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Bylaws

Constitution

ARTICLE I

Name

The name of this organization will be the Kennewick Education Association, Incorporated. The association will be incorporated under the charter laws of the State of Washington.

ARTICLE II

Purpose

Section 1

To work for the welfare of school children, the advancement of public education, and the improvement of instructional opportunities for all.

Section 2

To develop and promote the adoption of such ethical practices, personnel policies, and standards of preparation and participation as mark a profession.

Section 3

To develop and promote a continuing program to improve salaries, fringe benefits, working conditions, and instruction through formal negotiations with the School Board as the exclusive representative of the certificated personnel in the Kennewick School District (in compliance with RCW 28A.72).

Section 4

To unify and enable members to speak with a common voice on matters pertaining to the teaching profession and to present their individual and common interests before the Board of Education and other legal authorities.

Section 5

To hold property and funds and to employ a staff for the attainment of these purposes.

ARTICLE III

Membership

Section 1

Active membership in the association will be accompanied by active membership in the Washington Education Association and the National Education Association in all cases where reciprocal arrangements are assured.

Section 2

Only active members will the right to vote and to hold office or serve on committees in the local, state, or national associations.

Section 3

Membership will not be denied to individuals on the basis of race, creed, national origin, or gender.

Section 4

The membership year will be from September 1 to August 31, inclusive.

Section 5

Membership will be continuing from year to year, except upon resignation, retirement, death, expulsion, or discontinuance as provided in the bylaws.

Section 6

The executive board will have the power to censure, suspend, or expel any member for cause, after due notice and hearing. However, any member who stands convicted by a court of a crime involving moral turpitude will be automatically expelled from membership in the association. The executive board will have power to reinstate any suspended or expelled member following a hearing and report of the case to the executive board by the Teacher Rights Committee.

Said hearing must be held within thirty calendar days of the executive board's decision. Further, the responsibility for requesting such a hearing rests with the affected member.

ARTICLE IV

Dues

Section 1

Payment of local dues will be accompanied by payment of state and national dues.

Section 2

Dues will be paid by Automatic Payroll Authorization (APA) or by cash on or before Oct. 30 of the membership year.

Section 3

Changes in the rate of dues will be voted on by the entire membership using the polling method specified in Article X for amendments to the constitution.

ARTICLE V

Officers

Section 1

The officers of the Kennewick Education Association will be the president, vice-president, and secretary-treasurer.

Section 2

The term of office will be two years, beginning at the conclusion of NEA representative assembly. The president may be elected for up to three consecutive terms. There is no limit on the number of terms a vice president or secretary/treasurer may serve.

Section 3

All officers will be elected by secret ballot following open nominations by the general membership. Election of officers will be conducted during the week following the April representative assembly except for those elections that have to take place when an office is vacant at a time other than during a normal election cycle. In the event the president unable to serve his/ her full term of office, the vice-president will assume the office of the president for the balance of the unexpired term. If a vacancy occurs in any other office, the representative assembly will call a special election to fill that vacancy for the balance of the unexpired term.

Section 4

Any officer may be recalled with or without cause - at any election called for that purpose - by a two-thirds vote of all members voting. In the event the president is recalled, the vice-president will assume the office of president for the balance of the unexpired term. If any other officer is recalled, a new officer will be chosen by the regular means of election and will assume the office for the balance of the unexpired term.

Such a recall election may be called by a two-thirds vote of those delegates present and voting at a meeting of the representative assembly.

ARTICLE VI

Representative Assembly

Section 1

Determination of the policies and programs of the association will be vested in a representative assembly composed of delegates elected as herein provided. The representative assembly will meet as set forth by the Bylaws.

Section 2

The representative assembly will approve the budget, act on reports of committees, approve resolutions and other policy statements. It may adopt such rules governing the employment of staff, the conduct of the association, and the conduct of meetings as are consistent with this constitution and bylaws.

Section 3

The officers of the association will be the officers of the representative assembly

Section 4

Association members serving on WEA or NEA committees, commissions or boards will be ex-officio members of the representative assembly.

Section 5

Delegates from each building to the representative assembly will be elected by secret ballot by the members of that building. There will be elected one delegate for each ten members or major fraction thereof with each building unit being guaranteed a minimum of one delegate.

ARTICLE VII

Executive Board

Section 1

The executive board will consist of the president, vice-president, secretary-treasurer, president-elect (when appropriate), co-curricular representative, and members-at-large from the representative assembly. The president-elect will join the executive board immediately upon election.

Section 2

The members-at-large will be nominated by the representative assembly to represent K-2, 3-5, middle school, and high school, co-curricular, and representative at-large. Election will be by secret ballot with each teaching level voting to elect its own representative. This election will take place at the May KEA representative assembly, with duties beginning con currently with elected officers.

Section 3

Executive board members will serve two-year terms Beginning with elections in the spring of 2000, representatives for primary grades, middle school, and co-curricular members will serve two-year terms. Beginning with elections in the spring of 2001, representatives for intermediate grades, high school, and at-large will serve two-year terms.

Section 4

The executive board will:

1)     Carry out the program and policies of the representative assembly and exercise the general authority of the representative assembly between its meetings. The Board will have the authority to interpret the Constitution and Bylaws.

2)     Employ staff to be engaged for compensation in the service of the association.

3)     Supervise the expenditure of funds as specified in the budget.

Section 5

The officers of the association will be the officers of the executive board.

ARTICLE VIII

General Membership

Section 1

There will be a minimum of one general membership meeting annually.

Section 2

General membership meetings may be called by the president or by a majority vote of the representative assembly.

Section 3

Ratification by the general membership will be required before a sanction or strike action may be initiated. Ratification by the general membership will also be required for acceptance of the packet presented by the Professional Negotiations Committee.

ARTICLE IX

Committees

Section 1

Committees may be authorized by the representative assembly or by the executive board.

Section 2

Standing committees may include:

1)     Membership Training

2)     Teacher Rights

3)     Special Services

4)     Legislation

5)     Public Relations

6)     Salary

7)     Professional Negotiations

8)     Candidate Review Committee

9)     Staff Development

10)            Sick Leave Sharing

Section 3

The president, with the approval of the executive board, will appoint ad hoc committees as necessary and will discharge them upon completion of their duties.

ARTICLE X

Amendment

Section 1

This constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the ballots cast and returned by the general membership.

The procedure will be as follows:

1)     Proposed amendments will be presented in writing to the president of KEA, no later than Feb. 1 of the year in which the amendment is to be considered.

2)     The proposals will be sent to the Constitution Revision Committee for revision.

3)     The proposals will then be published for general membership consideration.

4)     Within fifteen days, but no earlier than ten days after publication, ballots will be distributed to building representatives. "Days" will refer to contract days.

5)     It will be the duty and responsibility of the building representatives to collect and return all ballots to the KEA office, no later than 4:00 p.m. on the date specified as the closing date for balloting.

6)     Ballots will be counted at 4:00 p.m. on the date specified for closing date. The members of the executive board will count the ballots.

ARTICLE XI

Parliamentary Authority

Section 1

Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure will be the authority on questions of parliamentary law.