Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Proposed District Boundaries

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Proposed District Boundaries

Frequently Asked Questions regarding proposed District boundaries

Why are District boundaries being reviewed and discussed?

Part of the 2012-2014 Miami Valley Council Strategic Plan called for the council to review its district structure and how we currently serve the youth of the Miami Valley Council. This review was intended to make sure that we were using our staff efficiently and effectively to serve our units. The strategic plan was a compilation of work by a large group of volunteers and was approved by the volunteer executive board of the council in July 2011.

How did this decision come about?

In an effort to best serve youth, unit leaders and families the council volunteer leadership is putting forth a proposed change to the district structure of the Miami Valley Council. The plan was vetted with each of the District Key 3 after the preliminary proposal was approved by the Miami Valley Council Executive Committee. A few minor changes were made from this vetting process.

With the new District alignment the Miami Valley Council will have 4 Districts with a better balance of membership, units, population trends, geography and staff support.

What information was utilized to propose the changes in District boundaries?

The current components of each District was reviewed including the number of youth served and units per District, population trends, TAY (total available youth), density (or our market share), the geographic size of each District, professional staff support and National recommendations regarding District size.

A table summarizing the data is available with the document explaining the need for change.

Will the proposed change reduce the number of unit serving executives?

There is no reduction of field staff through this realignment, rather each District Executive will serve one District rather than some serving two Districts as has been done in the past.

Is this being done for financial reasons?

No, there is no reduction in staff through this realignment.

Why is combining Districts a good action?

Short answer-to give better support to our youth, units and volunteers. Currently our District Executives are responsible for two full District committees and organizations in Miami / Shelby and Darke / Preble Districts. The pool of volunteers to lead District events, activities and fundraising is small due to therelativelysmall number of people served by the districts. By merging, our District Executives will be able to give more attention to leaders and volunteers. With a larger pool of volunteers, a more robust district committeewill be possible and volunteers should not need to hold multiple scouting jobs.

How will the new District Committee leadership be selected?

A nominating committee will be formed in each of the twonew districts as soon as possible after this plan is approved. It is expected that the existing District Committees and Commissioners staffs will work together and utilize their knowledge and experience to the benefit of Scouting in their communities. Nominating committees will also be operating in the two existing districts to help ensure a well rounded and complete district committeein those districts.

Will District names change?

Yes. Each of the 2 new District Committeeswill determine a method to select the new District name.

Will there be changes in Roundtable meeting locations and dates?

Each District Committee will review the location and dates that work best for their District. Decisions will be made in consultation with the Council Commissioner and District Key 3 to determine dates and locations of Roundtable meetings.

What impact will this have on my unit?

It may change the date and location of your Roundtable and may mean a change in date and location of District events such as training or camporee. We anticipate it will result in better service to unit leaders and boys through a better alignment of District resources and staff.

What is the timeline for these proposed changes?

The Executive Board will review the proposed changes (and the feedback) at the November 20thExecutive Board meeting.

Once approved by the Executive Board the changes will become effective June 1, 2014 which will provide time for the District volunteers and staff to make any changes and provide communication to unit leaders. The implementation phase will occur from November 21, 2013 – May 31, 2014.

Where can I provide feedback on the proposed changes?

You can provide feedback to Chris Grove at