2010 Business Meeting Minutes and Resolutions

  • Call to order
  • Approval of minutes of March 22, 2009 minutes
  • President’s report
  • Executive Director’s report & elections

Jeff Milligan reported that the Elections Committee had selected Gert Biesta as president-elect of the Society. Barbara Stengel was elected to a two-year term on the Executive Board, replacing Cris Mayo. Milligan and Thompson apologized neglecting to hold an election for a new member of COPA. An election will be held soon after the conference to elect one person to fill out the term that should have begun with this conference and a second person to fill a full five-year term beginning with the 2011 conference.

Milligan reported on the state of membership and the Society’s finances.
Membership
2009-10           310                                                                  1999-00           522
2008-09           327                                                                  1998-99           527
2007-08           491                                                                  1997-98           459
2006-07           412                                                                  1996-97           441
2005-06           465                                                                  1995-96           465
2004-05           447                                                                  1994-95           358
2003-04           477                                                                  1993-94           322
2002-03           445                                                                  1992-93           310
2001-02           459                                                                  1991-92           279
2000-01           479                                                                  1990-91           250
Finances


Funds

April 05

April 06

March 07

April 08

March 09

April 10

Kneller

$75,550

$77,353

$80,811

$84,425

$56,364

$79,480

Legacy

$20,355

$21,079

$21,059

$21,614

$17,576

$22,153

Operational

$53,131

$48,063

$53,704

73,908

$61,958

$61,571

Total

$149,037

146,496

155,574

$179,942

$135,898

$163,214

The on-going recovery in financial markets has enabled us to recover from our losses last year in the Legacy Fund and almost recover our losses in the Kneller Fund. The Operational Fund fluctuates considerably due to inflows from dues, conference registrations, etc. and outflows for the conference, Educational Theory, the Yearbook, etc. so this is really not an accurate comparison from year to year.
Membership is a little lower than at this point last year; however, it may have stabilized. Nevertheless, membership is down considerably from 2008 and previous years. It is the lowest it has been in 18 years.  The precipitous drop last year, and the continuing lower numbers this year may be due largely to the economic crisis and unemployment, but it is worth considering whether there are other factors that we have not considered and that we might be able to impact.
I typically put reminders in each of the Updates,  and then some time in the fall send out individual reminders to those with lapsed memberships in the previous two years. I have not sent individual reminders to individuals whose memberships have been expired for more than two years on the assumption that they have made a decision regarding their membership. (I have had one or two complaints from such members about continuing to receive communications from us.) I could go ahead and contact everyone on our list. That might net a few more memberships.
As for costs and fees, our membership and registration fees have remained the same for several years. The membership fee is based on income, with a $35 minimum for students and unemployed. Our costs per member are roughly $25 for the Yearbook, and $5 per issue of Educational Theory. We have added however a fifth and sixth issue of Ed Theory. So our cost per member is roughly $55 each.
Conference registration remains at $150 for non-members, $120 for members, $40 for student members and $60 for student non-members. Our total conference costs this year, assuming attendance is roughly what it was last year, will be around $177 per person. Food and beverage expenses are considerably higher this year, approximately $121 per person. Just anecdotally, I’ve noticed many more individuals registering as student or unemployed than I recall last year. Given these figures I do not believe total receipts for registration will balance with actual conference costs.
Lonna Smith, who has assisted us in negotiating hotel contracts for Cambridge, San Francisco, and next year’s conference in St. Louis, has suggested we consider attractive smaller cities for future conference venues. Costs may be lower than San Francisco, Miami and other major cities we have visited.

  • Committee reports
    • Program Committee/Program format: Gert Biesta noted that 16 brilliant people served on the Program Committee. He also noted the difficulty of balancing and getting as many people involved in the program as possible, while keeping the program selective. Doing some research to ask members how necessary it is for people to be on the program, to get institutional support.

