AnonyMouse_42775 Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 Does anyone out there work for a committee run setting? How does it work for you? Ours is driving me crazy. Chair has a power trip over every issue, he has no early years background and has no idea what we really do. He's now going to the wire over a half percent payrise. We already know our budget allows for the payrise, so he's come back and said if the committee do agree on the payrise we may have to lose a member of staff to compensate or shut one of the room, cancel sessions etc. I feel it's blackmail and union are fitghting our corner. It just really winds me up that some 'nobody' can come along and decide futures just because he hates to lose. Sorry for ranting! Has anyone else had similar experiences?How do you cope?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_64 Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 I think you might find you have opened a can of worms asking this question! Committee run settings can work but quite often can be a nightmare for exactly the reasons you are stating. My development worker doesn't get chance to visit us during Sept - Dec as her time is primarily spent sorting out problems between new committees and staff. Luckily I haven't had a problem recently. Our chairperson is extremely laid back and needs a lot of prompting, but is usually happy enough to take advice from staff. The only thing you can console yourself with is that committee members come and go, so next year might be better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 We are committee run. I know how you feel, it's so hard to think that Parents can come in and be your boss and say what happens within the setting with no childcare expereince at all. in the past we have had them come in upset all the staff, staff leave then you have another AGM and the committee leave, but who is left picking up the pieces. It's so hard and i do know what you are going through.... Not much i can say but good luck..... i have also considered ways of being without a committee in the past just to stop this, still looking into this one........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_8623 Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 We are a committee-run playgroup constituted to the PLA with absolutely no 'get out' clause. We have had some right charlies on the committee in the past but this past year they have been fantastic. The chairperson doesn't interfere and the secretary is fantastic at getting the other members to volunteer to do things. We have just had a night out altogether, a skittles evening with faggots & mushy peas and lots of the amber liquid and the night was great. Getting to know these parents socially makes all the difference. I think they also get to realise exactly what it is we do, the amount of paperwork there can be and the challanges we have juggling our own families with parents evenings, workshops and studying night courses etc. Beau is right in saying committee members come and go. Hang in there Rachie05 - he may get tired of the game sooner than you think. Good luck for the future. P.S. I don't know if it is possible to call for a vote of no confidence in the Chair - getting the other committee members on your side first of course. Alternatively report him to Ofsted!!!!!!!!!!!! lol lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_42775 Posted October 15, 2007 Author Share Posted October 15, 2007 Thank you for all of your words of wisdom. I just live in the hope he may stand down at next AGM, won't hold my breath, he loves the power too much! I'm scared we'll lose our first class manager if he stays on....now that will be gutting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_1469 Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 oh yes............chairpersons with power and no empathy, do not get me started! Main reason for me leaving my last lovely group,and she resigned a few weeks later, leaving total chaos behind her, not least because she decided to destroy ALL the paperwork, leaving the new staff and committee with nothing, and then the 'O' people turned up...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_1027 Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 we too are a comittee run group have the best committeee and chair ever at the mo, but it can turn at each AGM....good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_705 Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 Are you getting a half percent payrise or something and a half percent? If the budget allows for the pay increase what justification can he have for not allowing it? Could you put the fees up slightly to cover the extra cost rather than lose a member of staff. Does he know how difficult the recruitment process is! After all it's our high ratios which enable us to provide the quality of care and education. We didn't get a pay rise at all last year, which we accepted because numbers were so low. Then to be told that our 3% pay rise this year was generous was a little insensitive! Good luck, can't live with em, can't live without em! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 It is all quite new to me at the moment - committee ran - I am lucky in that the pre-school needed bringing up to date with policies and other admin which I have done and the committee are gratfeul for - however we have no water play or sand play which is outrageous and I am just starting to see the difficulties ahead - keeping the local church hall committee happy (older members of the community - forget they were children once! :wacko: ) and pleasing the pre-school committee. I must admit I have been standing quite strongly for what I believe in with regards to provision and I think it may help me, :rolleyes: also most of my new committee are staying on next year - so I suppose I am lucky........then again it only takes one bad apple it would seem. Good luck, :unsure: does seem madness to have to fight your corner when you are the one with the experience and qualification. p.s I do have one committee member who has told me she is a 'special needs teacher you know', (she has only told me about 23 times so far this term, so maybe potential annoyance could arise from her!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 I must be really lucky, the committee I work for are fab, they are very supportive and let the two senior members of staff (23 +22 years in the Pre-school) make the decisions. They seem to realise that the staff are the ones with the knowledge and experiance and let us get on with it. Like Shirel, our problems come from the people we hire the room from. No sand, no water, no outside play if the grass is wet and they keep hiring one of te rooms out so we occasionally lose our inside 'runabout' play area. I guess there is always someone to make waves, life would be too simple otherwise. Sally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 Committee chairs are the chariy trustees of PLA run pre-schools. This means that they are the ones legally responsible, and the ones who will ultimately get taken to court if it all goes wrong. It is therefore not suprising that some may be "interferring". That said, the chair should not set the pay on his own it should a committee decision. As a charity I presume that you won't have a large reserve, and he is not gettting the money himself, so what is he intending on spending the money on, if as you say it is in the budget? Perhaps you could tackle it another way, ask to get paid for something that you would usually do as a matter of course, do you get paid to attend meetings / courses / do record keeping? Perhaps, if he is unwilling to backdown on actual pay he will agree to paying you for one of these things instead, that way he saves face, and you get the monetary reward that you deserve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MaryEMac Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 We are a committee run group and at the moment we have a good committee who are very supportive. The chairman now has her second child at the group and she hadn't realised how much work and effort the staff put into the group. As I have been involved in the playgroup in some form since 1982, , they tend to ask my opinion first. Saying this, a lot of this committee will leave next Sept and who knows what the new lot will be like !! Mary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_42775 Posted October 22, 2007 Author Share Posted October 22, 2007 Maz, our fees have just gone up and it was originally 3% as the budget for staff wages could cope with this. But in the process we must lose something else (which is known as one of our perks) Staff disagreed with this removal, so he dropped offere down to 2.5%. It will never be sorted out because he wants to win. Thats the top and bottom of it. Gone are the days we had a lovely, respectful, useful committee. Just on the whole, a bunch of power crazed idiots! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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