New within the POD Workplace
Fran ended her time as Previous President on a excessive notice, main a profitable seek for POD’s new Government Director. You’ll be able to anticipate an e-mail from Fran quickly with the formal announcement of our new ED, who will start work in August. I’m extremely grateful to Fran and all of the members of the search committee for the time and care they put into this course of.
The staffing of the POD Workplace continues to evolve to fulfill the altering wants of our group. The brand new ED might be becoming a member of Gaye Webb, not too long ago promoted to Administrative Supervisor, and Karen Johnson, our new half-time Administrative Assistant, to employees the POD Workplace.
As a part of the continuing reorganization of POD’s skilled employees, now we have determined to not renew Keeghan Sinanan’s contract as POD’s social media supervisor. We thank Keeghan for his service to the POD Community and the various methods he’s helped develop our digital presence. The Digital Assets & Innovation Committee might be stepping as much as handle our social media accounts in the interim. The brand new Government Director might be answerable for persevering with to guage the wants of the POD Community and form the workplace employees accordingly.
Conference Updates
At their June enterprise assembly, the Core Committee met with the Convention Co-Chairs, Kristin English and Heeyoung Kim, to listen to the newest updates from the convention group. The convention group has gone above and past this 12 months, stepping as much as fill the gaps left by Hoag’s departure, and Core expressed their nice appreciation for all their work to date.
Kristin and Heeyoung shared that they acquired 434 complete convention submissions that had been reviewed by 192 reviewers. As soon as these critiques had been accomplished, 21 Session Coordinators supplied further feedback concerning which classes ought to be programmed by session kind. Selections about proposal acceptances ought to be going out by mid-July.
Kristin and Heeyoung additionally shared a pair adjustments being made this 12 months. One, they heard the suggestions about session size and determined to return to 60 and 75 minutes for many classes. The net venue will function recording of classes to permit attendees to look at classes after this 12 months, plus attendees can have the choice to twin register for each the Pittsburgh and on-line venues. Core additionally spent an excellent period of time discussing the well being precautions we’ll be setting up on the convention. As soon as these particulars are finalized, we’ll share full plans with the membership.
Price range Selections
The majority of Core’s work in June was devoted to approving a balanced finances for the 2023-2024 fiscal 12 months. Constructing the finances includes anticipating what income POD might be bringing on this coming 12 months — primarily by way of membership and convention registration charges — and ensuring the group’s anticipated prices don’t exceed that estimate. POD’s bills include salaries and advantages for POD Workplace personnel, convention bills, and funds to help applications and initiatives popping out of our volunteer-led committees and Particular Curiosity Teams.
Responsibly balancing the finances was tough this 12 months, and I’m grateful to Chad Hershock, Finance Committee Chair, for his exemplary management of this course of. Inflation, together with hikes in A/V and meals prices, dramatically elevated convention prices. Moreover, POD management acknowledged the necessity to develop the POD Workplace to fulfill rising organizational wants. The Government Committee additionally selected to considerably increase salaries for the Government Director and Administrative Supervisor. The POD Community has traditionally paid the POD Workplace employees effectively beneath market charges, a state of affairs that restricted our capability to recruit and retain gifted employees and likewise is counter to POD’s commitments to fairness and inclusion. The above elements, together with bigger finances requests from POD committees and SIGs over the past two years, elevated bills by over $300,000.
The Finance, Core, and Convention Committees labored rigorously to scale back bills, making quite a few tough selections. Price range cuts included eliminating the social media place within the POD Workplace, planning to carry the Spring 2024 Core Committee enterprise assembly remotely, decreasing convention meals bills, and placing an $80,000 cap on complete allocations to POD committees and SIGs (i.e., roughly 50% of the funds requested). The POD Workplace and Finance Committee proceed to discover new income sources (e.g., sponsors for the convention, productive but low threat funding methods). Nevertheless, within the absence of substantive and fast new income sources, Core voted to boost membership charges by $35 and convention registration charges by $90 to be able to steadiness the finances.
The POD Community’s purpose is to supply most member advantages whereas holding membership and convention charges as little as doable. For reference, from 2017-2022 convention and membership charges didn’t improve appreciably. POD’s 2023 charges stay decrease than many comparable on-site and distant education-related conferences that supply fewer classes than POD. Moreover, Core was nonetheless in a position to fund a lot of extant and new applications aligned with values prioritized in POD’s strategic plan, together with, however not restricted to: Wulff Variety Fellowships (DEI Committee), Profession Improvement Grants (GPPD SIG), analysis grants (Scholarship Committee), e book golf equipment (Fairness & Training SIG), and Scholarly Writing Fellowships (To Enhance the Academy).
Decreasing Monetary Limitations & Wants-Based mostly Assist Pilot
As a part of their finances discussions, Core additionally reviewed the report not too long ago submitted by the Decreasing Monetary Limitations advert hoc committee, charged with investigating methods the POD Community may decrease monetary obstacles that restrict participation within the group. Essentially the most important of the advert hoc’s suggestions was a proposal to pilot a Wants-Based mostly Assist program to help journey and registration prices for the distant and Pittsburgh conferences. Core accredited $25,000 — to be taken from any surplus funds from FY23 and POD’s investments if essential — to fund the pilot. Moreover, pending analysis of the pilot, Core accredited a plan to finance the same or bigger fund in future years that will not improve membership or convention charges.
We acknowledge that the needs-based support pilot will solely deal with a few of the actual want our members can face in attending the convention. We’ll proceed to discover choices for the way we will make participation in POD accessible to all in our neighborhood.
I’m excited concerning the work that the Government Committee, Core Committee, and all of POD’s volunteer leaders have forward of us this 12 months. And I look ahead to sharing that good work with you because it develops.
Sincerely,
Stacy
Stacy Grooters (she/her)
President, The POD Community
Government Director, Middle for Instructing Excellence
Boston School