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Dear colleagues,

After a lot of listening and learning since the launch of our work in April, our Ad Hoc Budget Sustainability Committee finalized and shared our final report with Fernando and the leadership team on July 1. 

We took our task very seriously, and I am proud of the work we have put into this report. We honor budget realties while making space for imaginative, strategic, and collective approaches. We greatly appreciated the feedback that many folks provided us, including 20+ webform submissions and several visits to our office hours.  

In the report, we contextualized the School of Education budget, recent changes to our fiscal situation, and our current deficit, which needs to be addressed. We also described the process that led to the report and its recommendations and some potential limitations. We recognize the complexity of our organization and acknowledge that recommendations may not fully account for challenges we each face as community members, long-term budgetary impacts, and related work that is already in progress.  

In the spirit of transparency that has been embedded in our charge, we are releasing the full report. There is one redacted appendix that included some calculations that require further review and cross-checking before it can be released by the interim dean and leadership team later this summer.  

I learned so much about our school as a member and the chair of the committee. As a member of the faculty for 23 years and a part of the former budget committee, I came into this process with a working knowledge of our school, but I gained far more than I expected. This experience deepened my understanding of the school, and it strengthened my feelings of connection. I have great respect for my committee colleagues, who care deeply about our school and its future. 

As our committee reflected, we agreed we would like to see more experiences in our school structured in this way — with representation across program areas and faculty-staff-student siloes with the goal of enhancing transparency, equity, and our collective mission. The work was often not easy, but it was fulfilling. I hope others will consider actively participating and sharing their experiences when future opportunities arise.  

With respect,
Valerie Otero, Budget Sustainability Committee Chair  
 

  View the Budget Sustainability Committee Final Report

Dear all,  

I want to extend my sincere thanks to Valerie and the members of the committee: Travis Anderson, Oded Gurantz, Roudy Hildreth, Emily Johns-O'Leary, Kelsey Ostenaa, Karla Scornavacco, and Terri Wilson. I was very encouraged by their insights and the thoughtfulness of their recommendations. I am impressed with the amount of work that the committee conducted in the 2.5 months that they had to complete the project. I also want to thank everyone who has contributed their voice in the process—this is not one person’s project, but rather our collective process.  

For the next steps, I am carefully reviewing recommendations with the leadership team to develop a roadmap and implementation strategy for moving forward. We are also awaiting the report of the organizational study that our partners at C-Shift are working on. On August 21 at the semester-start meeting for all faculty and staff, we will have time to discuss the findings of both reports. To further transparency and equity, this will be the next opportunity for each of us to learn and collaborate on budgeting changes.  

I acknowledge change can be challenging as we keep working together to make the operations of our school more sustainable, but I am filled with hope and appreciation for our continued conscientious process. 

With gratitude, 
Fernando Rosario-Ortiz, Interim Dean