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Amended March 8, 2006 |
The object
of the Association shall be to advance public education |
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ARLINGTON
TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS |
NAME AND OBJECTIVE |
| Section 1 - Name |
| The name of this organization shall be the Arlington Teachers’ Association, an affiliate of the Illinois Education Association and the National Education Association. |
| Section 2 - Objective |
| 2.1 The object of the Association shall be to advance public education in Illinois and to work for the welfare of school children. |
| 2.2 The Association shall work to improve the professional and economic status of the membership. |
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MEMBERSHIP, RIGHTS AND
AFFILIATION |
| Section 1 - Membership |
| Membership shall be open to all certificated personnel of District 25 except for the following classifications: superintendent, central office administrative staff, principals, associate principals, other personnel whose primary function is administrative and/or supervisory in nature, and paraprofessionals. Membership is effective upon payment of the specified amount of dues in the Arlington Teachers’ Association, the Illinois Education Association, and the National Education Association. |
| Section 2 - Rights |
| 2.1 All members shall have the right to vote on any and all issues presented to them by the Executive Board, and/or the Negotiations Team, and/or any Association member. |
| 2.2 All members shall be represented by the Negotiations Team which shall bargain for salaries, fringe benefits, working conditions, and any other contractual issues. |
| 2.3 All members have the right to present a grievance or other matter of concern before the Executive Board and/or the Rights and Responsibilities Committee. |
| 2.4 All members shall be eligible for any office, except as otherwise provided in this Constitution. |
| Section 3 - Affiliation |
| This Association shall be affiliated with, and comply with the Bylaws of the Illinois Education Association and Constitution and Bylaws of the National Education Association. If there are any conflicts or inconsistencies between these Bylaws and the Bylaws or Constitution of the state or national organization, the state or national documents shall govern. |
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STRUCTURE & GOVERNANCE |
| Section 1 - Officers |
| The officers shall be a President, a Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. |
| Section 2 - Executive Board |
| The Executive Board shall consist of the elected officers. Additional individuals may be appointed as ex officio members at the discretion of the president. |
| Section 3 - Standing Committees |
| The Standing Committees shall be the Membership Committee, Welfare Committee, I-PACE Committee, Rights & Responsibilities Committee, Negotiations Committee, Public Relations Committee, Scholarship Committee and Elections Committee. |
| Section 4 - Ad hoc Committees |
| Ad hoc Committees may be appointed by the President with the consent of the Executive Board. |
| Section 5 - Representative Assembly |
| The Representative Assembly shall consist of the Executive Board and duly elected representatives from each school. |
| Section 6 - Term of Office |
| All officers and representatives shall receive their records and equipment and assume the responsibilities of their respective offices on June 1 following their election. |
| Section 7 - Right to Vote |
| All elected officers except the presiding officer of the Representative Assembly shall have one vote in the Representative Assembly. |
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OFFICERS |
| Section 1 - President |
| The President shall be the spokesperson for the Association and shall preside over meetings of the Executive Board, the Representative Assembly, and over all general meetings of the membership. |
| 1.1 The President shall appoint members to the Negotiations Committee subject to a simple majority of the Executive Board. |
| 1.2 The President shall appoint the chairpersons of all Standing Committees subject to a majority vote of the Representative Assembly. |
| 1.3 The President shall appoint ad hoc committees as he/she deems advisable with the consent of the Executive Board. |
| 1.4 The President shall serve for a two-year term. No person shall be eligible to serve more than two successive terms in the office of President, unless nominated by a petition of not less than 20% of the members entitled to vote at the election. |
| 1.5 To run for the office of President, a tenured general member must have served on the Executive Board or the Representative Assembly within the five years prior to the nomination. |
| 1.6 The President shall cosign all vouchers and cosign all checks with the Treasurer for ATA. |
| 1.7 The President or President’s designee shall act as spokesperson for the Association during negotiations. |
| 1.8 The President shall appoint an audit committee to audit all Association books of account, and present an audit report at the first regular Representative Assembly business meeting in the fall. |
| 1.9 The President shall attend a majority of District 25 School Board meetings. |
| Section 2 - Vice-President |
| The Vice-President, who is a tenured member, shall serve as Parliamentarian at meetings and shall have the powers and duties of the President in the President’s absence or inability to serve. |
| 2.1 The Vice-President shall have such powers and duties as may be assigned by the President. |
| 2.2 The Vice-President shall serve a two-year term. |
| 2.3 The Vice-President shall attend a majority of District 25 School Board meetings. |
| Section 3 - Secretary |
| The Secretary shall maintain the records and files of the Association and assist the President with correspondence. |
| 3.1 The Secretary shall prepare the agenda for the Representative Assembly subject to the approval of the President. |
| 3.2 The Secretary shall keep accurate minutes of all meetings of the Representative Assembly. The Representative Assembly minutes shall be made available to the members via the ATA web site and the building representatives. |
