Troop Account Questions Part 2

[SR540Beaver]

This is a spin off and update to the thread I started about our troop treasuer throwing a temper tantrum at the committee meeting.

 

Let me refresh the scenario. Our SM went to Iraq during the fall. His wife is the treasurer. I know, I know....it isn't a good thing. It was this way when my son crossed over in February. Our acting SM and his wife who became the Committee chair started in those positions in November when their son crossed over. One of the reasons he crossed so early was because the troop didn't have anyone on the committee or any of the ASM's who would step up to the plate, and his parents are dedicated scouters who gladly filled the gap.

 

The acting SM is an Eagle Scout and is the District Trainer. His wife assists with much of the training. It was because of his recruitment efforts that I and three other leaders from my son's old pack and our sons decided to cross over to our new troop. That made a total of 5 new boys plus a sixth boy from our acting SM's old pack. My son and another existing Boy Scout recruited their best friends to make a total of 8 new scouts. This almost doubled the troop in size since they had done very little recruiting in the last few years. We have a group of 11 to 12 year old boys and a group of 15 to 17 year old boys.

 

Everything was going grand in our new (to us) troop until the committee meeting. The troop is truly boy led, but the committee had been very small and made up of "tenured" parents. The new committee chair (trains for the district) has been attempting to get the committee running by the book. Evidently this didn't sit well with the "old" folks. Especially the treasurer (SM's wife). As I described in the previous thread, she went balistic at the meeting and threw notebooks and bank bags at the chairman, announced that she quit and stormed out. This was our SM's first troop meeting back since going to Iraq. The boys were just feet away from her display. They could hear it, but not see it.

 

Fast forward two weeks to this past Monday night. The SM requested the committee chair to call a special committee meeting. All the interested leadership and parents were there in addition to our unit commissioner (who was in attendance for the blow up) and our COR. The SM said he called everyone there to remind everyone that we ran a boy led troop and the committee exists to facilitate the program and we do what we do for the boys. He then opened the floor for any comments. People danced around the issues for about an hour and 45 minutes. The COR gave his little speech about how the buck stopped with him and we all needed to play well together. Eventually, a few allegations were made against he former acting SM and the committee chair. Seems some of the "tenured" parents felt they were trying to take over and ramrod things. In other words, the chairman didn't rubber stamp the treasurer's recommendation to have people write checks to the scout's parents instead of the troop during fundraisers. This is what she blew up over at the committee meeting when people began to discuss it. She didn't want it discussed, she wanted it adopted without question. They were also accused of spending money to buy some replacement parts for equipment such as lantern globes without first asking the boys. Their idea is that since it is a boy led troop and it is the boys money, nothing can be spent without first getting the boys to agree to it. I can see that if your talking about buying a trailer and wiping out the account. But...lantern globes? The COR mentioned that he was told the meetings were unorganized and had no agenda. That is when I spoke up (I'm still committee chair of my son's old pack) to say that she was holding meetings exactly as the Troop Committee Guidebook says they should be run. Thankfully, she was able to whip out the agendas for the last several months. Then questions arose concerning who could and couldn't VOTE in committee meetings. I referred to my recollection of discussions here at scouter. com and mentioned that know where in the literature does it say the committee functions by vote. The COR (a 25 year scouting veteran who just received his Silver Beaver) informed me that this is the real world and the democratic method was the best way to get things done. I reminded him that there are plenty of people who scoff at the possibility of boys leading themselves too, but we sure work hard to make it happen. It didn't help, I was just talking pie in the sky actually expecting the committee to operate by consensus.

 

The COR evetually decided he had said all he needed to and excused himself for us to work things out. The unit commisioner finally spoke up and said we still had one matter to resolve. The real matter that the meeting was called for in the first place and that we had danced around for almost 2 hours. The District Commissioner had gone to the treasuers house and relieved her of the books following her tantrum. The unit commissioner wanted to know who was the treasuer and who did he turn the books over to. Almost like it was rehearsed, the "tenured" parents all called the treasuer's name out. The chair siad no, she quit. Several people went on to explain that it was a miscommunication, she quit the meeting, not the job. Someone called for a vote, it was seconded and approved by majority vote.

