Chartered Organization Duties

[lawnboy]

Hi All!

I started a thread last October regarding my Chartered Organization who happens to be a Preist in a Catholic Church. The problem has not abated and now he is threatening to remove me as CubMaster and not sign off on my leaders unless they get sign offs from their church saying that they attend weekly services. My Committee is absolutely incensed! These days, it is tough enough to get good quality volunteers. We are supposed to recharter by the end of March and the majority of my committee seems to want to leave the church. We are meeting on Feb. 26th to discuss this.

 

I guess my question to everyone is

1. Can a school or School District sponsor a Cub Scout Pack?

2. Does anyone know of a good website that I can find out EXACTLY what a Chartered Organazation does and does not do? I can't seem to find out much.

3. Anyone that has changed a CO, can you give me any advice.

 

Thanks, Mike Miller CM Acushnet Pack 51

 

www.acushnetcubs.org

 

[ScoutNut]

To answer your questions -

 

1) No - But a PTO can

 

 

2) Have you ever looked at the BSA National site? Some info from there -

 

http://www.scouting.org/factsheets/02-507.html

 

http://www.scouting.org/factsheets/02-377.html

 

http://www.scouting.org/cubscouts/about/thepack/chorg.html

 

http://www.scouting.org/relationships/04-113/index.html

 

http://www.scouting.org/relationships/04-180/cathol.pdf

 

The CO has the final say on all of it's units members, including it's leaders. You might not like it, but your CO is well within it's rights in everything it is doing.

 

3) Also from the BSA National site -

 

http://www.scouting.org/relationships/34196/index.html

 

 

Since your Pack's members are of a mixed religious background, & your CO now wants only it's own youth as members, forming a new Pack seems to be your best bet. However, as you were told in your last thread, your Charter Organization owns your Cub Scout Pack, including all equipment, funds & the Pack number. You will be starting from scratch with your new Charter Organization.

 

[John-in-KC]

Scoutnut gave a good list of the basics, he also stated ground truth.

 

I've helped a troop fold up shop with its old Chartered Partner and come over to us. In their case, the CP no longer wanted the unit in its facilities and basically told our Council they would no longer meet the Charter Agreement.

 

Changing a Chartered Partner who WANTS a Scout unit is a dicey thing. It takes planning and coordination with the professional staff, your District Commissioner, and the outgoing Chartered Partner.

 

If the Chartered Partner decides to keep or revitalize a Scouting unit, the Council will encourage them to keep the property, and will certainly give them the unit number and its seniority!

 

As far as "A Scouter being Reverent", the CP is perfectly within their rights. They are not asking the leaders to participate in their parish, they are asking them to be faithful people. Sorry, I cannot get excited about that. After all, your adult leaders did agree to abide by the Declaration of Religious Principle.

 

Short version: There needs to be a sit down, soonest. The folks at the table should be:

 

Executive Officer of the Chartered Partner (parish priest)

His COR

You the CM

The CC

The DE

The UC/ADC/DC (as available) for the unit.

 

The root issues need to go on the table. Maybe the root is faithfulness of Scouters, but somehow I think there is something deeper.

 

Again, it's time to remember that the licensee of Scouting is the parish, not the unit. The unit is formed BY THE PARISH to further its youth development aims, using the tools provided by BSA.

 

 

[John-in-KC]

BTW lawnboy,

 

I went back and re-read much of the thread which developed from your October posts. There was some good advice there, including meeting with the priest and seeing what was going on.

 

Feedback is a gift. We cannot help you if you don't tell us what's transpiring and what the CC and you have done to work the problem in the meantime.

 

If the priest is wanting a Catholic Youth only Pack, there may be a legitimate reason to approach another Chartered Partner and start another Pack. Again, you need to sit down with the priest soonest, with the DE and Commissioner there, and get this sorted out!!!

[Lisabob]

Great advice so far. Although the Church is within its rights, I understand why this is causing problems, given that many people probably joined the pack under a different set of operating assumptions. Consequently, if I were a leader in that situation I would probably be looking to leave as well.

