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Constitution and By-Laws November 26, 1990 |
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Contents
IAMME Constitution
- Article I: Name
- Article II: Purpose and Objectives
- Article III: Membership
- Article IV: Organizational Structure
- Article V: Constitution Effectivity and Amendments
- Article VI: Dissolution of Association
IAMME By-Laws
- Article I: Name
- Article II: Purpose and Objectives
- Article III: Membership
- Article IV: Affiliates
- Article V: Meetings
- Article VI: Governance
- Article VII: Elections
- Article VIII: By-Laws
- Article IX: Standing Committees
- Article X: Rules of Order
- Article XI: Site of Association
Constitution of the Illinois Association for Multilingual Multicultural Education (IAMME)
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Article I: Name
The name of this organization shall be the Illinois Association for Multilingual Multicultural Education (IAMME).
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Article II: Purpose and Objectives
A. Purpose. The purpose of IAMME shall be:
- To promote multilingual/multicultural education as the continuous development of two languages, one of which is English, and as the utilization of both the first and the second language in all parts of the curriculum..
- To promote multilingual/multicultural education as the most meaningful, effective and efficient way of developing an appreciation of cultural differences and similarities, and the capacity to function successfully in two cultures.
B. Objectives. The purposes of the IAMME shall be furthered by the objectives, including but not limited to the following:
- Promote and develop professional competence and standards in multilingual/multicultural education in cooperation with teacher training institutions, Federal, State and Local education agencies and professional as well as community organizations.
- Hold seminars and conferences for the promotion, development and enhancement of multilingual/multicultural education in Illinois.
- Encourage research as well as prepare, disseminate information, materials and data useful to facilitate the attainment of these objectives.
- Serve as a source of information on employment opportunities in multilingual/multicultural education.
- Serve as advocates for the practitioners and the LEP population they serve.
- Encourage and facilitate the active involvement of parents and community members in the issues and activities concerning the field of multilingual/multicultural education in Illinois.
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Article III: Membership
A. Membership shall be available to individuals interested in multilingual/multicultural education upon payment of the annual dues as set by the Executive Board.
B. Membership shall be of three types:
- Regular
- Associate
- Institutional (including other associations)
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Article IV: Organizational Structure
The IAMME Board will consist of nine officers elected at large by the membership.
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Article V: Constitution Effectivity and Amendments
A. This constitution shall be in effect after it is approved by a majority vote of the membership at a business meeting.
B. Proposed amendments to this constitution must be received by all members, upon endorsement of the Executive Board at least ten (10) days prior to the scheduled membership meeting at which they are to be considered for adoption, or at least 20 days prior to the tabulation date of membership votes in the case of ratification or approval by correspondence.
C. The proposal(s) for amendment shall include both the original version and the amendments presented on the same page.
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Article VI: Dissolution of the Association
In the event that it becomes necessary to dissolve the Association, the fund balance and all properties of the Association shall be donated to non-profit organizations that foster multilingual/multicultural education.
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By-Laws of the Illinois Association for Multilingual Multicultural Education (IAMME)
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Article I: Name
The name of this organization shall be the Illinois Association for Multilingual-Multicultural Education (IAMME).
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Article II: Purpose and Objectives
Section A. Eleemosynary. The Association is organized exclusively for educational purposes, including, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
Section B. Educational. IAMME's educational purposes include: (1) Recognizing, promoting and publicizing excellence in bilingual education; (2) Promoting efforts to assure the provision of equal educational opportunity to all Americans; (3) Promoting the provision of bilingual/bicultural education services to children, youth and adults; (4) Promoting public understanding and appreciation of the linguistic and cultural needs of children, youth and adult speakers of languages other than English; (5) Coordinating and promoting the development of standards of professional competence in bilingual education; (6) Conducting educational workshops and conferences relating to bilingual education; (7) Promoting excellence in bilingual/bicultural education by encouraging relevant research and publications.
Section C. Prohibition. No substantial part of the activities of the corporation shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the corporation shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing of distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.
Section D. Compliance with IRS. Notwithstanding any other provision of these Bylaws, IAMME shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or (b) by a corporation, contributions to which are deductible under section 170 (c) (2) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
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Article III: Membership
Membership in any of the categories described in the constitution shall be available to individuals interested in multilingual/multicultural education upon payment of the annual dues.
Dues for all types of membership will be set annually by the Executive Board. The membership period will be from November 1st until October 31st of each year.
Any changes in membership fees shall be announced in writing to the general membership at least sixty (60) days prior to the date on which the proposed changes become effective.
