Constitution
of the
Phillipsburg Education Association
Article I -
Name
Section 1. The name of this
Association is the Phillipsburg Education
Association.
Article II -
Purposes
Section 1. To work for the
welfare of school children, the advancement of education,
and the improvement of instructional opportunities for
all.
Section 2. To improve the
professional, economic, social, and civic status of
teachers and support personnel.
Section 3. To build solidarity
among the members of the profession and to act as a unit
in the solution of problems.
Section 4. To cooperate with the
Parent-Teacher Associations and other civic bodies having
educational objectives.
Section 5. To develop and promote
the adoption of such ethical practices, personnel
policies, and standards of preparation and participation
as mark a profession.
Article III -
Membership
Section 1. All active
professional and educational support personnel whose
units have been certified as eligible by the New Jersey
Public Employees Relations Commission shall be eligible
for active membership in the Association.
Section 2. Retired teachers and
retired support personnel shall be honorary
members.
Article IV -
Officers
Section 1. The officers of
this organization shall consist of a President, a
Vice-President, a Recording Secretary, a Corresponding
Secretary, and a Treasurer.
Article V -
Executive Committee
Section 1. The Executive
Committee shall consist of the elected officers of the
Association, the immediate past president, and one
representative per twenty (20) Association members or
majority fraction thereof, per building.
Section 2. If a roll call vote is
taken of members at an Executive Committee meeting, each
representative shall have that number of votes equal to
that number of Association members in their
representative unit.
Article VI -
Recall Procedures
Section 1. The decision to
remove an officer of the Association must rest with the
general membership. An officer may be removed from office
by one of the following procedures:
- If a two-thirds
(2/3) majority of the Association's Executive
Committee is in agreement, a special election shall be
called to determine whether or not an officer shall
continue to discharge his/her
duties.
- If ten percent (10%) of the
active membership petition the Executive Committee, a
special election may be held to determine
whether or not an officer shall continue to discharge
his/her duties.
- If twenty-five percent (25%)
of the active membership petition the Executive
Committee, a special election shall be held to
determine whether or not an officer shall continue to
discharge his/her duties.
Section 2. In the
aforementioned special elections, a majority of those
casting ballots shall determine whether or not an officer
shall continue to discharge his/her duties.
Article
VII - Amendments
Section 1. All amendments
shall be reviewed by the Executive Committee and shall be
made available to the membership at least ten (10) days
before the vote shall be taken.
Section 2. Amendments
shall be adopted by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of those
voting.
By-Laws
of the
Phillipsburg Education Association
Article I
- Rules of Order
Section 1. Robert's Rules
of Order shall be the authority on all questions of
procedure which are not specifically stated in this
Constitution and By-Laws.
Article II
- Meetings
Section 1. The Executive
Committee shall meet monthly from September through June
and at the call of the President.
Section 2. General
Meetings
- General
Meetings must be held at least twice a
year.
- Notice of any meeting shall
be posted in each school at least one (1) week prior
to the date of such meeting. An agenda shall be made
available to the membership.
- A special meeting may
be called if ten (10) members make a written request
to the Executive Committee.
- A special meeting
shall be called if 10% of the members make a
written request to the Executive
Committee.
Article III -
Election of Officers
Section 1. The nominating
committee shall consist of five (5) members appointed by
the President with the consent of the Executive
Committee.
a. The nominating
committee shall present a slate of nominees for the
various elected offices at the March meeting of the
Executive Committee. This slate shall be made
available to the general membership within one (1)
week of its presentation.
Section 2. Supplemental
nominations may be made by forwarding a petition
containing the names of the nominee(s) along with the
signatures of 5% of the active membership to the
chairperson of the nominations committee. This
supplemental nomination must be received no less than one
week prior to the date of the April General Membership
Meeting.
Section 3. At the April
General Meeting, no supplemental nominations may be made
from the floor. The election of officers shall be held in
April by secret ballot in each building.
- In order for a
person to be declared a winner, s/he shall receive
one-half (1/2) of those votes cast plus one (1). In
the event that no candidate receives a majority, a
second election shall be held within one (1) week
between the two (2) candidates receiving the largest
percentage of the votes.
- The elected officers are
encouraged to attend Executive Committee meetings upon
election and will take office July 1 following
election.
Section 4. Terms and
Succession
- The officers
shall serve for two (2) years and may be re-elected
without an intervening term.
- Should a vacancy in office
occur between elections, the President shall, with the
approval of the Executive Committee, appoint a
successor to fill the office until the next general
membership meeting at which time a special election
shall be held to fill the unexpired term.
Article IV -
Powers of the Officers
Section 1. President
- The President
shall:
- Preside
over meetings of the Executive
Committee,
- Preside over general
membership meetings,
- Appoint the chairpersons
and members of standing committees,
- Be ex-officio a member of
all committees,
- Be the executive officer
of the Association.
- The President shall represent
the Association before the public either personally or
through delegates and shall perform all other
functions usually attributed to this office, such
as:
- Attendance
at school board meetings,
- Attendance at Educational
Council meetings
- Attendance at Warren
County Education Association meetings,
- Attendance at county
negotiations meetings,
- Attendance at district
negotiation meetings
- Attendance at all
committee meetings when necessary or if asked by
the committee chairperson,
- Write President's article
for newsletter,
- Attendance at training
workshops,
- Attendance at National
Education Association convention,
- Attendance at New Jersey
Education Association convention,
- Attendance at lobbying
activities,
- Attendance at legislative
conferences,
- Attendance at school
budget sessions
- Attendance at delegate
assembly meetings of NJEA,
- Attendance at and
preparation for Welcome Back Party,
- Attendance at and
preparation of speech for the meeting of the
Faculty upon returning in September,
- Counsel and assist all
P.E.A. members,
- Work on
grievances,
- Visit with P.E.A. members
and representatives in other buildings during
release time,
- Adhere to the P.E.A.
