BYLAWS OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF BIOLOGY TEACHERS
as amended by Board vote November 2004
ARTICLE
I
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The Officers,
Executive Committee, Board, Appointees and Employees shall further the
purpose of the
Association through accomplishment of the following goals:
1. to promote the professional growth and
development of biology teachers in
Texas to enhance their effectiveness in
the classroom and community.
2. to encourage and stimulate state and local
activities that will keep teachers
current in their knowledge of the
biological sciences, aid them in developing
and sharing ideas for better teaching, and
provide them with a forum for
consideration of state and local issues
that affect biological education.
3. to provide information, guidelines, programs,
and activities that confront
questions regarding science, society, and
the future, and to stimulate teachers
and students to deal responsibly with
those often value-laden issues that derive
from the consequences of science and
technology.
4. to initiate and maintain communication and
coordination of programs with
organizations that espouse goals and
objectives similar to those of the
Association and to join such groups in
those activities designed to achieve
common
goals.
The Executive Committee and Board
shall review annually the Goals and Objectives to insure that they are
consistent with the needs of the membership and purposes of the Association,
and
publish them annually for the membership.
ARTICLE
II
MEMBERSHIP
A. Voting Members
1. Active
Member: any person who has paid dues for the current membership year.
2.
Emeritus Member: any person who has maintained active membership
for a minimum
of 25 consecutive years
shall be assigned to emeritus status upon retirement, and will no
longer be required to pay
dues.
3. Retired
Member: any active member over the age of 60 who retires with at
least 10 years but less than 25
years of continuous membership may continue
membership upon payment of half the
dues assessed for active membership.
4. Honorary
Member: any person who has achieved distinction in teaching,
research or service in the
biological sciences is eligible for election as an
honorary member by procedures
established by the Board. There shall be no
more than one honorary member
selected per year. Honorary members shall
not be assessed dues.
5. Life
Member: any person who contributes 25 times the current amount of the
annual dues for active membership in
one payment shall become a life member
without further assessment of dues.
B. Non-voting Members
1. Student
Member: any regularly matriculated undergraduate or graduate
student not in full time employment
shall be eligible for a student membership
upon payment of half the dues
assessed for active membership.
2. Sustaining Member: any
organization interested in advancing the purposes
of the Association shall be eligible
for election by the Board as a sustaining
member upon payment of dues assessed
by the Board.
3. Corporate
Member: any business or corporation interested in advancing the
purposes of the Association shall be
eligible for election by the Board as a
corporate member upon payment of
dues assessed by the Board.
C. Dues and Benefits
1. The
dues for active membership shall be set annually by the Board. Dues shall
be collected for a twelve month
period on one of three expiration dates. Any
member in arrears for more than
three months shall not thereafter receive any
publications of the Association and
shall be dropped from membership until all
arrears dues have been paid, or the
member shall rejoin the Association.
2. All
members shall receive all publications specified by the Board, and shall be
entitled to all privileges of membership, except as noted
in sections A and B.
ARTICLE III
ELECTED
OFFICIALS
A. Board of Directors
1. Members:
The Board shall consist of the officers of the Association, the
immediate Past-President and one
appointee of the President who shall serve
until the election of a new
President.
2. Duties:
The duties of the Board shall be those specified in Article IV of the
Constitution. The Board shall meet
not less than once each year.
B. Executive Committee
1. Members:
The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of the
Association. One member from each
affiliate organization may be appointed
by the Board to serve as ex
officio non-voting members.
2. Duties:
The function of the Executive Committee is to transact the business of
the Association between meetings of
the Board. During such periods, the
Executive Committee shall have the
same functions and duties as the Board.
C. Officers
1. President:
The President shall preside at membership meetings and at
meetings of the Executive Committee
and the Board. The President shall make
appointments in consultation with the
Board. The President shall assume all
other duties normally associated
with the office. The President shall serve
for one year as President, followed
by one year as the immediate
Past-President.
2. President-elect:
The President-elect shall assume the duties of the President in
the President’s absence or when so
designated, and shall work cooperatively
with the President in administering
the affairs of the Association. The
President-elect shall succeed to the
presidency.
3. Secretary/Treasurer:
The Secretary/Treasurer shall oversee the management
of the Association’s fiscal affairs
and shall be responsible for the preparation of
the minutes of the meetings of the Executive Committee
and Board.
ARTICLE IV
ELECTIONS
A. Nominations
The Nominating Committee shall make at
least two nominations each for the
officers of the Association as their terms
expire, except that the President-Elect
shall automatically assume the office of
President for the ensuing year, and the
President shall automatically assume the
office of Past President for the ensuing
year. On or before the first day of July
following its appointment, the Nominating
Committee will certify the nominations to
the President who shall cause the same to
be published on or before the following
first day of October.