 

    • Hospitality Committee: Susan Verducci named and thanked the people on the Committee. She raised the issue of the high cost of AV support and the problem of last minute requests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    • Educational Theory/Yearbook:

    PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION SOCIETY
    ACCOUNT SUMMARY
    JANUARY - DECEMBER 2009
    Account Balance as of January 1, 2009 $3,477.91
    Expenses
    Salary $1551.78/mo x 3 mos $ 5 ,314.93 w/ benefits
    Postage $ 544.03
    Office Expenses (copy chrgs & labels) $ 72.00
    Total Expenses $ 5 ,930.96
    Income
    Received payments for PES $6,841.92
    Account balance as of December 31, 2009 $4,388.87
    Revenue to Executive Director for the 2009 issue $4,561.50
    There are currently 6 Pending Invoices for a total of $237.00 and 5 pending Prepay libraries for a total of $177.50.
    (As of March 2010; note that the revenue figure may not reflect all payments made directly to Executive Director.)
    FYI: Curran Associate ordered 9 less books this Yearbook orders this year.
    2009 Yearbook Total Expenses through March 2010
    *750 copies at 448 pp each, Cushing-Malloy printing (estimated) $ 5,695.00
    *Packaging/handling for copies shipped direct from Printer (estimated) $ 630.00
    **Shipping (of books only, by Cushing-Malloy and through UIUC) (estimated) $ 2,775.00
    Summer Graduate Assistantship $ 5,314.93
    Joyce Atkinson 100 hours @ $20.00/hr $ 2,000.00
    TOTAL (printing, shipping, and labor) $ 1 6,414.93
    Approximate per book cost $ 19.11
    Comparison of Printing/Shipping/Labor Costs
    Less Approx. Library Revenues for 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 Yearbooks
    2006 2007 2008 2009
    GA Salary $ 5 ,023.74 $ 4,966.17 $ 5,114.40 $ 5,314.93
    Project Management $ 2 ,000.00 $ 2,160.00 $ 2 ,000.00 $ 2,000.00
    *Printing & Packaging (estimated) $ 6 ,713.85 $ 7,559.48 $ 7 ,062.94 $ 6,445.00
    **Postage & C-M mailing* (estimated) $ 2 ,843.45 $ 2,523.75 $ 2 ,853.29 $ 2,775.00
    Revenue to PES (Executive Director) $ (5,350.00) $ (5,598.40) $ (5,256.00) $ (4,614.50)
    Office Expenses $ - $ 41.24 $ 4.40 $ 72.00
    Totals $ 11,231.04 $ 1 1,652.24 $ 11,779.03 $ 11,992.43
    * The 2009 Yearbook is currently being printed (books should ship by April 19, 2010), so we have not received the final
    invoice and have projected the costs based on the printer's estimate. At this stage in the process, the projected figure of
    $6,445 should be very close to the final charge for printing and packaging.
    ** This is a projection of the shipping costs for the 2009 Yearbook. It's too early to be confident of the final figure here, but an
    estimate of $2,500-$3,000 is likely sound. We are shipping fewer copies this year but the postage has increased.
    Wiley - Blackwell Sales, Circulation, and Readership Data
    • All the end of 2009, ther were 856 institutional subscriptions to Educational Theory, representing a revewal rate of 96%.
    • Educational Theory is also available through our licensed sales program in more than 2,600 institutions.
    • Within the licensed sales program, 309 subscriptions are protected under multi-year licensing agreements.
    Top Articles Volume Issue Downloads
    Gert Biesta
    Why "What Works" Won't Work: Evidence-Based Practice and the
