Cutbacks Everywhere

[Kahuna]

A post on the National Jamboree list serve this a.m. came from a Western Regional staff member. Whether he is a volunteer or professional, I don't know. He has just attended a regional staff meeting at which they were informed that all the regional offices are to be closed and professional staffs will be reassigned to Irving. He didn't give a date, but it's apparently in very near future.

 

Last week, I got emails from the District Chairman and Commissioner, informing us that districts will be merged council-wide, undoing an expansion of about ten years ago. I don't have the exact numbers of districts we will end up with, but the geographic areas will be expanded quite a bit. We already had a Field Director as DE in our district, so it was obvious they were thinking cutbacks.

 

The Western Region guy also mentioned that there is talk that the 2013 Jamboree may be back at A.P. Hill, as the new site may not be ready in time.

 

 

[emb021]

Regarding the regions. the date I heard was the first of the year. Its just that the region offices are closing, the Regional directors and some other regional staff are being moved to the National Office. Regions still exist. Area-level people will stay where they are (they work out of home from what I've heard).

 

The 2013 @ APHill is a new rumor I've only heard recently.

[Twocubdad]

My district commissioner met the National Commissioner recently. What's his name? Tito or something similar? The chubby guy everyone here was raggin' on a few weeks ago.

 

Anyway, the report from that meeting was that the Goshen jambo site is dead, but what was advertised as the east coast high advanture site on the New River in West Virginia is a done deal and that plans are being made to have jambo there in '13.

 

One of the neat parts of the plan is that a main Amtrack line runs adjacent to the site (and anyone who has rafted the gorge knows the line follows the river through the gorge) so there will be an Amtrack station on site with direct service to DC.

 

He also said the three main HA programs at the site will be mountain biking, climbing (the walls of the gorge offer some of the best natural climbing areas in the east) and, of course, white water.

 

Here's putting your money where your mouth is: almost every state responded to the original request for proposals for the facility. West Virginia's proposal came with a $10 million check attached and instructions that it could be cashed if the WVa were selected. When it comes down to it, this is a pretty big economic development fish for any state, with 20,000+ visitors in non jambo years. They cashed the check.

[eghiglie]

Our council is cutting down on districts also, we're going from 13 to 10.

 

I'm not sure what the new unit count is but the number of registered youth has gone down.

 

 

[emb021]

"the report from that meeting was that the Goshen jambo site is dead, but what was advertised as the east coast high advanture site on the New River in West Virginia is a done deal and that plans are being made to have jambo there in '13."

 

The Goshen deal has been dead for a couple of months. It was made public in early August.

 

As noted the WV HA base is a done deal. What some still question is if the Jambo will be there as well. What I've heard is additional lands were or will be purchased next to the site for this.

 

 

btw, the National Commissioner is Tico Perez.

[Tokala]

I have heard January 1, 2010 as the date for closing the Region offices. I've heard that some of the Region level employess will lose their jobs at that time. It's a little more than shuttering buildings.(This message has been edited by Tokala)

[BrotherhoodWWW]

I'll take a stab at this. Perhaps the reason for closing region offices is to lower costs. From what I've been told by our Council President there are many Councils in severe financial trouble. The FOS program is simply not working to fund what needs funding. I'm sure there are other causes as well. Non profit deas not mean we can operate at a loss.

 

since we are on the subject I think it might be a good time for BSA to re-evaluate FOS and the true cost of delivering the program to youth. Perhaps we need to be charging the real cost to participants.

[SR540Beaver]

Our council has been coming up short on FOS this year. Direct effect, the loss of two DE's.....one of who also serves as the summer camp director and two program office assistants. Further cuts may be coming.

[Kahuna]

"Perhaps the reason for closing region offices is to lower costs. From what I've been told by our Council President there are many Councils in severe financial trouble."

 

All true as far as I can tell. That is the case here. Well, maybe not "severe" here, but bad enough to be cutting staff positions. I don't think anybody has been laid off, they just aren't filling vacancies.

 

 

[eghiglie]

Basic economics say when income is cut, costs must be cut

 

This depression will be over, I just don't know when.

 

My unit has lost 3 scouts because of financial issues, this was 1/3 the membership.

 

[HICO_Eagle]

I'm sorry to hear about the staff cutbacks but glad the Goshen thing is dead. Goshen was a horrible idea for a jamboree site -- I didn't even like it as THE council campsite for NCAC as it was a horrendous drive for anyone east of the Beltway.

 

To be honest, I never liked FOS. I understood the need to fund council staff but high pressure sales pitches and Scouting just don't mix. Beyond that, I think the way FOS was conducted created more animosity and ill will than it helped.

[Eagle92]

Ok my Thoughths on council level FOS. It is a necessary evil, just like government. It VERY important because it helps supports those scouts who may not otherwise afford scouting.

 

As fro having scouts bear more of the burden, while I scout does indeed need to pay their own way, i.e. uniforms, dues camp fees, etc. I also know that if Scouts had to pay the true costs of scouting,we would lose many scouts as it would be viewed as a "Rich man's club."

 

I know that growing up I had a hard enough time paying for registration, troop dues, and monthly activities. But if I also had to pay the cost that my old council stated was the per scout scout cost to run the council, I would not be able to afford it, and would have left the movement.

 

That's one reason why I give to my council's FOS as much as I can. That's why I designate my UW gift to another local council. Scouting is important, and those FOS dollars allow our great program to be affordable to all scouts.

[BadenP]

In a well run FOS campaign most of the contributions 75-80% should come from the community, businesses, service organizations like Rotary, Kiwanas, Masons etc. not the scouting families. With this recession for the last two years the outside contributions have dried up and now they want more money from the scouting families which is plain wrong. Cutting the professional staff, especially at the National level, is what they need to but will not do, as well as take an across the board pay cut, which is what the rest of America is having to do. Trimming all the deadwood present in the professional scouting ranks, and there is a lot, is what National really needs to do instead of extorting the volunteers and the families of its youth members.