Constitution and By-Laws, especially Article IV
Powers of the Officers, Section 1,
President.
Section 2.
Vice-President
- The Vice-President
shall:
- Serve as
Vice-President of the Association
- Perform the functions
usually attributed to the office
- Work closely with one (1)
or more of the standing committees as the President
may suggest.
Section 3. Recording
Secretary
- The Recording
Secretary shall:
- Record the
proceedings of all meetings of the organization and
of the Executive Committee;
- Notify the Executive
Committee members by sending the agenda to be
discussed by the Executive Committee prior to each
meeting.
Section 4. Corresponding
Secretary
- The Corresponding
Secretary shall:
- Conduct the
correspondence of the Association under the
direction of the President.
- Keep a duplicate of all
communications sent out.
Section 5.
Treasurer
- The Treasurer
shall:
- Receive all
monies of the organization and give receipts for
the same;
- Deposit all funds to
his/her credit as Treasurer;
- Pay all bills ordered by
the Executive Committee or by a majority vote of
the membership at a regular or special
meeting.
- A checking account
shall be maintained by this organization. All bills
must be submitted to the Treasurer in writing. The
Treasurer, along with the President, shall sign a
signature card at the bank of record of the
Association immediately upon taking
office.
Article V
-Standing Committees
Section 1. Executive
Committee
- The Executive
Committee shall:
- represent
the members of the organization,
- manage the affairs of the
Association,
- decide all questions of
policy,
- approve a budget,
and
- have power to authorize
all extraordinary expenses.
- Faculty representative
members of the Committee shall be represented by a
substitute if they are unable to attend. Each member
of the committee shall have one (1) vote except for
roll call votes.
Section 2. Negotiations
Committee
The Negotiations
Committee shall consist of members appointed by the
president with the approval of the Executive
Committee. The Committee shall represent the
Association in all negotiations with the Phillipsburg
Board of Education concerning terms and conditions of
employment pursuant to the laws of New Jersey.
Section 3. Salary
Committee
The Salary Committee
shall periodically re-evaluate the salary for the
officers and any others who are or should be paid and
present their findings and recommendations to the
Executive Committee for their approval.
Section 4. Professional
Rights and Responsibilities Committee ("Grievance
Committee")
- The
Professional Rights and Responsibilities Committee
shall advise teachers of their rights and of the
grievance procedure to be followed if these rights are
violated. A member of the committee shall be present
if requested at any meetings concerning the
grievance.
- The Committee shall recommend
to the Executive Committee a course of action to be
followed by the Association at Level Five (5) of the
Grievance Procedure.
- The Committee shall advise
the Negotiations Committee on any topics concerning
Professional Rights and Responsibilities.
Section 5. Instruction and
Professional Development Committee (Teacher Education and
Professional Standards)
The Instruction and
Professional Development Committee shall:
- Consider and
report upon problems of teacher education,
certification, and professional
standards.
- Improve opportunities for
pre-service, continuing, and in-service professional
education.
- Exercise professional concern
in programs involving student teachers as well as
those contemplating entering teaching.
- Develop a proposal for policy
on the recruitment, selection, and orientation of new
staff members.
Section 6. Legislative
Committee
The Legislative
Committee Chairperson shall be responsible for the
co-ordination of such political and citizenship
activities as the Association may deem necessary to
undertake. The Committee shall serve as the medium
through which any relevant political information shall
be dispersed to members of the Association.
Section 7. Educational
Council
The Association members
of the Educational Council shall serve to strengthen
the educational program to best meet the needs of the
students, the schools, and the community through
recommendations, research, implementation, and
evaluation. They shall assist in advising the Board of
Education on such matters as curriculum improvement,
teaching techniques, extra-curricular programs,
in-service training, pupil testing and evaluation,
educational philosophy and goals, teacher recruitment,
research and experimentation, educational
specifications for buildings, and other related
matters regarding the effective operation of the
Phillipsburg Public Schools.
Section 8. Public Relations
Committee
The Public Relations
Committee shall keep the public informed concerning
Association activities and shall be responsible for
the creation and maintenance of a favorable public
image.
Section 9. Social
Committee
The Social Committee
shall be appointed by the President with the approval
of the Executive Committee. It shall promote
sociability and good will among the Association
members and shall sponsor the social functions of the
Association.
Section 10. Membership
Committee
The Membership Committee
shall keep an accurate list of the membership of the
Association and keep a file of all retired
teachers.
Article VI -
W.C.E.A. Representatives
Section 1. Representatives
from the elementary schools, middle school, and high
school (as shall be permitted by the Warren County
Education Association) shall be elected by the Executive
Committee for a term of three (3) years. They shall
report to the Executive Committee.
Article VII -
Dues
Section 1. The annual dues
of the Phillipsburg Education Association and other
professional organizations (i.e., WCEA, NJEA, and NEA)
shall be collected together.
Section 2. The dues of the
Phillipsburg Education Association shall be set by the
Executive Committee.
Article VIII -
Amendments
Section 1. These By-Laws
may be amended by a majority vote of the membership
provided ten (10) days notice has been given to the
membership.
Article IX
-Adoption
Section 1. All provisions
of this Constitution and By-Laws shall become effective
on the date of its adoption by a majority vote of the
general membership.
Article X
-Adoption
Section 1. The first PEA
election of officers under this Constitution and By-Laws
is to occur within one week of the adoption of this
Constitution and By-Laws.
Section 2. All candidates for
this election are to present a petition for nomination as
noted in Article III, Section 2 of these By-Laws by the
day after approval of the Constitution and
By-laws.
|