    Democratic Deficit in Educational Research 57 1 1,166
    Scot Danforth
    John Dewey's Contributions to an Educational Philosophy of
    Intellectual Disability 58 1 674
    Leonard J. Waks The Concepts of Fundamental Educational Change 57 3 655
    Frank Margonis
    John Dewey's Racialized Visions of the Student and Classroom
    Community 59 1 455
    Michael G. Levykh
    The Affective Establishment and Maintenance of Vygotsky's Zone of
    Proximal Development 58 1 433
    J.J. Chambliss Philosophy of Education Today 59 2 428
    Christopher Martin
    R.S. Peters and Jurgen Habermas: Presuppositions of Practical
    Reason and Educational Justice 59 1 411
    Perry L. Glanzer
    Rethinking the Boundaries and Burdens of Parental Authority Over
    Education: A Response to Rob Reich's Case Study of Homeschooling 58 1 346
    Lynn Fendler and Irfan Muzaffar The History of the Bell Curve: Sorting and the Idea of Normal 58 1 299
    Jim Garrison Teacher as Prophetic Trickster 59 1 293
    Content Management
    • In 2009, we increased the frequency of Educational Theory to 5 issues per volume; the 2009 page count was 626 pages.
    • Four out of the five issues published in 2009, with the last issue publishing just outside the volume year.
    • In 2009 there was 95,538 full-text downloads to Educational Theory (an increase of 30% from 2008) and 1,497 registrants to email table of contents alerts,
    compared with 1,483 in 2008.
    • The most downloaded Educational Theory article in 2009 was "Why 'What Works' Won't Work: Evidence-Based Practice and the Democratic Deficit in
    Educational Research," by Gert Biesta (1,166 full-text accesses).
    Wiley-Blackwell is still in the process of preparing their year-end report for 2009. The 2009 figures should be fairly
    sound but there may be further adjustments.
    2009* 2008 2007 2006
    VOLUME 59 VOLUME 58 VOLUME 57 VOLUME 56
    INCOME:
    Subscription $ 131,125.00 $ 182,449.00 $ 158,543.00 $ 1 29,704.00
    Consortia Revenue $ 6,469.00 $ 7,131.00 $ 8,738.00 $ 6,895.00
    Member Revenue $ 8,384.00 $ 9,840.00 $ 10,960.00 $ 11,165.00
    Other:
    Back Issue/Single Issue $ 3 17.00 $ 5 95.00 $ 9 9.00 $ 587.00
    Offprints $ - $ - $ 3 25.00 $ -
    Advertising $ 2 50.00 $ - $ - $ 100.00
    Rights & Permissions $ 7,033.00 $ 6,254.00 $ 8,763.00 $ 5,520.00
    Total Income: $ 153,578.00 $ 206,269.00 $ 187,428.00 $ 1 53,971.00
    EXPENSES:
    Production $ 16,393.00 $ 16,303.00 $ 18,010.00 $ 18,317.00
    Distribution & Fulfillment $ 7,808.00 $ 8,856.00 $ 8,907.00 $ 9,258.00
    Marketing $ 2,596.00 $ 3,584.00 $ 3,393.00 $ 3,903.00
    Electronic Deliverables $ 3,247.00 $ 3,157.00 $ 3,104.00 $ 2,862.00
    Total Expenses: $ 30,044.00 $ 31,900.00 $ 33,414.00 $ 34,340.00
    NET INCOME: $ 123,124.00 $ 174,369.00 $ 154,014.00 $ 1 19,631.00
    AMOUNT DUE TO EDTH
    $ 57,375.00 $ 82,265.00 $ 71,527.00 $ 54,233.00
    Less excess page charges $ - $ - $ - $ -
    $ 57,375.00 $ 82,265.00 $ 71,527.00 $ 54,233.00
    Total amount
    due to EDTH:
    * The share of profit due to Educational Theory is $57,375
    * Total revenue for Educational Theory in 2009 was $153,578
    50% of Surplus excluding
    member revenue
    Educational Theory
    * 2009 figures not yet final
    Statement of Income from Wiley-Blackwell
    4/12/1012:42 PMGroups:EdTheory:PES Reports:Manuscript Reports:2009 ET Review Analysis.XLS

