By-laws

ARTICLE I-NAME

The name of this Association shall be the Randolph Education Association. (REA).

ARTICLE II - PURPOSE

The purposes of this Association are:

1. To give members an organization in which to carry on a continuous study of the problems of the profession.

2. To provide a local action body in support of the programs of the state and national association.

3. To improve the professional, economic, social, and civic status of educators.

4. To devise programs to gain community support for schools.

5. To build solidarity among the members of the profession and to secure group thinking for the solution of problems.

6. To provide a means by which educators may help to form policies that govern the local schools.

7. To provide opportunities for leadership, as well as stimulate professional enthusiasm and high ethical conduct.

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1

Any employee covered in Unit A (Teachers, Nurses, etc.) or D (Paraprofessional) by the Randolph Education Association contract(s) with the Randolph Public Schools, or those Reduced in Force (RIF), or those retirees interested in the REA, may become a member.

Section 2

According to procedure adopted by the Representative Council, the Representative Council may suspend from membership or expel any member who shall have violated the ethics of the education profession; may cancel the membership of any member convicted in a court learned in the law of a crime involving moral turpitude; and may reinstate a member who has been previously suspended or expelled from the Association.

ARTICLE IV - OFFICERS

Effective 2019- 2020, the officers of the Association shall be as follows: President, Executive Vice President (to be voted on by all members), Elementary Coordinator (to be voted on only by members at the elementary schools), Secondary Coordinator (to be voted on by middle school and high school members), Recording Secretary, and Treasurer.

ARTICLE V - DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 1

The President shall preside over meetings of the Representative Council; appoint the chairperson and members of the standing committees, who shall commence their duties subject to the approval of the Representative Council by a majority vote of those voting. The President shall appoint special committees and delegates, be a voting member of all standing committees, attend regularly scheduled meetings with the Superintendent and represent the Association before the public either personally or through delegates, and submit a budget to the Representative Council by September of every year with the approval of the Council by a majority vote of those voting.

Section 2

Effective 2019-2020, the Executive Vice-President shall coordinate all committee activity and chair at least one standing committee. The Executive Vice-President shall conduct all elections adhering to the policies of Article IX. Their proposed election procedures must be presented to and approved by the Representative Council during the regular February meeting. The Executive Vice President shall be a member of the Sick Bank Committee. The Executive Vice President shall be present at all regularly scheduled meetings with the Superintendent. In the absence of the President, the Executive Vice President shall assume his/her duties.

Section 3

The Recording Secretary shall keep attendance and accurate records of all business transacted by the Association and by the Representative Council. The Recording Secretary shall keep a list of the officers, members of the Representative council, members of the committees, and general members. The Recording Secretary shall assume the responsibilities of editing/publishing the bi-monthly Alert reminding members of submissions, sending to membership/retirees, printing/distributing to schools, and sending to the Social Media Representative, and informing members of immediate information (effective 2018-2019).

Section 4

The Treasurer shall be the custodian of the funds of the Association. He/she shall keep an accurate record of all receipts and disbursements, shall pay bills only after they have been approved by the President, shall retain vouchers properly filed, and shall submit a written report at each Representative Council meeting or at the request of the President. The financial records of the Association shall be subject to audit by an outside agency.

Section 5

Upon the election of new officers to positions, the former officers shall provide all relative and necessary documents (forms, flash drives, hard copies, etc.) to the newly elected officers.

ARTICLE VI - IMPEACHMENT

Any officer and/or member of the Representative Council of the Randolph Education Association may be removed from office (i.e. impeached) if said officer continually demonstrates his/her inability to discharge the powers and duties of said office or if he/she is found guilty of continually working to the detriment of the voting members of the REA, by petition of a majority of members of the Representative Council or by a petition of a majority of voting members of the Association. The Recording Secretary must call a meeting of the REA and inform the officer against whom impeachment proceedings are to be brought; formal notice of the impeachment proceedings must be submitted to the Recording Secretary naming:

a. The Officer against whom impeachment proceedings are to be brought;

b. The reason(s) for impeachment proceedings;

c. Requested date, time, and place of the general meeting;

d. Signatures of members requesting such action.

The Recording Secretary will then set a suitable date within 15 school days for the meeting and will inform all voting members, in writing, a week prior to the meeting as to the information included in a, b, c, and d above. Two weeks prior to the meeting the officer or delegate so charged must be given written notice to be present. The meeting will be chaired by the highest officer present, excluding the officer so charged. A chairperson selected by the petitioners will present his/her group's arguments for impeachment. The officer against whom impeachment proceedings have been brought may or may not defend himself according to his desires. After all arguments have been presented by the previous mentioned officials, the voting members of the Association may ask questions of the petitioners and/or of the charged officer. By a three-fourths vote of the voting membership, this vote is to be a secret written vote with the charged officer asked to leave the room, the officer may be considered impeached. (It should be noted that the said charged officer will be temporarily relieved of all duties and powers by the Representative Council during the impeachment proceedings. If acquitted, the said officer automatically assumes his duties and powers upon announcement of the final vote in his/her presence, by the chairman of the meeting.) Upon impeachment, the Vice-Presidents will begin the election process, with the approval of the Representative Council, to fill the position. A special election to fill the unexpired term of the impeached officer will be held within fifteen school days.

