ISTA Operating Policies and Bylaws | Illinois Science Teachers Association

ISTA Bylaws & Operating Policies

Illinois Science Teachers Association Bylaws

Article I, Name
Article II, Purpose
Article III, Membership
Article IV, Affiliated Organizations
Article V, Officers, Directors and Governance
Article VI, General Membership Meetings
Article VII, General Provisions
Article VIII, Amendments
Certification

Illinois Science Teacher Association Operating Procedures

Click to view Operating Procedures (.pdf).
Approved by the Board of Directors November 2010.

ILLINOIS SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION BYLAWS

APPROVED BY GENERAL MEMBERSHIP
NOVEMBER 14, 2009

The name of the organization shall be the Illinois Science Teachers Association. In these bylaws, the shorthand ASSOCIATION shall identify the organization. It shall be the State Chapter of the NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION. It shall be a nonprofit organization incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois.

Article II – Purpose

The mission of the ASSOCIATION is to promote excellence in science teaching and learning throughout Illinois. The ASSOCIATION is organized exclusively for the advancement of scientific and educational purposes at all educational levels:

to provide opportunities for science teachers to improve their craft,
to provide networking opportunities between Illinois science teachers,
to maintain communication within its membership of important information impacting science teaching, and
to represent NSTA throughout Illinois.

Article III – Membership

Section 1. Eligibility for Membership: The membership of the ASSOCIATION shall be open to all interested in science and/or education.

Section 2. Classes of Memberships: There shall be two classes of membership: voting and non-voting. Qualifications for each class and subclass of membership shall be prescribed in the Operating Policies.

Section 3 Duration of Memberships: The membership year of this ASSOCIATION shall be prescribed in the Operating Policies. Continued membership is contingent upon being up-to-date on membership dues.

Section 4 Resignation and termination: Any member may resign by filing a written resignation with the secretary. Resignation shall not relieve a member of unpaid dues, or other charges previously accrued. A member can have their membership terminated by a majority vote of the membership.

ARTICLE IV – AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS

Section 1. Organizations which subscribe to the objectives of the ASSOCIATION shall be eligible for status as an affiliated organization.

Section 2. Affiliated organizations shall subscribe to Operating Policies and By-Laws of the ASSOCIATION.

Section 3. The delegate to the ISTA Board of an affiliated organization and the presiding officer of the affiliate shall be members of ISTA.

ARTICLE V – OFFICERS, Directors, AND GOVERNANCE

Section 1. The ILLINOIS SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION shall be governed by a Board of Directors consisting of the elected Officers and the Regional Directors.

Section 2. The Officers of the ILLINOIS SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION shall be a President, an Immediate Past-President, a President-Elect, a Vice-President, and a Secretary.

Section 3. The Executive Committee shall be composed of the Officers of the ASSOCIATION, the Treasurer, and the Executive Director. The Treasurer and Executive Director shall be considered ex-officio members without voting privileges.

Section 4. The terms of office and the powers and duties of the Officers, the Regional Directors, and other appointed leaders, together with method of their election or appointments, shall be prescribed in the Operating Policies.

Section 5. A majority of the voting members of the Executive Committee, and a majority of the elected members of the Board of Directors, shall constitute a quorum of each body, respectively.

ARTICLE VI – GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS

Section 1. Regular Meetings: There shall be one general business meeting of the membership of the ASSOCIATION each year held in conjunction with the annual conference.

Section 2. Special Meetings: Additional meetings of the membership of the ASSOCIATION may be scheduled by the Board of Directors as the need arises or in response to a petition signed by at least 10 percent of the voting membership.

Section 3: Notice of meetings: Notice of each meeting shall be sent to each voting member, by electronic mail, not less than two weeks prior to the meeting

Section 4: Quorum: The voting members present at any properly announced meeting shall constitute a quorum.

Section 5: Voting: All issues to be voted on shall be decided by a simple majority of those present at the meeting when the vote takes place.

ARTICLE VII – GENERAL PROVISIONS

Section 1. Robert’s Rules of Order, latest edition, shall prevail unless specifically covered by the By-Laws or Operating Policies. The President-Elect shall serve as the parliamentarian.

Section 2. No substantial part of the activities of the ASSOCIATION shall be devoted to any but scientific and/or educational objectives.

Section 3. The net earnings and/or assets of the ASSOCIATION shall be used for, and only for, scientific and/or educational purposes and be used to promote the interests of the organization and shall not in any way accrue to any group or private individual.

Section 4. Upon dissolution, the assets of the ASSOCIATION shall be distributed by the Board of Directors in accordance with Section 45 and/or Section 55 (c of the GENERAL NOT FOR PROFIT CORPORATION ACT –1963)(compiled by the Secretary of State of Illinois).

ARTICLE VIII — AMENDMENTS

Section 1 Procedures: A proposed amendment to the By-Laws of the ASSOCIATION may originate in the Board of Directors, or a proposed amendment may originate from the membership if accompanied by the signatures of ten voting members. Proposed amendments to these By-Laws must be submitted to the Secretary no less than one month prior to the annual general business meeting of the membership of the ASSOCIATION and sent out electronically with the general membership meeting announcements no later than ten days prior to the meeting.

