SEA Constitution

CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

OF THE

SYLVANIAEDUCATION ASSOCIATION

SYLVANIA CITY SCHOOLS

SYLVANIA,OHIO

 

CONSTITUTION

 

ARTICLE 1 – NAME

 

Section 1         The name of this organization shall be the Sylvania Education Association which shall maintain affiliation with the Northwestern Ohio Education Association, Ohio Education Association, and the National Education Association

 

 

ARTICLE II – PURPOSES

 

Section 1         The purposes of this Association shall be to promote the educational objectives of the local school system and of the state and nation and to protect the welfare and advance the interests of its members.

 

Section 2         This Association shall affiliate with the Northwestern Ohio Education Association, Ohio Education Association, and the National Education Association.

 

 

ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP

Section 1         Any certified person who is not an administrator, whether on leave or on a per diem basis, may become an active member of this Association by paying the annual UTP dues.        

 

Section 2         Active members shall be required to be members of the Sylvania Education Association, Northwestern Ohio Education Association, Ohio Education Association, and National Education Association.

 

Section 3         All members shall abide by the Code of Ethics of the Education Profession as adopted by the OEA and NEA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES

 

Section 1         The elected officers of this Association shall be a President, Vice-President of Contractual Procedures, Vice-President of Labor Interests, Vice-President of Communications, Vice-President of Elections and Education, Secretary and Treasurer.

            Section 2         The President shall:

1. Preside at all meetings of the Association and of the Executive Committee.
2. Be responsible for the calling of special meetings.
3. Coordinate the Association’s activities.
4. Be a delegate to the OEA Representative Assembly.
5. Distribute a SEA Constitution to each officer and Executive Committee member at the beginning of their term of office.
6. Establish a calendar of events to ensure that the SEA is represented at all district, regional, and state meetings.
7. Pursue grant opportunities for the Association.

 

Section 3         The Vice-President of Contractual Procedures shall:

1. Assist members and/or Building Representatives in writing and filing grievances.
2. Serve as first contact for the members with grievances.
3. Gather information and contact those involved in grievance.
4. Report monthly to the Executive Committee.
5. Perform other duties as designated by the President.

 

 

Section 4         The Vice-President of Labor Interests shall:

1. Organize the bargaining activities.
2. Chair the Collective Bargaining Committee.
3. Oversee political action including the annual donation drive for the Fund for Children and Public Education and serving as the chief representative on the candidate screening process.
4. Serve as the Association’s representative on the district insurance committee.
5. Report monthly to the Executive Committee.
6. Perform other duties as designated by the President.

 

Section 5         The Vice-President of Communications shall:

1. Be responsible for writing all communications apart from the minutes.
2. Be responsible for distributing all communications to the Building Representatives.
3. Report monthly to the Executive Committee.
4. Perform other duties as designated by the President.
5. Maintain the Association web site and seek grants for its annual costs.

 

Section 6         The Vice-President of Elections and Education shall:

1. Alert the membership to the duties of SEA officers and accept nominations for SEA positions.
2. Conduct all NEA, OEA, NWOEA, and SEA elections.
3. Make overnight arrangements for SEA representatives attending state association meetings.
4. Conduct all contract and constitution ratification votes.
5. Chair the SEA Scholarship committee
6. Report monthly to the Executive Committee.
7. Perform other duties as designated by the President.

 

 

Section 7                     The Treasurer shall:

1. Receive all monies belonging to the Association.
2. Make payments when properly authorized.
3. Keep an itemized account of receipts and expenditures.
4. Make reports of the balance at regular Executive Committee meetings.
5. Chair the Finance Committee.
6. Prepare and distribute any literature for the membership drive.
7. Distribute membership forms to the Building Representatives.
8. Present all membership information to the Executive Committee prior to the first teacher work day.
9. Perform other duties as designated by the President.

