The Board of Directors met in Bloomington, Indiana, on January 26-28, 1996, in its regular winter meeting. Prior to the business agenda, the board spent an extended session looking at membership and budget information. Projected income and expenditures through 1997-98 were presented for board consideration. Simply stated, the projections were not positive. Membership continues to decline. The organization will end the current year with its fourth consecutive drop in the number of initiates and the number of good-standing members. Membership recruitment and retention are vital; however, stabilizing membership is only one part of the equation. Current financial projections mean Phi Delta Kappa cannot continue business as usual. Recognizing that the organization can spend no more than it takes in, the Board of Directors tackled the serious business of cutting expenditures for the remainder of the fiscal year and in the two years ahead. Some of those actions are identified in the following summary.

The good news is that the membership amendments passed by the 45th Biennial Council have been ratified by the chapters and go into effect immediately. These amendments provide many new opportunities for chapters and for Phi Delta Kappa. It is a good time to recommit ourselves to the ideals and principles of PDK by bringing qualified educators into membership. We also have an obligation to serve as mentors to new professionals and to assure that they are welcome. An enclosure with this memo deals more specifically with the amendments and the opportunities.

Other good news from the board meeting is the opportunity for PDK to be out front in providing leadership to deal with the serious challenges facing educators today. The Board of Directors joined with the Educational Foundation Board of Governors in approving a series of community forums on the topic, "the need for public schools." The program will be funded by the Educational Foundation. Its objective is to place Phi Delta Kappa in a leadership role in initiating, directing, and sustaining a discussion of the need for public schools, the status of those schools at the present time, and the steps to be taken to make those schools better. An invitation to chapters is enclosed.

Specific actions taken by the Board of Directors were as follows:

ITEMS RELATED TO MEMBERS AND MEMBERSHIP

• denied the request filed by the Illinois State University Chapter seeking a waiver of the 20-year requirement for emeritus membership.
• revised the board's policy relative to the criteria used in considering a request for a waiver of the 20-year requirement for placement in emeritus status by substituting "documentation of service to the chapter" for "service as a chapter officer."
• asked the staff to bring a proposal to the Board of Directors at the July 1996 meeting relative to the elimination of the waiver for emeritus membership.
• approved the implementation of a membership development awards program recognizing chapters at four levels of achievement in membership recruitment and retention.
• set the administrative fee for the International At-Large Membership category at $16.
• defined "geographically isolated from a chapter's service area," for purposes of determining the Associate Membership category, as 25 miles or more from a chapter's location with chapters given the right to request a waiver of the 25-mile rule and substitute a different mileage figure.
• determined that current members of international chapters who have not moved are eligible for International At-Large Membership but that such members will be encouraged to retain chapter affiliation.
• eliminated the request for ethnic information on all membership forms.

ITEMS RELATED TO CHAPTERS

• approved the petition of the Douglas County Colorado Club and authorized the executive director to proceed with plans for the installation of the chapter.
• continued the conditional charter status of the Long Island University/Brooklyn Campus Chapter until the visiting officer's report and additional information can be reviewed.
• continued the conditional charter status of the Clermont Area Ohio Chapter until the summer 1996 meeting.
• accepted the voluntary charter surrender of the Springfield Illinois Chapter.
• directed the Chapter Assistance Committee, along with the appropriate district representatives and area coordinators, to make contact with those chapters not represented at the 45th Biennial Council.
• accepted the report of the Chapter Assistance Committee and asked the committee to continue its efforts to help chapters in difficulty.
• determined that the nature of chapter projects used to substitute for two of the six required meetings will be left to the ingenuity and creativity of the chapters.