B. Procedure
The President shall cause the ballots
bearing all nominations for office to be sent
to all voting members. In order to be
counted, a ballot must be received by the
Teller on or before the fifteenth day of
November. The Teller, appointed by the
President, shall count the ballots and
shall publish the results within thirty days.
The candidates who receive the highest
number of votes shall be elected. In the
event of a tie vote, the election shall be
decided by the Board. Vacancies
occurring between elections shall be
filled by appointment by the President with
majority approval of the Board, except
that the vacancy of the office of the
President shall be filled by the
President-Elect.
C. Terms of Office
The President shall serve for one year,
followed by one year as Past President.
The President-Elect shall serve for one year, followed
by one year as President.
The Secretary/Treasurer shall serve for
two years, and election for office
of the Secretary/Treasurer shall be in odd
numbered years. Elected officials serve
terms beginning January 1st following their elections.
ARTICLE V
COMMITTEES
A. Standing Committees
The President in consultation with the
Executive Committee and with the approval
of the Board shall appoint members to
these standing committees:
Long Range Planning
Publications Advisory
Election
Nomination
Awards
Honorary Membership
B. Ad Hoc Committees
Ad hoc committees to accomplish a
specific task may be established by the
President with approval of the Board. The
President shall appoint members to
such committees in consultation with the
Executive Committee.
C. Appointments
All standing committees shall be composed
of three members whose terms shall
be for three years each, and one member
appointed each year. The Chair of each
standing committee shall be the senior
member of the committee. The President
shall, with the approval of the majority
of the Executive Committee, appoint a new
member to each standing committee as a
replacement for the member whose term
is expiring.
D. Reports
Each committee chairperson shall submit a
written report to the Board upon
completion of the committee’s assignment.
ARTICLE VI
MEETINGS
A. Executive Committee and Board Meetings
The Board shall hold a meeting at each
annual meeting. The Executive Committee
shall meet as necessary between Board
meetings. Timely notice of all meetings
shall be provided all members of the
Board.
B. Membership Meetings
The Board shall hold, at such time and
place as it shall designate, meetings of the
members as needed to fulfill the purposes
of the Association.
C. Quorums
1.
Executive Committee: Three voting members of the Executive
Committee shall
constitute a quorum.
2. Board:
Four voting members of the Board shall constitute a quorum.
D.
Rules of Order
Roberts’ Rules of Order (Revised)
shall govern in all meetings of the Association.
ARTICLE VII
AFFILIATIONS
A. Purpose
The Association is encouraged by other
organizations of state, regional, and
national importance to affiliate with them
for the improvement of education in the
biological sciences.
B. Procedure
The Association shall submit a formal
application to the proper authorities of other
organizations (along with a copy of the
Constitution, Bylaws, and membership list)
as may be chosen by the Board.
C. Disaffiliation
The Association reserves the right to
terminate its affiliation with any other
organization.
ARTICLE VIII
PUBLICATIONS
A. Periodicals, etc.
The Association may publish materials as
approved by the Board.
B. Newsletter
A newsletter shall be published not less
than quarterly for the communication of
news concerning the Association.
ARTICLE IX
FISCAL
AFFAIRS
A. Fiscal Year
The fiscal year of the Association shall
begin on January 1st of each year and end
on December 31st.
B. Budget
A budget shall be prepared by the Board
and submitted to a budget review
committee appointed by the President for
review and perfection, thence to the
Executive Committee for approval.
C. Audit
The Executive Committee shall order an
independent audit of the financial
accounts of the Association as is deemed
advisable and necessary.
D. Remuneration
The Board shall determine honoraria. No
Board member may vote on any
question involving salary or honoraria for himself or herself.
ARTICLE X
AMENDMENTS
AND IMPLEMENTATION
A. Bylaws Amendments
These bylaws may be amended by a favorable
vote of the Board provided that
each Board member shall have been sent
written notice of the proposed
amendment not less than thirty (30) days
prior to the meeting or mailing of the
ballot on which the amendment is voted.
B. These Bylaws of the Association shall be
implemented upon their adoption.
C. To implement these Bylaws efficiently, an
Operations and Procedures Manual
describing how the provisions of the
Constitution and Bylaws as well as Board
policies will be implemented, shall be
prepared by the Secretary. The President
shall review and submit updates to the
Operations and Procedures Manual each
year. The Operations and Procedures Manual
shall provide guidelines and procedures
for the Board, Executive Committee,
committees, and others in carrying out their
responsibilities.