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Article IV: Affiliates
IAMME will consider granting affiliate status to any regional or ethnic organization of educators whose goals and objectives are in concert with the goals and objectives of IAMME. Said association must be registered in the state of Illinois as a not-for-profit corporation.
All the officers and at least fifty (50) percent of affiliate organization members must be (or become) members of IAMME. At no time will the affiliate organization have fewer than twenty-five (25) IAMME members.
A. Procedure for affiliation:
- When the affiliate-to-be has at least 25 members, it may petition the IAMME Executive Board for affiliate status. A majority of the members of the Executive Board must recommend affiliation.
- After reviewing the petition, the IAMME Executive Board will recommend acceptance or denial of affiliation.
- The petitioning organization may appeal any decision of the Executive Board for a further review and reconsideration of the petition for affiliation.
B. The affiliate chapters must meet the following standards:
- The affiliate must have an executive board with a minimum of the following officers: president, secretary, and treasurer.
- Affiliate chapters must annually submit to IAMME a list which must include and identify its officers and members whose membership in IAMME is current.
- A copy of the affiliate constitution and/or bylaws must be on file with the IAMME secretary.
- The affiliate president will be ex officio a member of the Executive Board of IAMME.
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Article V: Meetings
A. Executive Board. The Executive Board Officers shall meet at least four (4) times during the membership year or as often as determined by the president or by one third of the board members. A simple majority shall constitute a quorum for Executive Board.
B. General Membership. The Executive Board shall convene at least two general membership meetings during a membership year, the programs of which shall include business sessions as well as sessions on topics of professional interest.
A quorum for general business meetings shall consist of all those members present at the meeting. The majority of the Executive Board must also be present.
C. Special and Standing Committee Meetings. Special meetings of the general membership or of the Executive Board may be called as determined by the president or the majority of the board. Special and Standing Committee meetings may be called as determined by the chairperson of the committee. Each committee must meet at least once during the membership year.
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Article VI: Governance
A. The Executive Board
- Composition. The IAMME Board shall be comprised of nine officers elected at large by the membership and one of which must be a parent of a student enrolled in a TBE or TPI program in the state of Illinois who is not a certified employee of a school district. These nine officers will select from among themselves five officers to fill the positions of President, vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary and Public Relations Officer.
- Chairperson. The elected president shall automatically serve as the chairperson of the Executive Board.
- Election. The members shall elect the IAMME Executive Board from a slate reflecting, as much as possible, the regional and ethnic composition of the membership. The slate shall be prepared by a nominations committee appointed by the board no later than six months prior to scheduled elections. The slate shall include at least nine candidates at least one of which shall be a parent of a student enrolled in an Illinois TBE/TPI program and is not a certified employee of an Illinois school district. Elections shall take place no later than the 30th of April of each even numbered year.
- Tenure of Office. The tenure of office of the Executive Board officers shall be two years from June 1 (immediately following election) to May 31 of each subsequent election year.
- Responsibilities. The responsibilities of the Executive Board members shall be to:
a. Establish annual goals and priorities of IAMME in accordance with the stated purposes of the organization and execute what is needed to achieve them. Take the initiative in determining and promulgating the policies of the Association. Take charge of, control and manage property belonging to the Association.
b. Appoint no more than three (3) members of the NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE charged with preparing a slate for the elective officers (Section A-1 of this Article) of the IAMME.
c. Supervise the election of the Executive Board.
d. Prepare and submit an annual report of the association to the members.
e. Call all general meetings, and meet at least six (6) times each membership year.
f. Approve applications of organizations seeking affiliation with the IAMME.
g. Attend at least 60% of the scheduled Executive Board meetings. Failure to attend may result in dismissal with consent of the majority of the Executive Board after a review of the causes for absence. - Duties of Officers. The specific duties of the officers shall be as follows:
a. President. The President shall:
i. Serve as the chief spokesperson for the organization.
ii. Preside at all general membership meetings.
iii. Appoint all special and standing committees as the Board or the membership deems necessary for the efficient operation of the IAMME.
iv. Present an annual report on the state of the organization.
v. Sign for checks along with another designated officer.
vi. Sign all official transactions of the Association.
b. President-elect. The President-elect shall:
i. Assume such responsibilities and duties of the vice President and as delegated by the President.
ii. Be the automatic successor to the president.
iii. In the absence of the president, perform all duties delegated to the president.
iv. Organize and chair the annual conference and supervise all other workshops.
c. Secretary. The Secretary shall:
i. Keep and report the minutes of all meetings of the Executive Board and of the general membership.
ii. Maintain the files of the IAMME.
iii. Assume all other duties and responsibilities delegated by the President.
d. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall:
i. Maintain records of all financial transactions and bank accounts.
