Pack Committee Membership

[architectjim3]

Well, folks, Here's a good one for you.

 

I just became the CC for the pack and my first meeting is going to be somewhat unpleasant.

 

The previous CC is a long time scouter with multiple positions in the district & council and she will still be our advancement chair. Becoming a DC has taken a great deal of her time. Some of the parents and den leaders were not particulary fond of her management style. There have been concerns peoples views being ignored and flip-flopping on rules issues when it served her.

 

Whatever has happened is now history.

 

My den leaders felt snubbed that sometimes they were allowed to vote at committee meetings and other times not.

 

Can anyone point me to a document that contains a policy or a rule that clearly states committee memebership and voting rights? I had one leader spend "a whole day at work surfing" to find policy and come up empty.

 

This same person who is a registered committee memmber was supposed tom take over the wolf den. BUT, if he can't be a den leader and a committee member, he's outta here.

 

I'd love to hear your thoughts - especially since I know he monitors this web site.

 

Thanks for the help!

[Cubmaster Mike]

All of our den leaders are voting members of the committee. The requirements to serve on the Pack committee are shown in Leaders Section 23 of the Cub Scout Leader Book. If they meet those requirements they are fine. We have a seprate treasurer, advancement chair, etc., and our den leaders serve as simply committee members with a vote. It shouldn't be a problem.

[architectjim3]

I know that many packs are doing it the way you described.

 

Fast Start Cub Scout Training states that scoutmasters and den leaders are not part of the committee.

 

Is this stated any where else?

[FScouter]

Youre not going to find much in the literature about voting rights. All the pack adult leaders are part of the leadership team. Its a combined effort, with each leader being responsible for specific areas. Den leaders are not committee members, but so what? A den leader has enough to do without out taking on the additional responsibilities of the pack committee. The pack committee Outings Chair is responsible for arranging Pack outings and Pack camping. The Advancement chair is responsible for coordinating advancement for all dens. The Treasurer is responsible for pack finances.

 

All of the adult leaders in the pack take part in the monthly pack leaders meeting. The committee chair presides over the meeting. All leaders have input. Theres not much to vote on if youre working together as a team and following the annual plan that everyone has already agreed on.

 

Read chapter 24 as well as chapter 23. And see the org chart in chapter 7.

[ScoutNut]

Your Pack Leader could not find any information on the committee's "voting rights" because there aren't any. No "votes" should be taken at all.

 

Information on the Pack Committee can be found in the Cub Scout Leader Book (I can't find mine - the family "cleaned up" my scout stuff!). I suggest you purchase a current copy. I also suggest you sign up for training in your Council. You will need New Leader Essentials & Pack Committee Specific training.

 

Fast Start Training states :

 

"Although the Cubmaster, Tiger Cub den leaders, Cub Scout den leaders, Webelos den leaders, and their assistants are not members of the pack committee, they attend the monthly pack leaders' meetings and participate in planning activities."

 

Nowhere does it say the committee members "vote". It says "participate", & it means just that. It is a joint effort by all to make sure your boys get the best possible program & to make sure everything runs smoothly & gets done. Your Committee Members are not the Pack Police laying down the law to the Den Leaders. Committee Members have specific jobs. Depending on the needs of your Pack, some of those jobs might be - Secretary, Treasurer, Advancement, Outing, Friends of Scouting, Public Relations, Training. Blue & Gold Chair & Pinewood Derby Chair. As Committee Chair it is your job to run the monthly Pack Leaders meetings & make sure each Committee Member does their job.

 

Den Leaders are not Committee Members simply because they have enough to do being Den Leaders. Although, in Packs where there is not enough adult help, the Den Leaders end up doing Committee Member jobs on top of their Den Leader Jobs. Wearing to many hats is often the cause of Pack Leader burn-out.

 

Work together.

[Torveaux]

Well said.

 

The Committee Chair could technically be a dictator of sorts providing the CO agrees (or is ambivalent) with the style and substance of the program being delivered.

 

Sometimes leaders must lead and not leave important decisions up to a vote. If the 'committee' were to vote to allow girls to be Cub Scouts, it would not change the fact that they are not permitted.

 

In our Pack, the new Cubmaster does not really understand his role either. He thinks he is the Committee Chair and Cubmaster and Treasurer all rolled into one. He is a really good guy, but he likes to bend the rules and he is going to burn himself out trying to do everything himself. Our Committee Chair doesn't feel he has the political capital available (he's new to the Pack) to put his foot down yet.

[Cubmaster Jerry]

I'd have to disagree that there are no "votes" at Committee meetings. True that if good discussion is present, then a consensus can be arrived at and no vote may be needed. However, there may be certain circumstances, especially when dealing with expenditures, when votes may be necessary. Things like whether or not the Pack will spend money on a new PWD track or should the Pack pay for an active boy's camp who can't afford it should be voted on.

Now, who gets to vote depends on your Pack by-laws (or common practice if you don't have by-laws). In my first Pack, all registered leaders were automatically voting members of the committee. However, my new Pack has one representative from each rank designated as a voting member of the committee. Ideally, you don't want either of these situations. But I challenge anyone to come up with a committee in which all positions are filled without using Den Leaders.

 

In both of my instances, all other members of the committees (Treasurer, Awards, Secretary, etc) EXCEPT the Committee Chair were also voting members. You, as the CC, are the only person that can call for a vote. It isn't necessary to vote on everything. It is also important to note that if a voting member is not present for the vote, then they miss out.

 

Another helpful hint when facing this situation is to make sure that everyone has had their opportunity to present their side of the discussion. Though, as CC, be sure that this doesn't turn into an argument!