 

Starting up a new pack is certainly one option. It is, however, a whole lot of work under the best circumstances, and it sounds like there may be some additional tension in terms of the split from the Church, making this not the best circumstances. Another option would be to find another nearby pack and join them instead. Let the Church keep its pack, along with any current members who want to stay. Everyone else can go to another pack where the fit might now be better.

 

Whatever you do, your district professionals need to be aware and involved. Keep them in the loop.

[Beavah]

Yah, lawnboy. In yer last thread I gave you some references to the Catholic Scouting email list and the National Catholic Committee on Scouting. Did you check with them?

 

My advice to you is that you really, really need to sit down with the pastor in a friendly, non-confrontational way and try to work things out. Be sure to bring someone who is well-versed in Catholic lingo, who is knowledgeable of their mission, values, and guidelines - preferably who is known by the pastor. If yeh want, a friend and fellow Beavah is a COR for a Catholic parish, and works with NCCS. If yeh private email me I'll send you his contact information for an additional contact.

 

As a rule, Catholic parishes tend to be very active, supportive, friendly CO's for scouting units, and are usually pretty welcoming of other faiths, especially kids. They also do have a service mission that includes Duty to God and Reverence. Yeh have to respect that.

 

To answer your questions:

 

1) No. Public schools are discouraged from chartering units. Too many legal entanglements. However, separately incorporated PTO's at public schools are frequently chartered partners. They're not always the best, but in a rural area you should have no problem.

 

2) Per the BSA's Chartering Agreement, the CO agrees to:

 

* Conduct the Scouting program according to its own policies and guidelines as well as those of the Boy Scouts of America.

* Include the Scouting program as part of its overall program for youth and families.

* Appoint a chartered organization representative who is a member of the organization and will represent it to the Scouting district and serve as a voting member of the local council. (The chartered organization head or chartered organization representative must approve all leader applications.)

* Select a unit committee of parents, and members of the chartered organization (minimum of three) who will screen and select unit leaders who meet the organizations standards as well as the standards of the B.S.A. (The committee chairman must sign all leadership applications.)

* Provide adequate facilities for the Scout unit (s) to meet on a regular schedule with the time and place reserved.

* Encourage the unit to participate in council outdoor experiences, which are vital elements of the Scouting program.

* To cooperate with the council in its .fund-raising effort through the Friends of Scouting Campaign for units.

* Require each adult leader to participate in a council-sponsored youth protection training seminar.

 

In addition, Catholic CO's are bound by other rules under church "canon" law and there are a bunch of guidelines for them in the U.S., which is why I referred you to those other places.

 

3) I've helped units change CO's, but only when da original CO was dropping the charter by choice. Simple answer is that your unit can't change CO's unless the pastor drops the charter (refuses to run a pack anymore). So it isn't an option for you, eh? Individuals can quit the unit and go start another pack at a different CO.

(This message has been edited by Beavah)

[ScoutNut]

I was just looking at your Pack web site, & I noticed something that might have a bearing on your problem. You mention your town, your county, your area schools, the school you meet at, your BSA council & your BSA District. However, nowhere in the whole web site do you even mention who your Charter Organization is.

 

You say your Pack meetings are held at your local public school, but do not mention where your Dens meet. It seems to me your Pack has little or nothing to do with the Catholic Parish that owns it. This could be a BIG part of the problem.

 

This is supposed to be a PARTNERSHIP between the church & your Pack, with your Pack being the Parish's youth outreach group. If the only time you have contact with them is when you want applications approved & the charter renewed, that is a pretty poor partnership.

 

It seems that your Pastor has realized that there should be more to this partnership than there has been in prior years. Good for him. However, maybe he needs some guideance in how to help it work. You stated that you & your DE met with the Pastor at the beginning of October. What was discussed & how did that go?

 

Personally, to me, with the very limited info you have given us, it sounds like the Church & it's school would benefit from a more intimate BSA relationship. It also sounds like your town could support a second Pack which would draw from the public schools. This could ultimately be a win-win situation giving the boys in your area more choices.

 

I would think your DE would jump at this chance to expand the number of units in your area.