ITEMS RELATED TO AREAS AND DISTRICTS

• fixed the transportation allowance to the 1996 officer leadership conferences at 100% of actual costs for those areas where the staff recommendation is 100%.
• fixed the transportation allowance for the 1996 officer leadership conference in Area 2A at 43% of actual costs.
• fixed the transportation allowance for the 1996 officer leadership conference in Areas 7B and 7G at 90% of actual costs.
• asked district representatives to submit, by February 15, 1996, dates and locations of the 1996 officer leadership conferences for those areas in which a site has not been reported with a mail ballot used to determine the transportation allowances.
• authorized staff to use the second most central site for purposes of determining the transportation allowances in District VI because of the exorbitant costs of hotel accommodations, food, and related services in New York City, the district's central site.
• fixed the transportation allowance for the winter 1996 DR/AC meeting in District VI at 87% of actual costs.
• fixed the transportation allowances for the summer 1996 DR/AC meetings in Districts III and V at 100% of actual costs.
• fixed the transportation allowance for the summer 1996 DR/AC meeting in District VI at 83% of actual costs.
• asked district representatives in those districts in which a site for the summer 1996 DR/AC meeting has not been received to submit the information by February 15, 1996, with a mail ballot used to determine transportation allowances.
• fixed the transportation allowance for the 1996 District VI Conference at 87% of actual costs.
• authorized that the transportation allowance for the 1996 District VII Conference be based on the actual cost of air tickets at a reimbursement of not less than 55% of actual costs.
• referred the presentation of permanent charter scrolls, 1995-96 Annual Fund awards, and 1995-96 membership development awards to the 1996 district conferences.
• fixed the per-chapter allocation for the 1996 district conferences at $25 with the number of chapters in each district to be the number eligible to be represented in the conference.
• accepted the following parameters to be used in planning for the implementation of District IX:

1. The new District IX is created effective July 1, 1996.
2. The territory included in District IX is Bermuda, Europe, the Mediterranean Region, and Asia and/or the South Pacific west of the International Dateline.
3. There will be a vacancy in the position of district representative in District IX as of July 1, 1996, to be filled by appointment by the Board of Directors.
4. The person appointed to the position of district representative in District IX will serve until the end of the 46th Biennial Council.
5. The first district conference in District IX can be held any time after July 1, 1996, with the date, place, and agenda to be developed by the district representative subject to approval by the Board of Directors.
6. Coordinator Area OA, which was originally created under the provision of Section 602 of the Constitution and Bylaws ceases to exist effective July 1, 1996.
7. The creation of coordinator areas within District IX is governed by Sections 601, 603, and 604 of the Constitution and Bylaws.
8. The criteria the Board of Directors established for the creation of coordinator areas "outside of North America" are applicable to the creation of areas within District IX.

• decided to solicit nominations from chapters and individuals for the position of District IX Director/Representative with the intent to appoint the director at the summer 1996 meeting of the Board of Directors.
• authorized the president to appoint a committee to review all procedural and policy matters related to the creation of District IX with a report and recommendations to be brought to the summer 1996 meeting.
• delayed the decision on reassigning the Golden Crescent Chapter to Area 5H and dividing the present Area 5H into two areas until the fraternity's current financial concerns are resolved.

ITEMS RELATED TO PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM

• approved the topic for the spring 1997 leadership skill institutes as "Inclusion: Its Impact and Ramifications on Education" with $6,000 from the Contingency Fund provided for program costs.
• accepted the report on the chapter-based Core Values Study and approved the request to seek external funding for a follow-up proposal on "A League of Value-Driven Schools."
• adopted the recommendations of the board committee on the Outstanding Doctoral Dissertations Award.
• approved the project calling for a series of forums discussing the need for public schools and expressed appreciation to the Board of Governors of the Educational Foundation for providing the financial support for the project.

ITEMS RELATED TO ORGANIZATIONALLY FOCUSED ITEMS

• decided that there would be no transfer from the 1995-96 budget of funds budgeted for depreciation.
• reduced expenditures for the remainder of 1995-96 by taking the following actions:

1. Effect economies at the winter DR/AC meetings by having district representatives each cut $1,000 from meeting expenses and implement other cost-saving measures as possible.
2. Eliminate board and staff travel to the spring 1996 officer leadership conferences.
3. Suspend board/staff visits to chapters.
4. Hold the Kappan to 64 pages in the remaining issues.
5. Eliminate one issue of NN&Q.
6. Eliminate the Kappan meeting of editorial consultants.
7. Eliminate the remaining second coordinator visits where possible.

