Virginia Association of Career and Technical Education
Special Needs Division
Constitution & By-Laws

Word Version of Constitution and By-Laws

 

CONSTITUTION

 

ARTICLE I – NAME

 

The name of this association is the Virginia Association for Career and Technical Education-Special Needs Division (VACTE-SND), an affiliate of the Virginia Association for Career and Technical Education.

 

ARTICLE II – DURATION

 

The period of its duration is perpetual.

 

ARTICLE III – PURPOSE

 

This organization shall be a non-profit organization.

 

            Section 1.         To serve as a unifying association for all personnel who serve in or

                                    interested in career and technical programs for learners with

special needs in Virginia.

 

            Section 2.         To unite local and regional associations of career and technical

            education special needs personnel into a statewide professional

network. and promote exemplary programs for students with

special needs.

 

Section 3.         To promote and maintain active advocacy and leadership roles in and advancementof the inclusion of students with special needs in career and technical education programs.

 

ARTICLE IV – MEMBERSHIP

 

            Section 1.         Persons involved in or interested in career and technical  

education programs may become members of this organization.

 

            Section 2.         The qualifications and types of membership shall be defined in the

                                    By-Laws.

 

ARTICLE V – DUES

 

            Section 1.         The membership dues shall be a sum sufficient to cover the

expenditures of this association.

 

            Section 2.         The membership dues and method of collection shall be

established in the By-Laws of this Constitution.

 

ARTICLE VI – OFFICERS

 

            Section 1.         The officers of this association shall be president, president-elect,

past president, regional vice-presidents, secretary, and treasurer.

 

            Section 2.         The officers shall have qualifications, terms of office, and duties as

                                    Established by the By-Laws.

 

            Section 3.         The officers of the association shall be selected or elected in the

                                    manner specified in the By-Laws.

 

ARTICLE VII – BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

            Section 1.         The Board of Directors shall consist of the officers VACTE-SND

                                    and the others identified in the By-Laws.

 

            Section 2.         The Board of Directors shall be empowered to manage the affairs

of the association and shall have the power to employ such persons

or services as needed.

 

ARTICLE VIII – MEETINGS

 

            Section 1.         There shall be an annual business meeting of VACTE-SND at the

                                    Transition Forum in March.

 

            Section 2.         The president, with approval, may call additional meetings

of the Board of Directors.

 

            Section 3.         The Board of Directors of this association shall meet at least twice

annually.

 

            Section 4.         A majority of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum.

 

ARTICLE IX – COMMITTEES

 

            Section 1.         All standing committees shall be appointed by the president with

the approval of the Board of Directors.

 

            Section 2.         Special committees shall be appointed by the president as needed.

 

ARTICLE X – ADMENDMENTS

 

            Section 1.         No amendments to the constitution shall be acted upon unless

written notice has been given to the Board of Directors and

presented to the membership prior to the date of the vote.

 

            Section 2.         Amendments to this constitution must be approved by a two-thirds

majority of the voting membership in attendance at the annual

business meeting.

 

ARTICLE XI – PARLIMENTARY REFERENCE

 

            Robert’s Rules of Order (Revised Edition) shall be the accepted rule of a

parliamentary authority.

 

 

 

BY-LAWS

 

ARTICLE I - MEMBERSHIP

 

Section 1.         Membership may be obtained through individual application or

 through application submitted through affiliated state

 organizations (VACTE).

 

            Section 2.         Types of membership

 

a.       Active membership is open to those persons who are interested

in programs or services related to career and technical    education for students with special needs.

b.      Honorary membership may be conferred by the Board of Directors.

c.       Voting privileges shall be exercised by active members only.

 

 

ARTICLE II – DUES

 

            Section 1.         The membership of the state organization shall be reviewed,

revised, and recommended to the membership by the Board of

Directors as deemed necessary.

 

            Section 2.         Any change in the dues structure must be voted on by the members

present at the annual meeting prior to the dues change.

 

            Section 3.         Dues structure

 

a.                   Active Members - $10.00

b.                  Honorary Members – No dues

 

Section 4.         The membership year will run one year from the date the member joins.            

 

            Section 5.         The collection and processing of dues shall be the responsibility of

the Treasurer.

 

 

 

ARTICLE III – OFFICERS

 

            Section 1.         Officers of this organization shall be active members of the

Virginia Association for Career and Technical Education (VACTE) and  the Virginia Association for Career and Technical Education-Special Needs Division (VACTE-SND).

 

Section 2.         The term of office for the president, president-elect and immediate

past-president shall be two years.  The regional vice-presidents

shall also be appointed for two years in alternating cycles.  The

secretary and treasure shall be elected to two-year terms.

 

            Section 3.         Election of Officers.

           

a.                   The president shall appoint the nominating committee.

b.                  The nominating committee shall accept and screen applicants to become candidates for the offices of this organization.

c.                   The incoming president-elect shall be elected by the membership at the annual meeting, and shall become president after serving as president-elect for two years.

 

Section 4.         Regional vice-presidents shall be appointed by the Board of

                        Directors for two-year terms.  The regional vice-presidents must be

employed teachers or administrators who work within the regions

they represent.

 

            Section 5.         Open nominations will be accepted from the floor provided the

nominees have given their consent and have necessary credentials

on file with the organization.

 

            Section 6.         If the office of president shall become vacant, the president-elect

shall become president.