Section 2 Voting: These By-Laws may be amended when necessary by a simple majority of those voting members present at the annual general business meeting of the membership of the ASSOCIATION.

Certification

These By-Laws were approved at the general membership meeting by a majority vote on November 14, 2009, replacing all previous iterations of this document.

(signed by Kathleen M. Schmidt, November 14, 2009)
Secretary

Previous Version of Operating Policies was dated March 2004

ILLINOIS SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION PROCEDURES

ISTA Position Hiring Procedure

When a stipend receiving position for ISTA is open, the ISTA President and Executive Director are responsible to see the following steps are carried out:

The job description for this position should be reviewed to see that it meets current ISTA needs. This review should include the appropriate officers or committee chairs
A notice of the availability of the position should be provided to ISTA officers, directors, & committee chairs; posted on the ISTA website and listserv; and distributed by other means as appropriate for the position. The notice of availability must describe the job adequately, provide desired qualifications, list contact information and deadlines, itemize the application process, and meet federal and state employment standards. See the example below:

The Illinois Science Teachers Association is looking to hire a Treasurer for our organization. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact _____________at email address:_____________.

Treasurer Job Description and Compensation:
The newly appointed Treasurer will begin their post immediately and work in partnership with our interim Treasurer until approximately March 1, 2010, allowing for a brief training period. The Treasurer's renewable contract may be terminated at the discretion of the Executive Board at any time.

Basic job description of the Treasurer includes keeping complete records of receipts and disbursements, developing forms needed to carry out financial responsibilities, assuring compliance with State and Federal tax requirements, preparing financial reports and proposed budgets, investing ISTA funds, arranging for a professional audit of the financial records, and serving as an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee and as a member of the Finance Committee.

The ISTA Board has recommended an annual stipend of $2,500 for the services of its Treasurer. ISTA is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Application Process: Please email the following documents to __(name)_, ISTA title, and email address:
1. Letter of interest that includes a description of talents/skills that you can bring to this position.
2. Your resume.
3. Please include at least one letter of recommendation from a current colleague or administrator that focuses on the leadership and organizational skills they have observed about you.
When the deadline for applications is past, the designated contact person shall review the applications and, after consulting the president, make a recommendation to the executive committee. This may be to hire an applicant, to interview one or more applicants, to not hire any applicants and renew the search, or to revise the job description and renew the search.
OPTIONAL INTERVIEW STEP. If an interview of prospective candidate(s) is deemed necessary, the contact person shall arrange for at least two knowledgeable ISTA directors or leaders to be present, preferably those with experience in job interviews. The interview should be conducted in a public place and interviewers must be briefed on appropriate and inappropriate questions and legally correct interview procedures. The ISTA contact person is responsible to assure that legal requirements for hiring interviews are fulfilled and documented, so that applicants are fairly and uniformly treated.

Following discussion and agreement of the interviewers, the result of the interview may be to recommend hiring an applicant, to interview other applicants, or to not hire any applicants and reopen the job search, with or without a change of the job description.
When the contact person determines there is an applicant to be recommended for the position, he/she will provide appropriate information to the president who will forward it to the ISTA board seeking affirmation. If a board member has a question or reservation about the applicant, the contact person shall address those questions or reservations to the applicant, then provide the applicant’s response to all members of the board with a recommendation. IF the recommendation is to proceed with a contract, the board will again be polled according to rules of order. IF the recommendation is not to proceed, the hiring process will revert back to earlier steps: options may include selecting another applicant, renewing the search, and revising the job description.
When the ISTA Board affirms the selection of the contractor, the executive director will prepare and forward to the successful applicant an Agreement for Services, based on the job description and Board decision.
ISTA applicants should be informed as part of the hiring process of the following:

A. ISTA prefers to provide new contractors with an initial contract providing for an initial period of training and discernment. Following successful completion of that training period (typically 1-6 months), ISTA typically offers an annual contract renewable following a January evaluation.
B. ISTA uniformly uses with all contractors, an Agreement for Services (CONTRACT) which considers contractors to be independent contractors providing executive consulting services. Compensation of stipends is quarterly. ISTA provides no health or dental benefits, no unemployment compensation, no workmens’ comp, but does provide reimbursement for legitimate expenses, FICA payments, and tax withholding as required by IRS. ISTA currently reports stipends paid to contractors with an IRS W-2 form (not a 1099 self employment form), but this has been appealed to IRS for one ISTA position. A copy of the planned contract for the position should be provided to an applicant on request.
C. ISTA utilizes a joint annual evaluation process aimed at revising, improving, and renewing contracts. ISTA contractors are asked to annually evaluate ISTA communication, tasks, compensation and benefits, and their personal goals. Likewise, the ISTA Executive Committee annually evaluates contractors’ performance in meeting tasks and ISTA goals.

Policy adopted by ISTA Executive Committee,
April 24, 2010