I agree that the budget pressure is external and ask that we try to direct
it there rather than at one another.  But as others have persuasively
argued, as we must make difficult decisions within the academic side of the
budget, there should be similar attention paid to the non-academic budget,
and I hope that additional information about those decision making
processes (not just the final decisions) will be forthcoming.

Specific to my concerns about the Children's Center, I appreciate the
additional information provided by Provost.  However, it does not answer my
questions.  Again, I want to know if we are comparing apples to apples.  So
the number of children served at UTK or UT Martin is not sufficient.  What
kind of programs do they have?  (full-day, all year, infants and young
children versus after-school?),  Where does their money come from? (Are
directors paid from faculty positions or does all salary come from the
Children's Center budget lines).  The same for the local child care centers
selected for comparison (and why were those selected?).  We can tell
whether or not they serve infants and we know their weekly fees.  However,
what is the quality and training of their staff?  What wages do they
pay?  Do they provide benefits?  What is their rating and/or are they
accredited?  Whether or not we can determine a specific $$ amount it costs
"extra" to run the Children's Center as a lab school, it is clear to me
that a large part of that "extra" cost is likely to be the higher wages and
benefits we MUST provide our staff if they are to serve as models for best
practices.

Amye Warren