• authorized the Investments Committee of the Board of Directors to review the expenditure reductions and ease spending restrictions and/or take such other steps as may be necessary to balance income and expenditures in 1995- 96.
• approved expenditure reductions for 1996-97 by taking the following actions:

1. Plan the summer DR/AC meetings to involve only one hotel night, room sharing, and other economies as possible.
2. Eliminate board and staff visits to chapters.
3. Eliminate board and staff travel to 1997 officer leadership conferences.
4. Eliminate one issue of NN&Q.
5. Reduce the Kappan length by 80 pages from the 1994-95 volume size.
6. Forego the allocation of depreciation funds.
7. Eliminate the visiting DR component of the 1996 district conferences except for the new district representatives.
8. Restrict conference attendance to the DR, one other board member and one staff member.
9. Effect a one-year moratorium on district project funds.
10. Reimburse travel to the officer leadership conferences at the rate of the most economical single-area site in the area.
11. Limit executive staff and middle level staff salary increases to no more than the cost of living increase.

• authorized the Board Policy Committee to recommend the following revisions to Board Policy:

1. Revise VI-2 to specify that every DR/AC meeting is to be held at the site in the district which will be most economical for Phi Delta Kappa with the meeting to be so structured as to require one overnight stay for as many coordinators as possible and provide for reduction in room costs through the sharing of rooms.
2. Revise Appendix J to specify that travel reimbursement to officer leadership conferences be at the rate of the most economical single-area site in the area.
3. Revise Appendix H to specify that board and staff participation in a district conference is to be limited to the district representative, one member of the Board of Directors, and one member of the staff.
4. Add a new section to VI-1 specifying that the district conference is to be structured so that the required overnight stay for delegates and members of the official family will be no more than two nights.

• authorized the president to appoint a committee on governance to study the present governance structure with the intent of bringing forth recommendations for streamlining and reducing the cost of the process, such possibilities to include substituting a delegate assembly for the biennial council.
• suspended funding of the district project program for 1996-97.
• referred to the board's standing Committee on Replacement of Major Equipment and Technology the three legislative items passed by the 45th Biennial Council relating to the use of technology.
• referred to the Board of Governors of the Educational Foundation the suggestion by the 45th Biennial Council calling for a million dollar fund- raising effort on behalf of the Educational Foundation with the indication that Phi Delta Kappa will provide all necessary support and assistance.
• referred to staff the action of the 45th Biennial Council relative to identifying cooperative efforts among social service agencies to address student needs.
• referred to the president the action of the 45th Biennial Council asking that a vice president be designated international liaison in fraternity matters.
• authorized the payment of a second ticket for the delegates to the 45th Biennial Council of the twelve chapters who have made appeals to the board.
• approved the proposed schedule for the 46th Biennial Council for preliminary planning.
• took note of the board's mail ballot selecting Indianapolis, Indiana, as the site for the biennial councils to be held in 1999 and 2001.

ITEMS RELATED TO HEADQUARTERS AND BOARD OPERATION

• took note of the December 18, 1995, mail ballot in which the adoption of the Acordia (Blue Cross/Blue Shield) medical plan for employees of Phi Delta Kappa was unanimously approved.
• authorized the employment of the firm of George S. Olive and Company to conduct the 1995-96 audit of Phi Delta Kappa's fiscal records.
• maintained the current staff salary schedule which provides an annual 3% increase and approved additional funds for special adjustments as determined by the executive director.
• reappointed the professional staff for two years with funds available for the executive director to fix individual salaries.
• approved the job description for an accountant and authorized the executive director to fill the position.
• approved the request of the director of the Center for Evaluation, Development, and Research for a paid sabbatical leave for June 1, 1996, through November 30, 1996, according to the guidelines specified in Board Policy.
• approved the employment of the associate executive director for business at a 70% employment level for 1996-97.
• authorized the reassignment of the director for the administrative center to the position of assistant executive director for administration.
• approved a part-time director for a project on "The Need for the Public Schools" with funds provided by the Board of Governors of the Educational Foundation.
• fixed January 30-February 2, 1997, as the dates for the next winter meeting of the Board of Directors.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

CORE VALUES QUESTIONNAIRES

Two questionnaires that were used as part of Phi Delta Kappa's Study of Core Values are available to chapters interested in surveying local high school students and teachers. Samples of the questionnaires and a letter from Jack Frymier explaining the instruments will be mailed to chapter presidents and research representatives in early February. PDK will provide the questionnaires, scan the response sheets, and provide a printout at a nominal cost. For further information, please contact the Core Values Project at International Headquarters.