| 3.3 The Secretary shall notify members of regular and special meetings. |
| 3.4 The Secretary shall make the Constitution and By-Laws and all amendments available to all members via the ATA web site. |
| 3.5 The Secretary shall serve a two-year term. |
| 3.6 The Secretary shall attend some of the District 25 School Board meetings. |
| 3.7 The Secretary shall chair the Communications Committee. The Communications Committee includes the media liaison, the webmaster and other members, as appointed. |
| Section 4 - Treasurer |
| The Treasurer shall have charge of the funds and accounts of the Association and shall deposit all moneys in a bank or banks designated by the Assembly. |
| 4.1 The Treasurer shall transmit amounts due to the Illinois Education Association and the National Education Association. |
| 4.2 The Treasurer shall keep accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements. |
| 4.3 The Treasurer shall have the current financial report available at each meeting of the Executive Board. |
| 4.4 The Treasurer shall present a financial report at each meeting of the Representative Assembly and shall prepare an annual financial statement for distribution to the members as directed by the Executive Board. |
| 4.5 The Treasurer shall assemble proposals from officers and committee chairpersons in order to prepare a budget of income and disbursements to be presented to the first regular business meeting of the Representative Assembly as provided in Article VI, Section 1.7. |
| 4.6 The Treasurer shall sign all vouchers and checks to be cosigned by the President. |
| 4.7 The Treasurer shall serve a two-year term. |
| 4.8 The Treasurer shall attend some of the District 25 School Board meetings. |
| Section 5 - Vacancies |
| Officer vacancies occurring shall be filled as follows: |
| 5.1 A vacancy in the office of the President shall be filled by the Vice-President for the remainder of the unexpired term. |
| 5.2 If the vacancy occurs in any other office, the President shall appoint a successor for the remainder of the unexpired term, with the consent by majority vote of the Representative Assembly. |
| 5.3 If a vacancy occurs in both the office of President and of Vice-President, the Secretary and Treasurer shall share the President’s duties until an election is conducted by the Election Committee within sixty (60) days to complete the unexpired terms. |
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THE REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY |
| The Association representatives shall be members of the Association selected to provide two-way communication between the Association and the members, distribute materials to members personally, and conduct informative meetings. The representatives shall recruit volunteers for Association jobs and activities and generate support for Association positions and programs. The Association shall provide training for the representatives, keep the representatives informed of Association activities and positions, and provide incentives for attracting and retaining representatives. |
| Section 1 - The Representative Assembly |
| The Representative Assembly shall consist of chosen representatives from each building, apportioned among the members in the ratio of one representative for each eleven members or major fraction thereof. Each building with members shall have at least one representative. |
| 1.1 Representatives for the following year shall be chosen by their respective building members before April 30. |
| 1.2 Representatives shall be chosen for a two-year term. |
| 1.3 When vacancies occur in representation from a building, members in the building shall chose a new representative to fill the vacancy for the completion of the term. |
| 1.4 The Representative Assembly shall hold a meeting at least once a month during the school year, September through May. |
| 1.5 The Assembly shall consider the proposed budget submitted by the Treasurer at the first regular Representative Assembly business meeting of the school year. Upon approval by the Assembly, the budget will become the budget for the fiscal year. Should adjustments be necessary later in the year, these shall be submitted to the Representative Assembly for approval. |
| Section 2 - Representatives |
| The Representatives shall act as a liaison between the individual members and the Assembly and the Executive Board. |
| 2.1 The Representatives shall be responsible for disbursing membership information and disbursing and collecting forms as provided by the Executive Board. |
| 2.2 The Representatives shall be responsible for disseminating information from Representative Assembly meetings to members in their buildings. |
| 2.3 The Representatives shall be responsible for all Association balloting conducted within their respective building. |
| 2.4 The current building representatives shall announce at the May Representative Assembly business meeting the composition of the Representative Assembly for the coming year in compliance with Article V, Section 1; Adjustments shall be made at the second regular RA meeting in the fall. |
| 2.5 The Representatives shall be responsible for introducing their successor at the May meeting of the Assembly and for instructing them as to the duties of their office. |
| 2.6 The Representatives or Alternates shall attend all meetings of the Representative Assembly. If the building representative(s) should fail to attend three (3) or more meetings, the President may call for the selection of (a) new Building Representative(s). |
| Section 3 - Removal of Officers |
| The Representative Assembly may remove any officer from office for cause, upon recommendation of a majority of the members of the Representative Assembly in office and ratification by not less than three-fourths (3/4) of the general membership entitled to vote. |
| Section 4 - Expenditures |
| The Representative Assembly shall approve all expenditures not outlined in the budget of $100.00 or more except when the school is not in session. Should an emergency arise, the Executive Board is empowered to authorize the expenditure of funds; when this occurs, the Executive Board shall make a full report of this expenditure to the Representative Assembly at the next regular Representative Assembly meeting. |