      • Ed. Theory: downloads are up from last year. The renewal rate is 96%. Finances are not up-to-date in the report. Financially, it is doing fine. It is trying to build the field with revenues and through special issues. Its rejection rate is consistent, but there are more invited symposia—an effort to make them into regional events. Next year, it will try to adopt an experiment: having a theme for the conference and using that as a basis for a special PES issue.
        • Audrey T. noted that the Society is seeking input with respect to this issue.
      • Yearbook: Nick Burbules noted that the Yearbook will be discontinued because it is obsolete and expensive: it would save the Society about $5,000/year to discontinue the printed version. There is a new, cleaner website for the Yearbook back to 1996. The possibility of scanning the older volumes of the Yearbook and archiving everything online was discussed.
        • Sasha asked if we can shift to on-demand or opt-out of Yearbook.
        • Paul S. said that won’t change the cost.
    • COPA: Ron G. said that it will continue to try to write what they are hearing about what constitutes theory of education, and the intersections between our theorizing and other kinds of educational theorizing.
    • COSW: Sharon T., speaking on behalf of Megan L., noted a special alternative session on Lorraine Code. COSW needs three new members to be appointed to it (by Eamonn).
    • Committee on Race and Ethnicity: no report from Troy.
    • Membership Committee: Paul S., in response to the question about why our membership has gone down, and the comment that few institutions are really represented within PES, said that we don’t see what we can do to get new members, and that it’s up to the membership to decide.
      • A suggestion on how to increase membership is to involve more colleges/universities within PES.
      • Ron G. asked whether it could be that how we define philosophy of education excludes some younger people who theorize but don’t see themselves as philosophers, and added that we need to organize and think in new ways on how to survive as an organization.
      • Another suggestion regarding conference locations: keep in mind airline costs to smaller locales.
      • Another suggestion (from the audience) regarding achieving a better budget balance  with respect to conference expenditures, that we should not raise student registration rates if we can help it, or perhaps even cut it out altogether (we can’t), that faculty should bear the burden of the cost, that we need more institutional support (speakers included, Barbara Applebaum, Lenny Waks, and Barbara Stengel)
      • Another suggestion that we consider offering a small discount for people who pay for membership for 2-3 years at a time.
      • David H. suggested that Eamonn and Rob should take a more systematic approach to draw more people to the conference.
      • Barbara A. asked about the correlation between conference registration and membership, about whether people who do not go to the conference pay their membership dues, and about whether we should require people who want to submit to the program to become members.
      • James fears that this would drop our membership.
      • Lenny said he is looking for other ways to get people involved.
      • Nick B. said that we are subsidizing $12,000/year, or a little over $36/member.
      • Jeff M. suggested that if you can recruit colleagues to PES, then that will give us more income.
      • Dennis P. said that we did an envelope-stuffing marking to people who weren’t paid up, and that got us more renewals.
      • Lynn S. asked whether we need a motion, or a straw vote, to raise membership $5 across the board. After taking a straw vote, it appeared that about half the room or a little more were in favor. Three hands were against. Several people didn’t vote, and perhaps prefer, say, raising dues, but not across the board.
      • John C. said that raising dues should not preclude getting members to renew.
      • Deron B. reminded the Society that all of these suggestions require labor from the Executive Director. He suggested that we look at the numbers over time and track geographical patterns to see what makes a difference, rather than ask the Executive Director to do all this work without knowing whether it helps.
    • Jobs Committee: 5 students attended their session, and Michal K. thought it was successful.
    • Elections Committee: Jeff M., on behalf of Cris Mayo, said that Audrey needs to belatedly organize COPA elections to fill one term that should have begun with this conference and a second to fill a full term that will begin with the 2011 conference.

 

  • Position of the member directory on the website
    • Jeff M. reports that the membership was taken down—we are looking for ways to add password protection or perhaps just put the list back up, since until this year we’ve had no problems.
    • Sophie H.G. suggested that we should institute password protection.
    • Andrea B. pointed out that some conferences simply ask for your last name and first initial, and that seems to work fine.
    • Audrey T. said that might be fine, as we are likely to have more trouble with members remembering their passwords than with people getting in who shouldn’t.
  • Discussion of union and hotel contracting issues
    • Audrey and Jeff asked for some sense of the sentiments of the membership regarding the escape clause.
    • John Covaleskie: when I tried to put in language in the contract that would allow us to withdraw from the contract based on our principles, I got laughed out of the room—suggestion that we work with unionized hotels that have a contract—find out from hotel when the contract expires.
    • Michael K: it takes a long time to negotiate hotel deals.
    • Jeff M: testimony to Lonna’s work.
    • Frank Margonis: long term planning seems necessary.
    • Michael K: maybe have a committee, but if you have priorities, you have to be sure that you will have hospitality people in place.