The Constitution of the Computer Using Educators of British Columbia (CUEBC)

NAME

The name of this Association shall be the Computer Using Educators of British Columbia, herein after known as the Association.

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Association shall be to promote the educational uses of information and communication technology.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this Association shall be:

1. To sponsor regional and provincial activities that will promote professional development in the uses of information and communications technology in education.
2. To produce a high-quality newsletter with in-depth information related to educational technology.
3. To support and participate in the development and implementation of the Federation’s Public Education Advocacy Plan.
4. To provide advice on curriculum, resources, and best practice for the education of all children both in classrooms and working in a distributed learning environment.
5. To provide a forum for discussion of emerging issues related to education and the use of information and communications technology.
6. To support other PSA’s in
1. a. achieving their goals and
2. b. community outreach.
7. To provide advice on BCTF governance.
8. To increase PSA membership in order to better provide support to educators across the province.
9. To encourage the formation local chapters or LSAs.
10. To maintain liaison with local, national, and international organizations involved with the use of information and communications technology in education.
11. To encourage the development of high quality educational software and lesson materials.
12. To promote the use of information and communications technology as a medium for teachers and students to interact, communicate, and exchange information.
13. To cooperate with the Ministry of Education, with the sanction of the British Columbia Teachers' Federation, in providing advice on issues concerning the educational uses of computer technology.

 ARTICLES

ARTICLE 1 - MEMBERSHIP

1. Membership shall be open to any member of the British Columbia Teachers Federation (BCTF) interested in the mission and the objectives of the Association. Such membership will be deemed active when the membership fee has been paid and the member's name is on the current membership roster.
2. Membership shall be on the evergreen-plan basis, as described in the British Columbia Teachers' Federation policy handbook.
3. Life Membership may be conferred on any member of the Association who:
• o is a past president of CUEBC who has completed at least one full term of office.
• o has offered profound service to CUEBC over an extended period of time.
4. Honorary Life Membership may be conferred on any person who is not currently a member of the BCTF who:
• o is a past president of CUEBC who has completed at least one full term of office.
• o has offered profound service to CUEBC over an extended period of time.
5. Any nomination for Life Membership or Honorary Life Membership must be made by the executive and ratified at the next Annual General Meeting of the Association.
6. Non-members of the BCTF may receive publications of the Association upon payment of a subscription fee to be determined annually by the Executive. Such fee shall not be less than the current membership fee and the current BCTF grant per member and any required taxes.

ARTICLE 2 - FEES

1. Membership fees shall be established by resolution at an Annual General Meeting or by a mail ballot in the event that it is not possible to hold an Annual General Meeting.
2. Membership fees shall apply on the evergreen-plan basis, as described in the British Columbia Teachers' Federation policy handbook.

ARTICLE 3 - FISCAL YEAR

1. The fiscal year of the Association shall end June 30th of each calendar year.

ARTICLE 4 - TABLE OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE

1. The elected Table Officers of the Association shall consist of the President, Vice-president, Secretary, Treasurer, and Publications Chairperson.
2. The Table Officers shall include the immediate Past President.
3. The Executive of the Association shall consist of:
• a) the Table Officers of the Association.
• b) Such persons as may be appointed pursuant to Article 7.3.

ARTICLE 5 - ELIGIBILITY FOR OFFICE AND NOMINATIONS

1. Any Active Member of the Association is eligible for election as a Table Officer or for appointment to an Executive position other than for the position of President.
2. Any Active Member of the Association who has served at least one full term of office as a member of the Executive is eligible for election as President of the Association. A "full term" shall be defined as the period from one election to the next election.
3. The Executive will attempt to nominate at least one person for each elected position.
4. Nominations for Table Officer positions shall be made by any two members of the Association.

ARTICLE 6 - TERM OF OFFICE

1. The term of office for the President, Vice-president, Secretary, Treasurer, and Publications Chairperson shall be for 2 years.
2. All members of the Executive are eligible for re-election or for re-appointment.
3. Appointments made by the elected Officers shall be for a maximum of 2 years and such appointments may be terminated at any time by the elected Officers.
4. The term of office for the current Executive shall end on December 31st if the election of new Table Officers occurs in the fall of the year or on June 30th if the election of new Table Officers occurs in the spring of the year.