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EXECUTIVE BOARD &
STANDING COMMITTEES |
| Section 1 - Executive Board |
| The Executive Board shall conduct and supervise the business of the organization as directed by the Representative Assembly, annually recommend a budget for adoption by the membership, undertake such expenditures as are necessary and reasonable for the operation of the Association, consent to the appointment of committees, plan and recommend programs to the membership, develop Bylaws, approve expenditures and consent to the filling of vacancies. |
| Section 2 - Membership Committee |
| The Membership Committee shall organize a membership drive annually for the District and shall disburse all membership forms and information for members of the Representative Assembly and the IEA and NEA. |
| Section 3 - Welfare Committee |
| The Welfare Committee shall gather and share information regarding members’ welfare. |
| Section 4 - Elections Committee |
| The Elections Committee shall communicate procedures, disseminate notices and conduct elections in accordance with IEA elections rules. The Elections Committee shall prepare ballots to be distributed to all building representatives for the secret ballot elections to be held in each building. |
| Section 5 - I-PACE Committee |
| The I-PACE Committee shall study pending legislation and promote activities in support of desirable bills and issues. The Committee shall also work in conjunction with independent political action groups approved by the Association and working in the interests of education and children. |
| Section 6 - Regional Council |
| The IEA Regional Council representatives will act as liaisons between the Association and the Region. |
| 6.1 - Duties: IEA Regional Council representatives shall attend the regional council meeting, represent the Association, and report Council activities to the Executive Board and Representative Assembly and membership as necessary. An alternate shall perform the duties of the Regional Council representative in his/her absence. |
| 6.2 - Election and Terms: The election of a Regional Council representative and alternate shall be as prescribed by the IEA Bylaws. |
| 6.3 - Vacancies: Vacancies for Regional Council representatives and alternates must be filled in the manner of the original election as prescribed by the IEA Bylaws. |
| Section 7 - Public Relations Committee |
| The Public Relations Committee shall provide liaisons to work cooperatively with parents, the Board of Education and the District. |
| 7.1 The Public Relations Committee shall consist of representatives to the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and ABC 25 Foundation. |
| Section 8 - Professional Rights & Responsibilities Committee |
| The Professional Rights & Responsibilities Committee shall develop Association positions on all matters pertaining to rights of Association members such as: academic freedom, leave, administrative discipline and dismissal, and grievance procedures and shall compile the data for support of such positions in negotiations. |
| 8.1 The Professional Rights & Responsibilities Committee shall process grievances as provided for in the Grievance Procedure negotiated between the Board of Education and the Arlington Teachers’ Association in the Master Contract. |
| Section 9 - Negotiations Team |
| The Negotiations Team shall act as the bargaining agent for the Arlington Heights District 25 Teachers in professional negotiations with the Board of Education. Members of the Team shall be appointed according to Article IV, Section 1.1. |
| 9.1 The Negotiations Team shall be responsible for soliciting input from the membership, collecting and organizing the information, and presenting the proposed package to the Representative Assembly for approval by simple majority. |
| 9.2 Upon Representative Assembly approval, the Negotiations Team and the President or designee will work together in the preparation of the Negotiations Proposal for Presentation to the Bargaining Agent for the Arlington Heights District 25 Board of Education. |
| 9.3 The Negotiations Team shall be responsible for organizing and presenting the tentative agreement to the general membership for ratification by a simple majority vote. |
| Section 10 - Scholarship Committee |
| The Scholarship Committee shall publicize the annual college scholarship(s) for the children of Association members. The Committee shall prepare and collect and review applications. The Scholarship Committee will award the scholarship(s). |
| Section 11 - Communications Committee |
| The purpose of the Communications Committee is to communicate information back to the representatives and the members of ATA. Communication will be made through the regular use of e-mail, periodic newsletters and an ATA web site. The Communications Committee is chaired by the Secretary and includes the media liaison, the webmaster and other members, as appointed. |
| Section 12 - Employee Recognition Committee |
| The Employee Recognition Committee recognizes individuals who have given many years of service to the district. It shall also be responsible for assisting with the planning of the district retirement celebration. |
| Section 13 - Calendar Committee |
| The Calendar Committee is made up of teachers, administrators and parents. It shall compile a school calendar for the following year. The primary responsibility of the members is to attend meetings, usually one or two, and work with other members to reach an agreement about days of attendance for students and staff. |
| Section 14 - Crisis Intervention Committee |
| The Crisis Intervention Committee shall be a liaison between the nurses, ATA, and the district. For example, the committee might come to the ATA and tell them that it is working on updating the Crisis Management book or something similar. |
| Section 15 - Finance Committee |
