Snow Owl

It seems to me all these councils are telling BSA the Jamboree is not enough of a draw for Scouts and these side trips is the only way scouts would want to go. I believe the truth is these side trips is the only way a council can justify the extra cost and generate some money for the council. I was shocked at the cost out council is charging. they could not justify it or provide an accounting. Oh and FYI, all the museums and tours in DC are either free (Smithsonian, National Archive, National Gallery etc.) or have a significant Scout discount We had the same issue, We have/had several

All of these issues bouncing back an forth confirms one thing, to me at least, we need to have more power/authority on the volunteer side of the organization.

Oh good lord (pun intended), that is not exactly what it says. This has been discussed ad nauseam and is not what I am trying to flesh out.

Okay - not trying to kick old arguments up. Ah, okay - I know of several units, sponsored by public schools, not PTAs or any other subdivision but the school itself, so I am not sure about BSA agreeing with you; or perhaps they have changed their mind - they are targeting public schools here specifically which is what raised the questions for our district. BSA has interesting positions and protections See 20 US Code 7905 "Equal Access to Public School Facilities" Which I believe contradicts your premise

Sorry - I still do not see the conflict

I am curious, Why would it be a problem for the school to be the CO?

I am looking for more of the BSA position. We are trying to add units at public schools, actually public charter schools. Their position or question is how or why would this be any different than the school football team (softball, volleyball, etc), band, chess club etc?

Can a Troop or Pack be a closed Unit? As in the Pack/Troop is limited to Scouts from the School who is the Chartering Organization? A School wants Scouting programs but is concerned about youth who are not students of that school using School facilities, benefiting from School support etc. This is not just a financial concern but also security and legal. The units would meet at School after hours on school grounds where everyone must have a school ID or get a guest pass from the office. My reading of everything I could find is that this is within the Chartering Organization discret

It is not the fear of lawsuits driving national BSA toward fully going coed it is the added revenue potential. BSA has been, at least partially, coed in Cub and Scouts for a while. Cub Scout units have female siblings participating at all levels. Den meetings, Pack meetings, Pack events and overnighters. Some girls are wearing uniforms or "class Bs" (yes I know there is no class A or B but we all know what it means). The councils, or at least some councils, include cub scout age siblings in council sponsored events As for the Boy Scout or "Scout" age level it is upon us as

There is no requirement to have a male adult leader or male adult on campouts.

I don't see that as the next step. We have a female scoutmaster and there is no requirement that a male leader be present. Interesting times. If you listen to the statement you will notice he never says "boy" ever. Not even "Boy Scouts of America". My prediction is that we will have girls registered in Packs and Troops before the end of the year. Units will have the option to be be coed or "traditional"

My bet is before the end of 2017 we will see coed BSA pilot programs for cubs and scouts. The number of units that are coed and being left alone by national seems to be growing. I don't think it is a question of "if" but rather "when" The other thing I have noticed is Crews camping and doing activities with Troops, including summer camp, where the female crew members are below the Venturing age. I imagine they are not registered with BSA but are being fully included just the same. Another issue where we must tread carefully and with a look to the future

Same here. And as a COR I have to say they tell us nothing, They keep us as far from the decisions and information as possible.

The difference in pay between the DEs and the SE is staggering!

I do not know about other councils but our executive board is huge, 60 members not counting the CORs, and is made up mainly of community leaders and money people who have not active involvement in scouting other than writing checks. The board only meets once a year for a warm fuzzy meeting.

We have a trailer for the Cubs - more of a closet on wheels for when the cubs go camping. Pop up tents, large stove, coffee pots, chairs, games, etc. all the stuff for family style cub scout camping. That said, we will not get a trailer for the Scouts. We are staying compact - if each Scout has their pack/roll - only one pack/ bag for their gear and sleeping bag and LS. Then every other scout can carry a tent, those without the tent have a food pack, troop pack or if needed a stove. Basically packing like a canoe trip minus the canoe, each person can make one trip from unload to campsite

From a School or charter organization prospective - scouting is more akin to an after school programs like soccer, chess, cross country etc. the total cost from families and leaders for a cub scout pack with 48 scouts is $9,000 +/- This BSA fees, boys life, uniforms, handbooks, rank and recognition. With the program we provide all of the manpower and resources. Every year when my 100+ Scout cub scout pack writes the check for charter renewal in excess of $4,000 we always have the same question. So what are we getting for our money? On top of this cost we then tell parents they are

Southeast Louisiana has not announced anything like this yet but they tend to keep us in the dark about everything. And related questions, can a unit refuse to pay these add'l fees? Can a unit opt out of their council? Doubling the fees will make it difficult to justify the program to many chartered organizations. From a purely cost perspective of a program; Scouting is expensive compared to other after school or extra curriculum options now.

The DE current salary is well above minimum wage and will still be after any minimum wage increase. What I am trying to figure out is where is this language coming from? The new overtime rule is for anyone making less than $47,476 per year - which is most if not all current DEs

Is BSA changing the professional position title? Our Council has announced “The District Associate position will be the new title for entry level field staff members moving forward.†Our district no longer has a DE or even a new “DA†see http://www.bsa-selacouncil.org/about-us/council-staff/1376 Any insight on this change?

Yes & Yes - Anyone who can be registered with BSA is registered with BSA & trained. The only ones not registered with BSA are the youth girls. They are registered with the Pack and the School however. And we require ALL parents to take youth protection.

We include siblings as members - the girls can be in a den and do everything the boys do. This prevents the drop in once in a while problem and the den leaders know how many Scouts (boy & girl) they have. The girls pay less dues since we do not register them with BSA. We do ask the parents of the girls to be at least an assistant den leader. It has never been a problem. We always included sibling sister but we have started including none sibling girls and it has not caused any issues. We did ask the boys at the various den levels if they had thought girls should be able to be cu

Our district has been pretty much none existent for nearly 2 year. The SE refuses to appoint a district Chairman and we no longer have a DE.

Our Council (which is a complete mess) has used the overtime requirement changes as the rational to eliminate several DEs. Our district now shares a "District Executive" with other districts. And other professionals have been given other "special" duties: Soccer & Scouting, Hispanic Liaison, & Scout Reach. Training is now all on line, our registrations are processed by another council, someone tell me again why we need the council? We have a successful unit despite the council not because of.

Its only a matter of when, not if