ii. Collect all dues and fees as well as any other receivables such as donations, fund-raising incomes for the IAMME.
iii. Disburse all the authorized IAMME funds as approved by the Executive Board.
iv. Sign for checks with another designated officer.
v. Submit an annual financial report to the Executive Board and to the membership.
e. Public Relations Officer. The Public Relations Officer shall:
i. Be the liaison officer of the IAMME and therefore shall take charge of promoting and developing civic, social, cultural, educational and professional relationships with other associations, agencies and institutions at the federal, state and local levels.
ii. Help publish and publicize any or all of the image-building activities and achievements of the members, individually and collectively, and of the IAMME.
iii. Serve as Editor of the IAMME Newsletter. - Qualifications. All persons who have been members in the Association for at least one year prior to the election are eligible to be nominated for office. All members of the Executive Board must be (or become) members of the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE).
- Vacancies. If a vacancy occurs on the Board, an interim person will be chosen and appointed by the Board from a list of candidates for the remainder of the unserved term. The vacancy shall be filled during the following general election.
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Article VII: Elections
Section A. NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE. The Nominations Committee shall:
- Be composed of not more than three (3) members appointed no later than six (6) months prior to a scheduled election by the Executive Board.
- Charged with the preparation of a slate for the elective officers as provided for in Section A-1 of Article VI.
- Draw up the guidelines for the conduct of the scheduled election for which it is appointed, which guidelines must be disseminated to all members of the Association.
Section B. Procedures. Election procedures and guidelines shall include the following:
- All elections must be announced at least three (3) months prior to the expiration of the term of office during which an election is being scheduled.
- Any scheduled election must be completed at least one (1) month prior to the expiration of the term of office during which the election is being held.
- A synopsis of the qualifications of the persons consenting to run as candidates for office will be sent along with the ballots to all qualified voting members.
- Only those whose membership dues are current and who have been members for at least one (1) year prior to the date of the scheduled election are eligible to run for office.
- Only members whose membership dues are current are eligible to vote.
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Article VIII: By-Laws
A. These By-Laws shall be in effect after they are approved by a majority of the membership at a business meeting.
B. Proposed amendments to these By-laws shall be made at either a regular or special meeting called for the purpose, or through formal correspondence. Whether in a meeting or done through correspondence, a simple majority vote of the members present or of tallied votes in on or before the specified deadline is required to approve and [sic] proposed amendment.
C. Proposed amendments to these By-Laws, upon endorsement of the Executive Board, must be received by all members at least ten (10) days prior to the scheduled membership meeting at which they are to be considered for adoption, or at least 20 days prior to the scheduled tabulation date of membership votes in the case of ratification or approval by correspondence.
D. Unless otherwise specified, amendments to these By-laws will take effect upon official approval by the membership.
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Article IX: Standing Committees
Section 1. In order to more effectively carry out its goals and objectives, the Association shall have three (3) Standing Committees, namely:
a. Professional Activities Committee
b. Membership Service Committee
c. Business-Finance Committee
Section 2. Each standing committee shall be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Board, and shall have no less than two (2) but no more than six (6) members appointed by the committee chairperson.
Section 3. Each Standing Committee shall perform the basic tasks as outlined below:
A. The Professional Activities Committee shall:
- Develop and help implement an educational and professional program of activities designated [sic] to benefit the members and other non-member professionals associated with the organization.
- Oversee the effective implementation of the Special Interest Groups (SIG's) of the Association.
- Take charge of designing and implementing at least two (2) relevant workshops and/or seminars each membership year.
- Take a leadership and cooperative role in the implementation of the Annual Statewide Bilingual Education Conference.
- Develop strategies to keep the members informed of relevant professional and educational developments that affect the educator's profession and to encourage all members to maximize their participation in such activities as are directly [sic] to their professional practice and day-to-day tasks.
B. The Membership Service Committee shall:
- Help Executive Board to design and implement a membership drive within scheduled periods during each membership year.
- Help the Secretary update membership lists and mailing addresses.
- Develop strategies that keep the organization in constant touch with members and vice versa, that give incentives to members for outstanding performance or achievement.
- Develop activities aimed at serving membership needs by areas on a gradual basis.
C. The Business-Finance Committee shall:
- Design, develop and implement strategies for raising revenues needed to support the organization's activities.
- Recommend on a regular basis courses of action needed to improve both the financial position and functional operation of the IAMME.
- Help the treasurer in the preparation of annual budget and financial reports.
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Article X: Rules of Order
The Roberts' Rules of Order shall be followed in all cases where they do not conflict with the Association's Constitution and By-Laws.
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Article XI: Site of Association
The Site of Association of the IAMME shall be determined by the president.
