does not include the Chartered Organization Rep.

 

TigerMom: I'm surprised nobody mentioned this yet, so I will :-). You need to get to your local Scout Shop or go online to ScoutStuff (the online Scout Shop from National) and purchase a copy of the Cub Scout Leaders Book. I believe this costs about $7 or $8. This book will tell you everything you need to know about pack leadership and the roles of each registered adult. It talks about finances, safety, program planning, etc. I strongly urge you to get a copy FAST and share your new found information with your fellow leaders. Your Cubmaster sounds pretty confused. Maybe he just shoots from the hip when he doesn't know an answer.

 

By the way, our Council Executive, a wise and experienced Scout professional, urges us to have "Parent" committees, as opposed to "pack" or "troop" committees. Why? Because it is a great way to point out that parent involvement is critical for a successful unit. Wouldn't it be a little easier to recruit members to a Parent Committee than to a Pack Committee, which may sound a little intimidating to newcomers?

[Glenn]

Eisely,

 

Thanks. Especially now that I know I am supposed to be confused, I feel better about how I spend most of my life!

[TIGERMOM]

thanks for all the answers so far.

When I asked about the committee being necessary I was told that since we had never had volunteers to fill these positions that the cubmaster just always submitted someones name even if they didnt know it or ever filled the position. I know that even though my son has been in this pack for going on 4 years, and even though my husband and I have been some of the most active parents in the pack, we were never even told of these positions or asked if we were willing to hold one of them.

Shooting from the hip doesnt even scratch the surface of the way that things have been handled.

And unfortunately it has taken us 31/2 yrs to realize this.

[Rooster7]

I wouldn't know your CM if I tripped over him...But, it appears to me; he's found a way to grab most of the cards and doesn't want anyone else to play. BSA policy is your Ace of Spades. If he doesn't want to play, call his bluff and go get help from your local council. SorryI got carried away with the Poker analogy.