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My SM just called and said that he just saw our JTE sheet at council office and was disappointed in our score, a 1675 still gold but low.

 

 

I laughed at him and said that is great, The Pack did not submit one.

 

 

That's fantastic, gets filled out, Decent score and the boys could get a JTE Patch if they want.

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Sounds like a Chuck Norris kinda thing:

 

Basement's pack is so good, they do not even fill out JTE sheets - the sheets fill themselves out!"

 

:)

 

NOw, just imagine how great your scoure would be if you did fil one out!

 

I'd call the SE and say : "JUst imagine how awesome our score would be if we actually had activities in our council/ district? We'd be a triple gold pack!"

 

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The phone conversation went.....Hey Jim I didn't think you were going to submit the JTE form...... Yep did not submit it.........Really? I am looking right at it.

 

He was laughing about it........

 

He knew I didn't submit it.

 

 

I will have to ask him if the form was signed.......

 

 

 

 

Money.....don't understand how JTE equates to more money for anyone but the DE

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Base,

 

If this seems as if I'm attacking you, please know that I'm not. I see JTE as a tool to help improve the unit. And I bet if you looked at it you might see areas for improvement. Fill out the paperwork or not, I don't care. But try to think about it as a tool to help deliver a better program.

 

Now in regards to having forms filled out for you. I admit I have mixed emotions. I can see the commissioner corps helping you fill it out, or even filling it out for you since you are dealing with collecting registrations, Bo's Life, ad nauseum. I knwo when I was a UC, that's what I did to help out, BUT it was always with the unit's approval.

 

But just having it filled out is a different story.

 

As for the money connection. JTE is a performance tool not only to show the unit leaders where their weaknesses are, but collectively how the district and council are doing. Pros do have performance based Critical Achievements, both at the district and council levels, that they need to meet to keep their jobs. And JTE is one of them.

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Help the district.......

 

 

Hmmmmm, NO cub programs at the district level......No help there

Boy Scout camporee's, well none of those either.

Unit Commisioners none of those either

Round table no program, coffee but no cookies

 

But yet somehow last last year they earned gold, Just looked up the JTE district form.....It only has two things that relate to the boys, Increase resident and day camp attendance and Rank advancement..

 

Nothing about program?????

 

 

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As annoying as things sometimes get in our council and district, I guess, overall, we are better off than I realized, though we have had our "real" nightmares. Some of the stories on here are amazing to me, and I cannot help but wonder why it is allowed to continue over time.

 

Currently, I pretty much just feel badly for the lower execs, as they are understaffed in the council by one or two, and have been for a number of years. Ours tries very hard to work with his volunteers, and even the ASE eventually works with us when he "finally" gets to it. Of course he not only does the job for which he was hired, he has to help fill in for the missing positions in the council.

 

Work at the unit level, and try to make sure you are delivering a good program. Support the other areas in a manner in which you are comfortable; if that is no where, then that is your choice. We must be sort of in between.

 

And long ago decided to refuse to discuss any of the PC stuff with anyone outside the program, especially if I was in uniform at a troop function. We do not need the kids being exposed to these things anymore than necessary; and it has very little to do with them directly.

 

 

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There is something missing concerning quality unit awards and jte. The programs in theory are supposed to be a help for the unit to succeed. But there is an underlying purpose to these awards as well - they are used by professionals to show that they have met their criticals which of course leads to promotions and raises.

 

What has happened in some (not all) councils and districts is that the service the unit receives from the district and council is not one of quality or excellence. And some volunteer leaders realize how this program also benefits the professional and they don't like it when a rarely seen pro decides to fill out the unit's paperwork for them. Perhaps there is a reason why the unit has refused to fill out the forms. Perhaps the DE should investigate why and perhaps they will find out that the unit is unsatisfied with the level of quality of service they are getting from the district and or council.

 

Quality unit awards = quality district awards = quality council awards. And when these professional criticals are achieved on paper, the pay raises and promotions are handed out to the pros. What does the unit get? Why a nice little patch to wear on their uniforms that says "quality" or excellent.

 

But here is what is missing - an evaluation done by the unit to rate the service it is getting from the district and council. Is the unit receiving quality or excellent service? Is the council living up to its agreement to the chartered organization? How would anyone on the executive board know if this is the case? Why should a quality unit or jte paperwork be used to evaluate a pro's performance? Since this is supposed to be a volunteer run organization, should it not be the volunteers who evaluate the pros that are supposed to be serving them?