 

You could have knocked me over with a feather. These people have been nothing but nice to all of us newcomers since we all crossed over. The campouts have been a blast. I was shocked and appalled that they would stab these two people in the back the way they did and reward this ladies childish behavior the way they did. These two people spend at least 5 night a week doing district and council work. It was an imposition on them to volunteer to help this troop out when no one else would step to the plate and this is the thanks they got. Obviously, they resigned their positiones with the troop that night. So far, they have not pulled their son out.

 

I know this is long, but here is my quandry. I've lost sleep over this. I've lost my appetite over it. It was actually hard for me to put on my uniform and go to the troop meeting the next night. All of the new leaders felt the same way. I think things happened too fast for the troop. They were a good boy led troop with dedicated leaders and a good reputation. But all of a sudden, they inherit five new leaders and eight boys almost overnight. This happens while the SM is gone and it is what he came back to. I'm sure it was disorienting to him and I'm sure his wife didn't like having his world changed without his knowledge. I also came away from the meeting with the distinct feeling that the SM (who really is a great guy and great with the boys) sees us as Cubbers who have no clue and want to turn the troop into a big pack. I had noticed everytime he was around us, he kept pointing out that the troop was boy led. Geez, that is one of the main reasons we joined the troop in the first place. I even spoke up in the meeting to say that there was no one in the room who didn't understand, appreciate, desire and support a boy led troop. I fear that the "distrust" of the acting SM and now former chair extends to those of us who they recruited.

 

Privately, we hve been knocking around the idea of either staying and giving it time, all of us moving to a troop that doesn't feel threatened by new growth or starting our own troop. We have five leaders and at least six boys.

 

One final note. Here is what this troop will be missing out on if we leave. First of all, 6 great boys who are excited about being Boy Scouts. Secondly, they will loose 5 Woodbadgers who are all leader specific trained. Out of those 5 leaders, they will lose a former Cubmaster, a former Pack Committee Chair, a former Pack Treasurer, 4 former Den leaders, 1 Eagle scout, 1 District Training Chair, i District Training Vice Chair, 2 training assistants, a former webmaster, 2 popcorn kernels, 4 Pow Wow leaders and 2 future Jamboree ASM's. That is just the stuff I can think of off the top of my head. Can you imagine having that kind of talent and dedication walking thru your door and fall in your lap and then alienating it for the age old reason of.....we never did it that way before?

 

Sorry to make this so long, but I need to get it off my chest and out of my head. Comments?

[Bob White]

After your DE finds a new charter organization and they approve all your adult leaders, remember that the committee runs not by majority rule OR by consensus. It operates by assignment and shared leadership.

 

The Committee Chair (with input of the SM and COR) gives assignments to the committee members who report on their progress at the monthly committee meetings.

 

Sounds like you have the core elements for a very good troop. Best of Luck.

[SR540Beaver]

BW,

 

Thank you! Believe it or not, I was trying to be as brief as I could. I had reviewed the Troop Committee Guidebook before the meeting and while I didn't have it with me and read it to them, I did basically paraphrase the chapter and verse of what you said. I don't know that we will start a new troop, but it is an option. One of the pluses is that the church who was our pack's charter does not have a troop. We have an excellent relationship with them and I don't believe we would have any problem getting them to charter a troop. The other plus is that we have all worked together for several years and get along very well together. We are all dedicated to delivering the program per BSA specs.

[Fat Old Guy]

"After your DE finds a new charter organization and they approve all your adult leaders, remember that the committee runs not by majority rule OR by consensus."

 

That's in the Bob White world. In the real world, the Committe may run by majority rule or consensus or decisions may be made by hurling water ballons if the committee so desires.

 

 

[dancinfox]

FOG,

It's not in Bob Whites world, it's in theory what the BSA wants us to do. Every unit should try to get to that point. Sometimes it doesn't happen overnight, sometimes it never happens, but if we keep the goal in sight and strive to accomplish it, then we are doing are best, and that's all we can ask of the Scouts and ourselfs.

Dancin

[SR540Beaver]

FOG,

 

Wrong! I have read the Troop Committee Guide and everything else I can get my hands on. Our own 25 year veteran COR tried to tell me that while that all sounds nice, this is the real world. I told him that I wasn't aware that scouts or scouters could pick and choose or prioritize the pieces of the scout oath and law that they wanted to follow or not follow. If we are to lead by example, then we have an obligation to conduct our committee meetings according to BSA guidelines. We don't get to make it up as we go or do what we think is better. I'd love to work a 10 to 2 workday with a 2 hour lunch, but I don't think the company will go along with my personal policies over their own.