ARTICLE 7 - ELECTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS

1. The Officers of the Association shall be elected by majority vote of the Membership at an Annual General Meeting of the Association and all voting shall be by secret ballot or by a mail ballot in the event that it is not possible to hold an Annual General Meeting.
2. The results of the balloting shall be made known to the Membership by announcement at the Annual General Meeting immediately following the election and/or by publication in the next Association newsletter.
3. The elected Officers of the Association may create such other executive positions as they deem necessary from time to time and shall appoint persons to fulfill the duties of these positions.
4. The Executive may appoint committees either from its own ranks or from the Membership at large. All committees are responsible to the Executive.
5. Whenever a vacancy occurs in an elected position, the remaining elected Officers may appoint a member to fill the vacancy. The term of the appointment shall continue until the next general election of Table Officers.

ARTICLE 8 - RECALL OF ELECTED OFFICERS

1. The Executive may on its own initiative or by acting on the request of not fewer than fifty (50) members, initiate a process for the recall of any elected member of the Executive.
2. The recall process may be initiated when:
• a) an Executive member has not fulfilled his/her duties as outlined by this constitution
• b) is chronically and consistently absent, without valid medical reason, from the meetings and / or the decision making processes of the Association which he/she is expected to attend and / or participate in in fulfillment of his/her office
3. The Executive must notify in writing any Executive member of the intent to consider a motion for recall of the member at least two weeks prior to the Executive meeting at which the motion will be considered.
4. At the Executive meeting where a recall motion is to be voted on the following due process must be ensured:
• a) The Executive member subject to the recall motion must be given the opportunity to present his/her case; to question the Executive members; and to dispute evidence presented
• b) there must be adequate time devoted to the discussion of the matter.
5. A motion to recall requires at least a three quarters (3/4) majority to pass.
6. An Executive member who has been recalled may appeal the recall at the next general meeting or Annual General Meeting.

ARTICLE 9 - DUTIES OF ELECTED OFFICERS

1. The President shall be the Presiding Officer of the Association, and shall also be a member, "ex-officio", of all committees of the Association. In the absence of the President, his/her duties will be performed by the Vice-president.
2. The Vice-president shall assist the President to carry out his or her duties. In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall perform the duties of the President.
3. The Secretary shall prepare and preserve a record of all Executive and General Meetings of the Association and shall prepare and sign such correspondence, in the name of the Association, as the Executive or elected Table Officers may from time to time direct that he or she sign. The Secretary shall ensure that the minutes of any meeting of the Association will be made available to the Executive within two weeks of the meeting that generated those minutes. The Secretary shall ensure that a sufficient stock of supplies of letterhead and envelopes is on hand. The Secretary shall ensure that notices of meetings and appropriate enclosures will be sent to the appropriate members.
4. The Treasurer shall maintain a record of all monetary transactions of the Association and authorize the writing of cheques. The Treasurer shall prepare a financial statement for each Annual General Meeting and, from time to time, at the request of the Executive. At the request of the Executive, the Treasurer shall surrender the books of the Association to the person designated by the Executive. The books shall be returned to the Treasurer at a time determined by the Executive. The Treasurer shall ensure that the accounts of the Association are audited annually. The Treasurer shall prepare an annual budget for the Association prior to the commencement of each school year. The annual budget must then be passed by the Executive and presented to the membership at the Annual General Meeting for approval by the membership.
5. The Treasurer, the President and the Vice-president are the signing Officers of the Association. Any one of them may authorize the payment of funds drawn on accounts of the Association which are held by the BCTF. Any two of them may authorize payment of funds drawn on any external accounts of the Association. The Treasurer must receive copies of any and all financial transactions.
6. The Publications Chairperson shall serve as Editor of the Journal of The Computer Using Educators of British Columbia and of the newsletter of the Association. The Publications Chairperson shall ensure that all members of the Executive receive proof copies of publications prior to printing and distribution of these documents.

ARTICLE 10 - DUTIES OF APPOINTED MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE

1. The duties of the Executive members who are appointed shall be specified by the elected Table Officers at the time of appointment. A statement of such duties shall be written in an appendix to this Constitution.

