Boy Scouts - Love it but Soooo not a Budget Activity - Warning VENT

[3boymthr]

I apologize in advance this is a little long....

Last night Oldest DS was the MC for the Troop's Court of Honor (award ceremony). It's a right of passage - something they have to do to earn their Communications Merit Badge which is Eagle required and something I was very happy to see him do - he did great, put a lot of work into it and got a lot of compliments from the other parents and his merit badge counselor.

But (here's the budget part)... as part of the MC honors the kids have to put together a program book to be distributed to all the parents and other kids as they come in (also part of the merit badge requirements or at least as far as his merit badge counselor is concerned - the requirement does say prepare the program which is a little vague to my mind but that's how she interprets it ). According to the Troop we have to provide enough program booklets to hand one to all the attendees. According to my DS they needed to be in color (this part I'm not so sure about but again the merit badge counselor has the right to say if he did it right or not so if this is what she wants how can I argue). The Troop is large and average attendance at a Court of Honor is 100 people. So we had to provide 100 copies of a 3 page color program brochure - too many to print on my printer . So off to the copy center yesterday to print them out - total cost to have them printed $80 . Now here is the part that makes me mad - total handed out/taken by attendees when they arrived - 20.

I have known all along that Scouts was costly but there has always been a defined purpose to the expense with a clearly defined outcome - food, equipment, activity fees. This pointlessness of this expense just makes me mad. I mean I knew going into this project most of the programs were going to end up in the recycle bin at the end of the night, but felt okay with that feeling that people would at least have had the benefit of looking at them. Now I'm just so frustrated with the Troop leaders and his Merit Badge Counselor. They do this 3 times a year you'd think they could say, we have at least 100 people coming but most won't want a program so just print 35 or 40.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

Whoa! That is a huge (quite unreasonable) expense to expect scouts to take on. Yes the MB counselor is the one who decides but they are not (per BSA rules) allowed to add anything to the requirements, including a financial obligation.

The requirement states: 8.Plan a troop court of honor, campfire program, or an interfaith worship service. Have the patrol leaders' council approve it, then write the script and prepare the program. Serve as master of ceremonies. In every boy scout community I've been in (including National Camp School), "program" refers to scheduled activities or events, not a physical printed program. (Eg I was Program Director at summer camp.) That is what I think the intent of it is (admittedly I don't have a Communications MB book on me to look up the notes after the requirements.)
I'd be questioning that with your committee or district.

FWIW, our courts of honor don't have any (printed) programs at all (excluding Eagle CoH) and very definately not at campfire programs.
If the troop does them and MBC is requiring the boys to make them up, I'd at least argue the cost should be covered by the troop. It is for the greater troop's benefit, not that the Communications scout needs to pay to complete the badge. Uh-uh.

 

[NVDisMom]

No boys here or Boyscouts, but that sounds incredibly unreasonable. I would take it up with the leadership and ask to be reimbursed and that future boys not be required to go to this expense.

 

[DisneyNutMic]

I think you are right to be upset with that. Sounds like your son put a lot of thought and work into this task and he did a great job. I'm sorry you got stuck with this big bill for it though.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

If I had a 14 year old who was getting a badge for "communication", then I would expect him to be able to communicate concerns about the cost of the programs to his scout leaders and work out a solution.

 

[3boymthr]

Whoa! That is a huge (quite unreasonable) expense to expect scouts to take on. Yes the MB counselor is the one who decides but they are not (per BSA rules) allowed to add anything to the requirements, including a financial obligation.

The requirement states: 8.Plan a troop court of honor, campfire program, or an interfaith worship service. Have the patrol leaders' council approve it, then write the script and prepare the program. Serve as master of ceremonies. In every boy scout community I've been in (including National Camp School), "program" refers to scheduled activities or events, not a physical printed program. (Eg I was Program Director at summer camp.) That is what I think the intent of it is (admittedly I don't have a Communications MB book on me to look up the notes after the requirements.)
I'd be questioning that with your committee or district.

FWIW, our courts of honor don't have any (printed) programs at all (excluding Eagle CoH) and very definately not at campfire programs.
If the troop does them and MBC is requiring the boys to make them up, I'd at least argue the cost should be covered by the troop. It is for the greater troop's benefit, not that the Communications scout needs to pay to complete the badge. Uh-uh.