GABBARD INSTITUTES

This summer the Gabbard Institutes will run from June 24 through August 2 with 25 different offerings available. Some of the topics to chose from are: Adapting Curriculum to the Inclusive Classroom, Problem-Based Learning, Leadership for Effective Schools, Building Team Consensus, and Converting Title I Funding. Again this summer the cost of attending the Gabbard Institutes is very affordable. The three-day sessions will cost $440 and the five-day sessions are $630. These prices are for registration, room and board. Please contact the Center for Professional Development and Services at International Headquarters for a Gabbard Institutes brochure.

FASTBACK SPONSORSHIPS MAKE EXCELLENT CHAPTER PROJECTS

Fastback sponsorship begins with the chapter's contribution of $500 to the PDK Educational Foundation. In return, the chapter is recognized in the sponsored publication, receives 150 copies of the fastback, and, if the author is willing to travel, will be able to schedule an author seminar for a chapter meeting. Some chapters make fundraising to support the sponsorship an initial chapter project. Often, the subsequent author's visit is used to kick off a follow-up project. Fastback sponsorships are good for the Educational Foundation and for the sponsoring chapters alike. For further information, contact Donovan R. Walling, Editor of Special Publications, at PDK International Headquarters.

PHI DELTA KAPPA'S ED-LINK BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM

The bulletin board has been in operation since July 1995. It has been connected to the Internet since September 1995. The direct dial number for the BBS is 812-323-0291, or you can telnet to the bulletin board at bbs.pdkintl.org. Several items can be accessed on the BBS. These include information on travel seminars, announcements, new product information, Future Educators of America, sample chapter bylaws, chapter programs, PDK/Gallup Poll, workshops and professional development institutes, Executive Director's Memo, News, Notes, & Quotes, Washington Newsletter, and the product catalog. We also now have a web site accessible at www.pdkintl.org. Currently, there is only limited information available at this web site. However, this site is new and undergoing change. A complete listing of e-mail addresses for PDK Headquarters is included with this memo.

SPRING 1997 LEADERSHIP SKILL INSTITUTES

Chapters are invited to participate in the development of the Spring 1997 series of leadership skill institutes on "Inclusion: Its Impact and Ramifications on Education." Brief letters of interest are to be sent to Howard Hill, Director of Chapter Programs, at International Headquarters by May 1, 1996. Twelve chapters will be selected to develop the institutes.

ORIENTATION VIDEO REVISED, OLDER VERSION RECALLED

The orientation video used with initiates and entitled "Thank You for Joining Us..." has been revised. A new version is now available. The revised edition reflects the changes in PDK leadership (new president and new executive director). If you have a copy of the earlier version, please return it immediately to Tracy Fields at PDK. Feel free to request the new edition from your area coordinator or directly from International Headquarters.

NOMINATING COMMITTEES NEED TO GEAR UP

Chapters need to be sure that nominating committees have been appointed and are at work in identifying officers for 1996-97. Remember that your chapter's officers need to be reported to International Headquarters by May 31.

DELEGATES ARE ELECTED FOR TWO YEARS

When your chapter elects officers this spring, please remember that the person elected as delegate begins a two-year term. The person selected to represent your chapter is expected to attend the 1996 District Conference and the 1997 Biennial Council which will meet in Indianapolis. Although chapters may elect officers for two-year terms, the position of delegate is the only chapter office which is mandated as a two-year tenure.

COMMUNITY FORUMS ON THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Please see the enclosed description and request for proposals.