 

Section 8                     The Secretary shall:

1. Keep a record of the proceedings of all meetings of the Association and of the Executive Committee.
2. Serve as Parliamentarian at Executive Committee meetings.
3. Organize the new teacher breakfast.
4. Perform other duties designated by the President.

 

Section 9                     Term of Office:

                                    Term of office for each elective office shall be one (1) year.

 

Section 10                   Qualifications of Officers:

Any candidate for the office of President shall have served on the Executive Committee for at least one year. Candidates for all other offices shall be members of the SEA.

 

 

 

ARTICLE V – EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

 

Section 1                     The Executive Committee shall be composed of the President, Vise-Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, and delegates from each building in the system who shall hold the title of Building Representative.

 

Section 2                     The Executive Committee shall serve as the agency through which the Association will put into effect and have general supervision of all activities sponsored by the Association. It shall make all policies of the Association.

 

Section 3                     The Executive Committee shall meet at least once each month and at any other time at the call of the President.

 

 

Section 4                     The Building Representatives and alternates shall be elected to one-year terms at the building elections held prior to the September Executive Committee meeting. There shall be one Building Representative in each building for ever ten (10) members and part thereof exceeding four. The number of alternates from a building shall not exceed the number of Building Representatives.

 

Section 5                     The duties of each Building Representative shall be as follows:

1. To attend Executive Committee meetings.
2. To report recommended policies and other actions of the Executive Committee to members in the representative’s building.
3. To transmit proposals and recommendations from the members in his/her building to the Executive Committee for its consideration.
4. To report summaries/actions of committee proceedings when representing SEA as a member of a School District Committee to members of the Executive Committee.

 

Section 6                     There shall be elected to the Executive Committee a representative of ethnic minority at least proportionate to the ethnic minority membership in the Association.

 

Section 7                     Building Representatives must be members of the Association.

 

 

ARTICLE VI – ELECTIONS

 

Section 1                           The Vice-President of Elections and Education shall:

1. Prepare a communication describing the duties of the officers     and requesting nominations for those petitions.  
2. Prepare, distribute, and collect ballots.
3. Inform the membership of the results of the election.

 

Section 2                           No member shall be nominated for the office without the knowledge and written consent of the individual. Candidates wishing to withdraw from an election must do so in writing at least three (3) days prior to the election.

 

Section 3                           Election of officers shall be conducted by secret ballot in each building between March 1 and May 1. The date of the election shall be determined by the Executive Committee. Candidates running unopposed for reelection shall be elected by acclamation at the April Executive Committee meeting.

 

Section 4                           Newly elected officers shall be installed and assume their office at the next Executive Committee meeting following the election.

 

Section 5                           All ballots, marked, and unmarked and voided, and all other records pertaining to the election of officers of this Association and OEA and NEA delegates and alternates, shall be preserved for one year from the date the election was held and such ballots and other records shall be made available to OEA officers upon request for inspection and examination.

 

ARTICLE VII – COMMITTEES

 

Section 1                        All committees shall be appointed by the President, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee. Standing committees shall be Negotiations Committee, Finance Committee and Scholarship Committee.

 

Section 2                        Negotiations Committee

1. The Negotiations Committee shall consist of the President, Vice-President of Negotiations and other members appointed by the president with input from the Vice-President of Labor Interests. Members of the negotiations team will be drawn from this Committee.
2. The Negotiations Committee shall have the following duties:
   1. Survey members of the bargaining unit for the purpose of developing a negotiations package.
   2. Prepare a negotiations package.
   3. Keep the Executive Committee and general membership informed of progress during negotiations.

 

Section 3                         Finance Committee

                                        The Finance Committee shall have the following duties:

1. Review fiscal needs and expenditures of the Association.
2. Prepare a budget to be presented to Executive Committee for approval at their September meeting.

 

Section 4                         Scholarship Committee

                                        The Scholarship Committee shall have the following duties:

1. Publicize the availability of scholarships.
2. Review applications and determine recipients of scholarships according to the criteria listen in By-Laws.
3. Publicize Scholarship recipients.