Well, she didn't say we had to have them printed, just that he had to have them. From discussions I've had most other parents apparently print them at home or work, but for us those two methods were just not an option. I'm thinking of seeing if there is any reimbursement available, but given that the troop is always crying poor and having multiple fundraisers every year, I'm not expecting anything.

Now that I think back one of the other parents did say to me last night that he was meeting two requirements with the MC position so I just went back and looked at the requirements in depth and did find the other requirement that the brochure covers (7c). But argh! It's the waste of it all that angers me. 100 copies was just overkill.

 

[scrapquitler]

I apologize in advance this is a little long....

Last night Oldest DS was the MC for the Troop's Court of Honor (award ceremony). It's a right of passage - something they have to do to earn their Communications Merit Badge which is Eagle required and something I was very happy to see him do - he did great, put a lot of work into it and got a lot of compliments from the other parents and his merit badge counselor.

But (here's the budget part)... as part of the MC honors the kids have to put together a program book to be distributed to all the parents and other kids as they come in (also part of the merit badge requirements or at least as far as his merit badge counselor is concerned - the requirement does say prepare the program which is a little vague to my mind but that's how she interprets it ). According to the Troop we have to provide enough program booklets to hand one to all the attendees. According to my DS they needed to be in color (this part I'm not so sure about but again the merit badge counselor has the right to say if he did it right or not so if this is what she wants how can I argue). The Troop is large and average attendance at a Court of Honor is 100 people. So we had to provide 100 copies of a 3 page color program brochure - too many to print on my printer . So off to the copy center yesterday to print them out - total cost to have them printed $80 . Now here is the part that makes me mad - total handed out/taken by attendees when they arrived - 20.

I have known all along that Scouts was costly but there has always been a defined purpose to the expense with a clearly defined outcome - food, equipment, activity fees. This pointlessness of this expense just makes me mad. I mean I knew going into this project most of the programs were going to end up in the recycle bin at the end of the night, but felt okay with that feeling that people would at least have had the benefit of looking at them. Now I'm just so frustrated with the Troop leaders and his Merit Badge Counselor. They do this 3 times a year you'd think they could say, we have at least 100 people coming but most won't want a program so just print 35 or 40.

I would think that since this is a troop function, the cost of the copying should be reimbursed by the troop and part of the expenses of the function.
Did you hand them the receipt from the copy center and request reimbursement? If you have not done so, I would give it a try.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

Well, she didn't say we had to have them printed, just that he had to have them. From discussions I've had most other parents apparently print them at home or work, but for us those two methods were just not an option. I'm thinking of seeing if there is any reimbursement available, but given that the troop is always crying poor and having multiple fundraisers every year, I'm not expecting anything.

I still stand by there is an implication of some expense (whether it's in for the printer or the photocopier, color printing not cheap even if you can do it at home.)

My interpretation the requirement (and I am not the MBC) is that it is to prepare the programming. If hers is different, I guess her that's her perogative, but I would still bring it up to the committee for how this panned out for your family.

I do agree with the PP saying a scout (particularly one earning Communications) should generally do his own communicating. (I'm an advancement chair and routinely tell parents their son needs to talk to me about his own awards.) There are times though that an adult needs to step in and say "this is not working as it should". I would go talk to the committee chair and ask to talk about the badge, what the expectations are, the financial burden that got attached to it (because surely you aren't the only one without access to a copier at home or work.) What about the next kid who comes up and doesn't a home copier or $80 to do it? She's tying unreasonable expectation to the badge.

 

[disneyeveryyear]

As a volunteer, committee member (former Treasurer) and wife of the scoutmaster, I am dumbfounded that a scout would be expected to pay that kind of money to "earn" a MB.

I personally think your son should take the receipt from the copy store, and present it to the Troop Treasurer (or Scoutmaster if the Treasurer isn't at every meeting) for reimbursement.

COH is a troop event, and thus the expenses should be covered by the troop.

 

[KnearSeattle]

As a Communications merit badge counselor and troop Advancement Chair, I totally agree that asking your family to pay for the printed programs was unacceptable.

I do ask our Scout emcees to prepare the printed program. (And, yes, preparing the printed document is a second requirement for the badge--7c.)They are expected to arrange for black-and-white printing of enough copies so that each family may have one, and then the photocopying receipt is submitted to the troop treasurer for reimbursement.

I suggest you attend the next troop committee meeting and ask that photocopying costs be budgeted with other advancement/COH expenses.