ARTICLE VII - REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL

Section 1

The legislative and policy-forming body of the Association shall be the Representative Council.

Section

2a. The Representative Council shall consist of the Officers, Building Representatives from each school, one Paraprofessional, one Nurse Representative, the Norfolk County Teachers Association (NCTA) Representative, the immediate Past President, and the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) Board Representative for our local - only when such person is an REA member (effective 2018-2019).

2b. The additional appointed positions shall attend the monthly Representative Council Meetings: Sick Bank Chair, Social Media Representative, New Teacher Representative, Retiree Representative, Grievance Chair/s, Membership Chair, Officer Manager, and Political Action Liaison.

Section 3

Each member of the Representative Council shall receive one vote.

Section 4

Any member of the Association who is not a member of the Representative Council may attend its meetings, shall not be able to vote, but may receive permission to speak.

ARTICLE VIII - AFFILIATION

Section 1

This Association shall be affiliated with the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA), the National Education Association (NEA), and the Norfolk County Teachers Association (NCTA).

Section 2

Members of the Randolph Education Association are required to be members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the National Education Association, and the Norfolk County Teachers Association.

ARTICLE IX - ELECTIONS

Section 1

(a) For the year 2018-2019, the term of office shall commence on July 1, and shall be for one year (President, Vice Presidents, Recording Secretary, Treasurer and Building Representatives). Effective 2019-2020, the term of office shall commence on July 1, and shall be for two years (President, Executive Vice President, Recording Secretary, Treasure, Secondary Coordinator, Elementary Coordinator, and Building Representatives).

(b) If a vacancy should occur on the Representative Council due to an unexpired term or other reason, a special election shall be held to fill the remainder of the term of the office vacated.

Section 2

(a) To run for President, the candidate must hold membership in the Randolph Education Association for at least three full years and serve for at least two consecutive years on the Representative Council.

(b) To hold any other elected office, the candidate must hold membership in the REA for at least two full years.

(c) Effective 2018-2019, there shall be a minimum of two building representatives at each school. When building membership exceeds 74 members, an additional Building Representative will be added in increments of 25 (i.e. 75 members, 100 members, etc.).

Section 3

(a) Members of the Randolph Education Association shall be notified no later than March 15 that nominations are being accepted. After these nominations are accepted, a list of all nominees will be published and posted with a short resume of each nominee stating his/her school, number of years membership in the REA, and title or grade/subject area.

(b) For the 2018-2019 school year, nominations for the Officers, Building Representatives, NCTA, Nurses, and the Paraprofessionals will be signed by the nominee and submitted in writing to the Vice Presidents and/or designee. Effective 2019-2020, submissions will be sent to the Executive Vice President no later than April 1.

(c) A list of all nominees for all offices will be posted on REA bulletin boards in all schools no later than April 15.

(d) Nominations may be reopened for four working days upon petition by twenty-five (25) members of the REA. This petition must be made within three working days after April 15, after the list of nominees has been posted.

Section 4

(a) On the first working Tuesday in May, the ballots shall be cast for the election of Officers, Building Representatives, Paraprofessionals, Nurses, and NCTA.

(b) Members shall vote for only those officers who represent them.

(c) The Building Representatives shall hold elections in their respective buildings. Should a representative be running for an office, a designee shall hold the election.

(d) The ballots, either paper or electronic, shall be delivered to the election committee by five o'clock of the day of the election.

(e) Votes for the Officers, Building Representatives, Paraprofessionals, Nurses, NCTA will be tallied and posted within ten (10) working days of the elections.

(f) If a tie shall occur, a special election will be held within 15 school days to determine the winner. A list of candidates will be published and posted for 10 school days prior to the election.

Section 5

(a) The REA may send delegates to the National Education Association and the Massachusetts Teachers Association Conventions.

(b) Members shall be notified no later than February 1 that nominations for the position of Delegate to the NEA and MTA Conventions are being accepted.

(c) For the 2018-2019 school year, Nominations for NEA and MTA Delegate(s) will be signed by the member and submitted in writing to the Vice-Presidents and/or designee. Effective 2019-2020, submissions to the Executive Vice President are due no later than February 10.

(d) Within ten (10) days a list of all nominees will be published and posted.

(e) Elections for the positions of Delegate to the NEA and MTA conventions will be held on the first working Tuesday in March.

(f) Votes for NEA and MTA Delegates will be tallied and posted within ten (10) working days of the elections.

(h) All attendees of the MTA and/or NEA Meetings will report/present to the Representative Council and write an article for the Alert.

ARTICLE X - STANDING COMMITTEES

Section 1

There shall be the following standing committees: Benefits (Welfare), Constitution and By-Laws, Executive, Membership, Negotiations, Sick Leave Bank, and Social.

(a) Benefits Committee: It shall be the function of this committee to keep all members informed of the latest information on such items as retirement, insurance programs, teachers’ indemnification laws and any other beneficial programs.

(b) Constitution and By-Laws Committee: It shall be the function of this committee to review and, if necessary, recommend revision of the Constitution yearly.

