The primary purpose of this memo is to share information relative to the 45th Biennial Council. While chapters are often represented by a single delegate, the Board of Directors believes it is important that all chapter officers be informed as to the matters that are being considered. This is especially true this year when the decisions will impact directly on the future of Phi Delta Kappa. Phi Delta Kappa, at the moment, presents a mixed picture. It has effective program activities and credibility. The council will hear and receive reports regarding exciting new initiatives such as the core values study, the Center on National Education Policy, and Future Educators of America. It will also hear from chapters that are doing exciting things that make a difference in the communities they serve. At the same time, however, the membership decline is continuing and is beginning to result in the loss of chapters. Unless the latter trends are reversed, member and chapter bases may erode to the point where PDK's viability as a leadership organization will be limited.

The remaining items in this memo are intended to provide specific information regarding PDK's present situation and point to some of the actions the Board of Directors feels need to be taken to address the problems PDK is facing. As you read through them, you may have questions. If so, feel free to raise them in advance of the council. You may, of course, always share information and questions with the chapter's delegate. This is a grassroots organization, and the decisions that are made will reflect the will of the council.

1. The 45th Biennial Council will convene in Detroit, Michigan, on Thursday, October 26, 1995, and adjourn at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 29. By this time, your chapter's representative(s) should have been identified and travel and hotel reservations should already have been made. Those listed as delegate and alternates for your chapter have already received extensive information about the council and the matters that will come before it. One way each chapter can help is simply to verify that the delegate for the chapter has all arrangements made and is ready to attend.
2. The Board of Directors, at its meeting last summer, approved a proposed budget for 1996-97 that included a request for a $3 increase in dues and a request to draw up to $200,000 from the Reserve Fund to balance income and expenditures for the 1996-97 year. The board took those actions on a contingency basis with the understanding that they would be reviewed in the October 26 meeting that precedes the opening of the council. It hoped, at the time, that membership and income would stabilize so that one or both could be set aside. That has not happened. Based on the first two months of this year, it appears that income will decline by at least $200,000 below the 1994-95 level. Expenditures are up with the higher expense of conducting a biennial council, paper costs, and the increased cost of travel fueling the rise. It appears that the board will have little choice but to go forward with the proposed dues increase and with the requested Reserve Fund authority. It is also likely that the board will need to initiate an additional request to use the Reserve Fund to balance the budget for the current year.
3. The council will open with Phi Delta Kappa in the midst of a significant membership decline. The good-standing membership peaked in 1989-90 at 136,570. Starting in 1992-93 it declined in each succeeding year to 134,153, 129,701, and 126,490. The data for the first two months of the current year would suggest that this decline is continuing. There are four amendments on the council agenda that are intended to address the membership situation. These are A-1, A-2, A-3, and A-4. These amendments are intended to broaden PDK's membership base by reaching out to groups not presently served. The board believes the amendments are necessary not only to reverse the membership trend but also to make PDK the kind of inclusive organization that will enable it to realize its potential as a leadership organization. A statement detailing the board's position is enclosed.
4. This council will also consider an amendment that would have the effect of creating two districts, one to include the five chapters in Europe along with the one in Bermuda and the other to include the seven chapters in Asia and the South Pacific. The Board of Directors is serious about PDK's international commitment. It has proposed and is supporting the amendment to create an international at- large membership. However, it does not believe that the number of chapters involved at this time justifies the creation of two new districts. It believes that the proposal is, at the very least, premature. An impact statement on the proposal detailing the board's position is enclosed.
5. Another important item of legislation before this biennial council will give chapters the opportunity to substitute project activity for two of the six required annual meetings. The indication is that support for this amendment is strong. It is not too early, therefore, for chapter officers to begin to consider the kinds of projects that might be implemented. One important new program for which you should be watching will involve the opportunity to replicate parts of the 1996 public opinion poll. Projects will not, however, be limited to those suggested from headquarters. The intent is to enable chapters to be creative and innovative in initiating projects that will have significant impact in the service area.

One other comment regarding the council. It is the first to offer chapters the opportunity to participate via satellite telecast. All a chapter needs to participate in the opening activities is the ability to downlink. If your chapter is interested and you need details, contact Vladimir Bektesh here at headquarters. (800-766-1156)

Finally, this biennial council will be the last in my tenure as executive director. Ron Joekel, a staff member at the University of Nebraska and president of Phi Delta Kappa 1985-87, will be my successor. Ron will actually begin work on December 1; however, he will have significant involvement in the forthcoming biennial council. On a personal note, I want to say that Mary and I have deeply appreciated the contributions chapters have made to our scholarship fund. It is, as I have said in my thank you notes, the best parting gift we could receive. Being PDK's executive director has been a privilege and a pleasure.