 

            Section 7.         The Board of Directors shall fill any other vacancies to complete

                                    unexpired terms.

 

            Section 8.         The election of officers, other than regional vice-presidents, shall

be completed by vote at the annual meeting.

 

ARTICLE IV – BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

            Section 1.         The Board of Directors shall be chaired by the president and

consist of the officers of the Association, a teacher-educator, and

an administrator.  The regional vice-presidents, teacher-educator,

and administrator shall be appointed for two-year terms by the

Board of Directors.  A VirginiaDepartment of Education

administrator responsible for career and technical education programs shall be an ex-officio member without vote.

 

            Section 2.         Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be open to any member.

 

            Section 3.         It shall be the duty of the Board of Directors to determine policies

of the association and to provide leadership in accomplishing the

purpose of the association.

 

            Section 4.         Minutes of the Board of Directors meetings shall be open to

inspection by any member upon request.

 

            Section 5.         The Board of Directors shall report to the membership the

association’s annual meeting and present a financial accounting of

organization funds.

 

ARTICLE V – COMMITTEES

 

            Section 1.         The standing committees to be appointed by the president with

consent of the Board of Directors is as follows.  Each shall be

chaired by a chairperson and two other members.

 

By-Laws & Program of Work (President – chair)

This committee shall review the Constitution and By-Laws on an annual basis and recommend changes as necessary.  It will also develop a program of work for the Association and present it to the Board of Directors for approval and implementation.

 

Nominations (Past-President – chair)

This committee will present a slate of candidates for the offices of president-elect, secretary, and treasurer at the annual meeting for consideration by the membership in attendance.

 

Membership (Chair appointed by Board)

This committee will maintain the official record of membership and prepare a list of those members to the Board of Directors each October and March.  It will also design and distribute membership application forms.

 

Awards (Past-President – chair)

This committee will solicit nominees for the award of Teacher of the Year, Administrator of the Year, and any special awards in the spring and make recommendations to the Board of Directors prior to the annual meeting.

 

Newsletter (Editor appointed by Board – chair)

This committee shall edit, publish, and distribute newsletters at least twice each year.

 

Public Relations (Secretary – chair)

This committee shall develop a public relations plan and present it to the Board of Directors at the fall meeting.

 

Legislative (Chair appointed by Board)

This committee shall bring legislative issues and recommendations to the Board of Directors on a continuing basis.

 

Conference (President-elect – chair)

This committee shall develop a plan for the annual conference and present it to the Board of Directors for approval.

 

            Section 2.         AD HOC committees shall be appointed by the President as

needed and shall function until their assignment is completed.

 

ARTICLE VI – DUTIES OF OFFICERS

 

            Section 1.         President

 

a.       It shall be the duty of the president to preside over the annual meeting of the Virginia Association for Career and Technical Education- Special Needs Division and over meetings of the Board of Directors.

 

b.      The president shall have major responsibility in planning and conducting the annual meeting of (VACTE-SND).

 

c.       The president shall appoint all committees and may serve as an ex-officio member of these committees.

 

d.      The president will chair the By-Laws & Program of Work committee.

 

e.       The president shall be responsible for presenting to the membership an annual report of the status of the Association and explain the program of work as developed and approved by the Board of Directors.

 

f.        The president shall authorize all expenditures based on budget allocationsapproved by the Board of Directorsand prior to disbursement by the treasurer.

 

Section 2.         President-Elect

 

a.       It shall be the duty of the president-elect to assume the office of president if the president is unable to serve in this capacity.

 

b.      The president-elect shall stand in for the president when requested.

 

c.       The president-elect shall serve as chairman of the conference committee.

 

Section 3.         Past President

 

a.       It shall be the duty of the past president to serve in an advisory capacity to the president.

 

b.      The past president will serve as the chair of the awards committee and the nominations and elections committee.

 

Section 4.         Treasurer

 

a.       The treasurer shall keep current and complete records of membership dues collected and all financial transactions of the organization.

 

b.      The treasurer shall be responsible for the custody of the funds and other assets of the organization.  The treasurer shall provide the organization an annual report on the financial status of the organization and itemized quarterly reports to the board of Directors.

 

c.       The treasurer shall have sole responsibility for disbursement of organization funds upon approval by the president or designee.

 

d.      The treasurer shall serve as the chair of the finance committee.

 

Section 5.         Secretary

 

a.       The secretary shall perform those duties common to such office, and other duties as directed by the Board of Directors.

 

b.      The secretary shall keep correct and complete minutes of the proceedings of the meetings of the Board of Directors and be prepared to disseminate copies at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

 

c.       The secretary shall keep the minutes of the annual meeting and be prepared to disseminate this information at the request of the Board of Directors.

 

d.      The secretary shall serve as the chair of the Public Relations committee.

 

 

 

Section 6.         Regional Vice-Presidents

 

a.       It shall be the duty of each of the regional vice-presidents to represent their regions on the Board of Directors.

 

b.      The regional vice-presidents shall promote membership and strive to increase participation in VACTE-SND.

 

ARTICLE VII – ADMENDMENTS

 

            Section 1.         No amendments to the by-laws shall be acted upon unless written

notice has been given to the Board of Directors prior to the annual

meeting and presented in writing to the membership at the date of

the vote.

 

            Section 2.         Amendments to these by-laws must be approved by a simple

majority of the voting membership in attendance a the annual

business meeting.