| Through the use of the District’s annual budget (AB) and annual financial report (AFR), the Finance Committee shall be responsible for monitoring the District’s current financial trends. It shall meet with the district administration throughout the school year to discuss the financial status of the district. |
| Section 16 - Insurance Committee |
| The purpose of the Insurance Committee shall be to keep abreast of current trends and to seek ways to make our insurance program better and more cost effective. The Insurance Committee may only make recommendations to the ATA and Board of Education, with changes occurring through the Professional Agreement or Memoranda of Understanding. The committee is made up of representatives from the ATA, representation from other collective bargaining groups, the district administration, and selected members from employee groups not covered by a collective bargaining agreement. |
| Section 17 - New Teacher Committee |
| The New Teacher Committee shall be responsible for helping to make the ATA more visible to new members by planning and implementing the programs presented to new teachers during the new teacher orientation and other informational meetings, as well as providing goodie bags and other fun treats to new teachers at critical times throughout the school year. |
| Section 18 - Rules and Regulations Committee |
| Association members of the Rules and Regulations Committee shall examine, discuss, evaluate and eventually recommend as a committee to the School Board any proposed additions and/or changes to the District Policy Manual. |
| Section 19 - Social Committee |
| The Social Committee shall plan, host and coordinate social events for the ATA. |
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NOMINATIONS & ELECTIONS |
| Section 1 - Nominating Committee |
| The President shall appoint a nominating committee with the consent of the Executive Board to slate candidates for the offices of President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer, no later than the February Representative Assembly meeting of an election year. |
| 1.1 The Nominating Committee shall present its slate at the Representative Assembly meeting in March and shall, at that time, accept nominations for all offices from the floor. |
| 1.2 A secret ballot election shall be held in each building during the third week in April. |
| 1.3 The Nominating Committee shall report results to the President who shall make them available to the members. |
| Section 2 - IEA and NEA Convention Delegates |
| Delegates and Alternates to the annual IEA and NEA Conventions shall be elected by the general membership. |
| Section 3 - Regional Council Representatives |
| Regional Council Representatives and Alternates shall be elected by the general membership. |
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VOTING |
| Section 1 - Representative Assembly |
| All chosen Representatives in the Assembly shall have one vote. |
| 1.1 All elected officers except the presiding officer of the Assembly shall have one vote in the Assembly. |
| 1.2 In case of a tie vote, the presiding officer shall cast the tie-breaking vote. |
| Section 2 - Voting Procedures |
| Voting on the proposed Negotiations Package, Constitution/Bylaws Amendments, elections and other issues as determined by the Representative Assembly shall be conducted by secret ballot. |
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MEETINGS |
| Section 1 - Executive Board Meetings |
| The Executive Board shall meet prior to each regular meeting of the Representative Assembly and whenever else the President deems it necessary. |
| Section 2 - Representative Assemblies |
| The Representative Assembly shall meet the third Monday of each month, September - May, subject to change by the Executive Board. |
| 2.1 All Representative Assembly meetings are open to members of the Arlington Teachers’ Association. |
| Section 3 - General membership Meetings |
| General Membership meetings can be called by the President when deemed necessary or by petition of one-third (1/3) of the general membership. |
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RATIFICATION & AMENDMENTS |
| Section 1 - Ratification |
| This Constitution/Bylaws shall be ratified by a two-thirds (2/3) favorable vote of the votes cast by Arlington Teachers’ Association members in a referendum called by the Representative Assembly, provided that copies of this Constitution shall have been made available to each member at least two weeks prior to the referendum. |
| Section 2 - Legitimacy |
| This Constitution/Bylaws supersedes all prior constitutions of the Arlington Teachers’ Association. |
| Section 3 - Effective Date |
| This Constitution/Bylaws shall take effect upon ratification. |
| Section 4 - Amendments |
| This Constitution/Bylaws may be amended by a favorable two-thirds (2/3) vote of Arlington Teachers’ Association members entitled to cast a vote, provided that the proposed amendment shall have been made available to each member at least two weeks prior to the referendum. Amendments shall become effective immediately following approval, unless otherwise provided for in the amendment. |
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RULES OF ORDER |
| Section 1 - Robert's Rules of Order, Revised |
| Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, shall be the authority on all questions of procedure not specifically stated in the Constitution and Bylaws. |
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DUES |
| Section 1 - Annual Dues |
| The amount of annual dues shall be determined by majority vote of the Representative Assembly at a regular meeting. |
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QUORUM |
| Section 1 - Representative Assembly Quorum |
| A quorum for any Representative Assembly meeting of the Arlington Teachers’ Association shall consist of a majority of the building representatives and eligible voting officers. No business shall be transacted in the absence of a quorum. |
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THE FISCAL YEAR |
| Section 1 - Fiscal Calendar |
| The fiscal year of the Association shall commence on September 1 of each year and end on August 31 of the next succeeding year. |