(c) Executive Committee: This committee shall consist of the current officers of the REA, the Grievance Chair(s) and any willing Past-President of the Association. It shall be the function of this committee to act as advisors to the President and to oversee the enforcement of the constitution.

(d) Membership Committee: It shall be the function of this committee to sponsor a membership drive and keep an active record of membership. This committee shall be chaired by the Membership Chair.

(e) Negotiations and Professional Policies:

(1) The Negotiations Committee, chaired by President and/or designee, will be composed of any interested member of the REA, who will elect from its committee five (5) representatives (if possible one elementary, one middle, one high school, one special education and one specialist) to serve with the President (Chair) or his/her designee on a negotiating team, subject to the approval of the Representative Council.

(2) The Negotiations Committee shall formulate initial proposals, research, and assist the Negotiating Team to prepare for negotiations with the School Committee.

(f) Negotiating Team(s):

(1) Matters affecting Units A and D will be negotiated by the Chairperson (the President) of their Negotiating Team, or his/her designee and ratified by that Unit. Advisors of specialized groups may be present during negotiations and act in the capacity of consultant to the Negotiating Team. Such permission may be granted by a majority vote of the Negotiating Team. Each Negotiating Team shall negotiate on behalf of its Unit, and shall have the power to make proposals, counter-proposals, and compromises during negotiations and before a final agreement. A Negotiating Team may delegate its power to legal counsel or a professional negotiator on an approval of a majority vote of the Representative Council. Each Negotiating Team must present the proposed contract, in written form, to its Unit ten (10) days before the ratification meeting.

(2) The Negotiating Team shall check the printed contract for any errors, omissions, or deletions of the contract negotiated by them, and compare it with the wording and contents of the previous contract.

(3) The Members of Unit D shall form a Negotiating Team with the President or his/her designee being the Chair.

(g) Professional Rights and Responsibilities (Grievance) Committee: This Committee shall be made up of the the REA Executive Board and the Professional Rights and Responsibilities chairperson. It shall be the function of this committee to oversee the grievance procedure as outlined in the contract. The Professional Rights and Responsibilities chairperson will be appointed by the President and approved by the Representative Council.

(h) Sick Leave Bank Committee: It shall be the function of this committee to conduct all matters pertaining to the Sick Banks (both Unit A and Unit D) and maintain their guidelines. The Committee shall consist of seven (7) governing members (from Unit A and Unit D) appointed by the President or designee and approved by the Representative Council. The committee shall include (2018-2019) one Vice - President, (2019-2020) the Executive Vice President, one representative from each of the following groups (high, middle, elementary, paraprofessional, and nurse). The committee will be chaired by the Sick Bank Committee Chair. The Sick Bank chairperson will be appointed by the President and approved by the Representative Council.

(i) Social Committee: It shall be the function of this committee to serve as hosts and hostesses at social functions and be responsible for setting up and carrying out the year’s program of the Association.

ARTICLE XI - MEETINGS

Section 1

There shall be general meetings during the year at times determined by the Representative Council and special meetings shall be called by the Secretary at the request of the President or by twenty-five (25) percent of the members of the Association.

Section 2

Meetings of the Representative Council shall be held on the first working Monday of each month and/or at the request of the President and any four members of the Council.

Section 3

"Robert's Rules of Order" will be used to conduct any meetings, unless waived.

Section 4

A two-thirds vote of the members at a general meeting shall be sufficient to override a decision made at a Representative council meeting.

Section 5

Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held on the as needed or at the request of the President or any member of the committee.

Section 6

When a meeting is held to ratify a contract, ballot votes will be prepared, and voting will be done by secret ballot after discussion.

ARTICLE XII - DUES

Section 1

The annual REA dues shall be determined by the Representative Council of the Randolph Education Association no later than the June meeting of any given year. In September, dues will include the fees of the MTA, NEA, NCTA, and the REA.

Section 2

Annual dues or payroll deduction cards shall be collected no later than October 15 of the current school year.

(a) Annual dues may be paid by payroll deduction.

(b) Annual dues may be paid in two equal payments on the following dates:

(1) October 15

(2) December 15

ARTICLE XIII - RULES FOR AMENDING

Section 1

Amendments to this constitution and by-laws shall be written, signed, and submitted to the Constitution and By-Laws Committee by a date set by the committee. A copy of the proposed amendment(s) together with the recommendation of the Representative Council shall be posted at each school on the faculty board of the Association, after which it shall be submitted to a vote of the entire membership. A two-thirds majority of the quorum of the total membership is required to adopt proposed amendments.

Section 2

With the majority approval of the Representative Council, an emergency amendment may be brought before the Council to be acted upon at that meeting or a subsequent meeting, but no later than two subsequent regular meetings. The procedure stated in Section I of this article for subsequent voting by the membership shall be followed.

ARTICLE XIV – QUORUM

Section 1

The quorum for a general meeting shall be 20 percent of the total membership at that time. Members shall register with the Credentials and Ballots Committee and a quorum shall be established before each meeting.

Section 2

The quorum for the Representative Council and all committees shall be a majority of its members.