 

Doesn't anyone see the problem with professionals filling out the unit's quality or jte paperwork without the input of the unit? They are in essence writing their own evaluation! So how is jte supposed to be a tool for the unit if the pro is filling out the paperwork adding his own figures? This is wrong. The pro is not serving the unit, he is cheating.

 

Perhaps the reason why a unit has refused to fill out the paperwork is because they are unsatisfied with the level of service it receives from the district and council. My troop has been a quality unit every year since the program began. Our troop only filled out the paperwork a few times but stopped doing so once it was found out that the paperwork benefited the pro. The service from the district and council was unsatisfactory, yet somehow the district and council kept getting quality awards. And during those years when we did not fill out the paperwork, but were listed as quality on the DEs paperwork, but the troop never recieved its ribbon, certificate and patches. Nope, we weren't worthy. because we did not cooperate with the pro. But the pro still exploited our unit by turning it in as a quality unit without the knowledge or input of the unit leadership. As someone else mentioned, what is trustworthy about a pro (who never visited the unit) filling out that unit's quality paperwork, making up stuff so he could get his promotion rather than actually doing his job of serving the unit?

 

So I will make this suggestion to here and to national. The former quality program, now the jte program needs to add space for the unit to evaluate the district and council. It doesnt have to be elaborate, but it should simply follow the councils agreement to the chartered organization. This part should be filled out by the unit leaders and be part of a pros criticals. Ensure that signatures are signed by both the volunteer leadership of the unit as well as the DE or DD. The council and district evaluations done by the volunteer leadership from the units should be posted for all to review. This would certainly put pressure on management to be accountable to the units it is supposed to serve.

 

The council agrees to respect the aims and objectives of the organization and offer the resources of Scouting to help in meeting those objectives.

 

How well does the council meet this promise? Excellent, satisfactory, needs improvement, unsatisfactory, poor. Comments:___________

 

Provide year-round training, service, and program resources to the organization and its unit(s).

 

How well does the council meet this promise? Excellent, satisfactory, needs improvement, unsatisfactory, poor. Comments:___________

 

 

Provide training and support for the chartered organization representative as the primary

communication link between the organization and the BSA.

 

How well does the council meet this promise? Excellent, satisfactory, needs improvement, unsatisfactory, poor. Comments:___________

 

Provide techniques and methods for selecting quality unit leaders and then share in the approval process of those leaders. (The Scout executive or designee must approve all leader applications.)

 

How well does the council meet this promise? Excellent, satisfactory, needs improvement, unsatisfactory, poor. Comments:___________

 

 

And finally, what I feel is the most important aspect of the councils agreement:

 

Provide camping facilities, a service center, and a full-time professional staff to assist the organization in every way possible.

 

How well does the council meet this promise? Excellent, satisfactory, needs improvement, unsatisfactory, poor. Comments:___________

 

I know that my troop is one of quality. The leaders of my troop have agreed that we dont need to have a patch on our uniform to prove it. Success is measured by the strength of the Troop kids keep joining and coming back every week.

 

It is very clear that there are professionals who have and continue to abuse the quality and jte programs for their own selfish gains by falsifying paperwork by filling out paperwork for a unit without the unit's permission simply to ensure they make their criticals when they should be instead doing their jobs by serving the units and their volunteer leaders so the a quality Scouting program can be delivered to the youth they are being paid to serve.

(This message has been edited by abel magwitch)

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Abel, is it our place to give the District and Council ratings based on the agreement made with the Chartering Organization?

 

Certainly it's the Chartered Organization's role to make sure both agreements are being kept, and to suspend their program if they feel they cannot meet their obligation or the local council is not keeping up their end.

 

Unit leadership has a responsibility to inform their Chartered Organization if the Council isn't offering something to them that they feel is necessary to have a better program. That means we have to go up the chain.

 

Another of those JTE goals the professionals are held accountable for is meeting with a key person from each Chartered Organization annually. It would seem to me that would be the time for the Chartered Organization to hold the professionals' feet to the fire. If the issue is dire enough like not offering training or camping opportunity, the Chartered Organization has the right to force the issue or threaten dropping their charter.

 

The structure is set up to be decentralized, much like the US Govt. should be. Letting a centralized power usurp more power due to our own slovenly ways is not acceptable.

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