ARTICLE 11 - CHAPTERS

1. The teachers within any local Association (as defined by the British Columbia Teachers' Federation Constitution) or any group of local associations may apply to the Executive for recognition as a Chapter of the Association.
2. The Executive shall have the authority to refuse recognition of Chapters and to establish regulations governing the organization and operation of Chapters.
3. Each Chapter shall submit an annual financial statement, by September 30th of each year, to the Treasurer of the Association for inclusion in his or her report to the Annual General Meeting of the Association.
4. Chapters who do submit their annual financial statements by September 30th of each year will be eligible for an annual grant to the Chapter, the amount to be determined by the Executive at the Executive meeting wherein the annual budget is considered and approved each year.

ARTICLE 12 - MEETINGS

1. A meeting of the executive shall be called by the president or vice-president after consultation with all table officers.
2. An executive meeting may be held in a pre-arranged location or through electronic means.
3. A quorum at an executive meeting shall consist of at least thirty (30) percent of the active executive and shall include at least thirty (30) percent of the current table officers.
4. The Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held at a time and place to be designated by the Executive. All members are to be notified at least two weeks in advance of the Annual General Meeting.
5. Other general meetings of the Association shall be held as determined by the Executive.
6. Voting at all meetings shall be by a show of hands except for the election of Officers or when a ballot is demanded by one-third of the members present.
7. The Simplified Rules of Order of the BCTF (based on Robert's Rules of Order) shall govern procedure at all meetings.
8. A quorum at an Annual General Meeting shall consist of at least ten (10) percent of the Active Members of the Association.
9. The Executive, at its discretion, may submit any question affecting the interests of the Association to the Membership by mail. A vote by mail on any question shall be equivalent to, and carry the same force as putting the question to a general meeting of the Association.

ARTICLE 13 - REPRESENTATION TO AGENCIES OUTSIDE OF THE BCTF

1. Any representation made by the Association or its Chapters to any authority outside of the British Columbia Teachers' Federation shall follow the current protocol of the British Columbia Teachers' Federation.

ARTICLE 14 - CONSTITUTION

1. A copy of the Constitution of the Association shall be filed in the British Columbia Teachers' Federation office.
2. The Constitution may be amended by a majority vote of two-thirds or more of the members present at any regular session of an Annual General Meeting.
3. Notice of motion amending the Constitution shall be made in the issue of the newsletter immediately preceding the Annual General Meeting.
4. Amendments to the Constitution shall not become effective until they have been approved by the British Columbia Teachers' Federation Executive Committee.

ARTICLE 15 - DISSOLUTION OF THE ASSOCIATION

1. In the event of the dissolution of the Association, any funds remaining in the Association will revert to the British Columbia Teachers' Federation.

 APPENDIX

ITEM 1 - GENERAL DUTIES OF APPOINTED MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE AND OR COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS
The general duties of appointed members of the Executive and or Committee Chairpersons are:

1. to be responsible to the Executive.
2. to report in writing to the Executive at each Executive Meeting.
3. to get Executive approval prior to beginning any event and/or activity.
4. to present a budget to the Executive for approval prior to beginning any event and/or activity.
5. to get approval for any expenditure of funds in advance from the Executive of the Association.
6. to accept that any income generated by any events and/or activities on behalf of the Association shall become part of the general operating budget of the Association
7. to ensure that all members of their committee are aware that the committee is responsible to the Executive and is to respond to direction from the Executive.

ITEM 2 - SPECIFIC DUTIES OF APPOINTED MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE AND OR COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS

1. Web Master: establishes and maintains the Association’s website ensuring that all information is accurate and current.
2. Archivist: maintains a list or index of and copies of the "historical" documents of the Association and the location where the documents are stored.
3. Chapter Coordinator: acts as liason between the Association and the Chapters of the Association.
4. Horizons Conference Coordinator: acts as the Chairperson of the Horizons Conference planning committee.
5. Connect Conference Coordinator: acts as the Chairperson of the Connect Conference planning committee.
6. Membership Coordinator: maintains a list of the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and membership expiry dates of Association members.
7. Telecommunication Committee Chairperson: acts as the Chairperson of the telecommunications committee.
8. Professional Development Coordinator: maintains a record of professional development activities available and promotes such activities with the Executive and the membership.
9. Vendor Contact: acts as liason between the Association and the vendors for advertising, conferences and other vendor related activities.
10. Member At Large: works on projects as directed by the Executive.

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