 

Section 5                         Members appointed by the Association to District Committees shall report the committee’s progress to the Executive Committee.

 

Section 6                         The need for additional committees shall be determined by the President and Executive Committee.

 

ARTICLE VII – RATIFICATION

 

Section 1                         This Constitution shall become effective immediately upon the adoption by two-thirds (2/3) majority of the members voting and shall be reviewed annually.

 

 

 

ARTICLE IX – AMENDMENTS

 

Section 1                         No alterations, additions, deletions, or amendments shall be made to this Constitution except by vote of two-thirds (2/3) of all members present and voting at any regular Executive Committee or any meeting of the Executive Committee called specifically for that purpose.

 

Section 2                         Proposed changes in this Constitution shall be presented to the membership at least seven (7) school days prior to the meeting which they will be considered.

 

ARTICLE X – RETIRED MEMBERS

 

Section 1                         Former members of SEA, who are members of the Division of Actively Retired Teachers (DART), automatically receive membership in the SEA.

 

Section 2                         The rights of the retired member of SEA are as follows:

1. Retired members may attend any SEA function. Retired members may attend SEA general membership meetings and Executive Committee meetings by request with permission granted by the President.
2. Retired members have no voting rights in SEA.
3. Retired members may volunteer to work on projects requested by SEA officers.
4. Since the retired member is no longer a full-time teacher in the Sylvania City Schools, SEA is not obligated to represent the retired members as such.
5. Any compensation to retired SEA members must be approved by two-thirds (2/3) of those members present at a regularly scheduled Executive Committee meeting.

 

 

BY-LAWS

 

ARTICLE 1 – GENERAL MEETINGS

 

Section 1                        This Association shall schedule at least one regular general    meeting during the school year.

 

Section 2                        Business of the Association may be conducted at general membership meetings when a quorum is present. Forty (40) percent of the members shall constitute a quorum.

 

Section 3                        Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, shall be the parliamentary authority for the Association on all questions not covered by the Constitution and By-Laws and such standing rules as the Executive Committee may adopt.

 

Section 4                        Special general membership meetings may be called at the written request of ten (10) percent of the membership. Business to come before the special meetings must be stated in the call which shall be sent to each building in writing and posted.

 

Section 5                        General membership meetings are open to all teachers, but only members can vote.

 

Section 6                        Only SEA members will be eligible to vote on ratification of contract.

 

Section 7                        Any change to a contract this is currently in force must be approved either by fifty-one (51) percent of the membership or via a Memo of Understanding that is subsequently approved by eighty (80) percent of the Executive Committee.

 

 

ARTICLE II – EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS

 

Section 1                        The Executive Committee shall meet at least once a month and the time and place shall be determined by the Committee membership.

 

Section 2                        Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, shall be the parliamentary authority for the Association on all such questions not covered by the Constitution and By-Laws and such standing rules as the Executive Committee may adopt.

 

Section 3                        Quorum:

1. A quorum of the Executive Committee will be defined as follows: at any regularly scheduled meeting a quorum will be those members present and voting.
2. A quorum at a special meeting will be fifty-one (51) percent of the Executive Committee.

 

Section 4                         Executive Committee meetings shall be open to all members.

    Voting privileges are extended to the Executive Committee members only. Elected alternates to the Building Representatives will be granted voting privileges in the event that the Building Representative is unable to attend. Alternates shall be granted voting privileges based on the number of votes received in building elections. No alternate shall represent more than one regular Executive Committee member.

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE III – DUES

 

Section 1                        The annual dues for membership in the Association shall not exceed two-tenths (2/10) on one (1) percent (.2%) of the base teacher’s salary for the Sylvania City Schools which has been rounded to the nearest dollar. The Executive Committee shall set the actual dollar amount with the advice of the President and Treasurer. This shall be determined at the last scheduled meeting of the year.   

 

ARTICLE IV – REIMBURSEMENT

 

Section 1                        Reimbursement for SEA officers will be as follows:

 

                                             President                                                         Dues plus $1200

                                             VP of Contractual Procedures                       Dues plus $900

                                             Treasurer                                                        Dues plus $700

                                             VP of Communications                                  Dues plus $500

                                             VP of Negotiations                                          Dues plus $500

                                             VP of Elections and Education                       Dues plus $500

                                             Secretary                                                        Dues plus $500

                                             Each duly-elected Building Representative    Dues plus $100

 

Section 2                        Negotiations: Whenever negotiations are undertaken within the SEA fiscal year, the Negotiations Team shall be reimbursed $5000 to be divided as the team sees fit.

 

Section 3                        A. The Association will pay the expenses (meals, mileage, overnight accommodations) for delegates to the OEA Representative Assemblies. Reimbursement for mileage will be at the current rate paid Board of Education.

B. Mileage reimbursements to the Association meetings held within the State ofOhiowill be given at the current rate paid by the Board of Education.

C. Reimbursements for registration fees, meals, mileage, and overnight accommodations for other UTP meetings and conferences will be determined by the Executive Committee. 

 

Section 4                        Requests for reimbursements must be submitted to the President of this Association for approval. Approved requests will be forwarded by the President to the Treasurer.

 

ARTICLE V – VACANCIES

 

Section 1                        A. Whenever the office of President becomes vacant, the Vice President of Contractual Procedures shall assume the President’s duties.

B. Whenever the offices of both the President and Vice-President of Contractual Procedures become vacant, the Vice-President of Negotiations shall assume the President’s duties.

C. Whenever the offices of the President, Vice-President of Contractual Procedures, and the Vice-President of Labor Interests become vacant, the Vice-President of Communications shall assume the President’s duties.

D. Whenever the offices of the President, Vice-President of Contractual Procedures, Vice-President of Labor Interests, and Vice-President of Communications become vacant, the Vice-President of Elections and Education shall assume the President’s duties.

E. Whenever the offices of the President and all vice-presidents become vacant, the Executive Committee shall determine a procedure for filling vacancies.

 

Section 2                        Whenever the office of Vice-President, Secretary, or Treasurer becomes vacant, the President shall, with the approval of two-thirds (2/3) of the Executive Committee, appoint a member to assume that position.

 

ARTICLE VI – RECALL OF OFFICERS

 

Section 1                        An officer may be recalled from office by the following procedure:

1. At an Executive Committee meeting, a member of the committee may charge an officer with failure or inability to perform their duties of office.
2. The Executive Committee votes by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of those present to hear the recall at the next Executive Committee meeting.
3. The accused officer may present his/her defense at the following Executive Committee meeting.
4. After hearing the defense, if the Executive Committee votes by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of those present to recall that officer, he/she is then considered removed from office.

 

ARTICLE VII – SCHOLARSHIP

 

Section 1                        Three $500 scholarships will be given yearly by the Sylvania Education Association to graduating high school seniors who will be enrolled the following year in an institution of higher education. The Treasurer may recommend changes in the amount or number in a motion to the Executive Committee at the December meeting.

 

Section 2                        Recipients of these scholarships will be determined by the members of the Scholarship Committee using the following priorities:

1. First, children of SEA members
2. Second, children of otherSylvaniateachers
3. Third, children of any otherSylvaniaschool personnel.
4. Fourth, any graduating senior from aSylvaniahigh school.

 

ARTICLE VII – AMENDMENTS

 

Section 1                        These By-Laws may be amended by a majority vote of the Executive Committee at any regular meeting of the Executive Committee provided that proposed amendments have been posted in each building by the Building Representatives one (1) calendar week in advance of the meeting at which action is to be taken and/or published in the newsletter which is distributed to all members.