Constitution and By-Laws

Constitution


Article I
Name and Affiliation

Section I: Name

The name of this organization shall be the New York State Educational Media/Technology Association.

Section II: Affiliation

The New York State Educational Media/Technology Association may become affiliated with any other educational organization presented at any General Meeting or may become disaffiliated in the same manner.


Article II
Purpose

Section I: Purpose

The New York State Educational Media/Technology Association's primary purpose is to support educational media/technology objectives within a program of activities such as the following:

A. To foster educational improvement through the integration of media/technology in the teaching/learning process;

B. To provide leadership in the effective implementation of statewide projects;

C. To promote the flow of information, ideas, and services among administrators, teachers and students;

D. To provide an organized forum for experimentation, research and development;

E. To provide leadership in the development and use of educational media/technology;

F. To cooperate in the enhancement of regional educational services;

G. To sponsor professional conferences and workshops on behalf of the membership;

H. To work cooperatively with similar state and national organizations in support of media/technology.


Article III
Membership

Section I: Membership Qualification

A. BOCES/Non-Public Regional Media Center
BOCES/Non-Public Regional Media Center membership shall be limited to persons employed in New York State with media/technology responsibilities in a BOCES media program or a non-public regional media center.

B. Corporate Partner
Corporate Partner shall be open to representatives of commercial firms in the field of media/technology.

C. Honorary Membership
Honorary membership may be granted by majority vote of the Executive Committee to retired individuals who have made outstanding contributions in the field of media/technology and have had BOCES responsibilities during their tenure in the media/technology field. Honorary Membership may also be extended to BOCES District Superintendents.

D. Associate Member
Associate membership shall be limited to persons in a NYS institution/organization that provides educational media/technology services to patrons (e.g. K-12, colleges, museums, special libraries, PBS, etc). Such membership shall be approved by the executive committee.

Section II: Voting Organization Privileges

The right to vote and hold office shall be reserved for BOCES/Non-Public Regional Media Center and Corporate members. Each BOCES/Non-Public Regional Media Center and Corporate Partner in good standing shall be entitled to one vote.

Section III: Member Benefits

New York State Educational Media/Technology Projects (e.g. BOCES State Licensing Projects/Offers, NYS Media Cooperative) shall be offered only to BOCES/Non-Public Regional Media Center members.

Article IV
Dues and Participation

Section I: Dues

Validation of membership for all but Honorary members shall require payment of annual dues as set forth in the By-Laws.

Section II: Participation

Payment of dues shall provide memberships from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. Participation in the Association as a voting member shall be contingent upon payment of dues.


Article V
Officers and Executive Committee

Section I: Officers

The officers of the Association shall be a President, President-Elect, Secretary and Treasurer. Duties and methods of election of these officers by the membership shall be as given in By-Laws.

Section II: Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall consist of the elected officers, the Immediate Past President, whose institution is currently a member in good standing with the Association, one representative each from the Corporate Partner and Associate Memberships and eight (8) duly elected members at large. The members at large shall represent each of the eight recognized Regional Consortia (See Appendix I). The duties of the Executive Committee shall be to conduct the business of the organization in accord with the policies, principles and directions of the Association.

Section III: Term of Office

The term of office for all elected officers shall be designated in the By-Laws.


Article VI
Meeting and Elections

Section I: Meetings

A. There shall be a minimum of two statewide professional meetings per year called by the officers of the Association. There will be one meeting held in the Fall, one in the Spring, and others as needed. Standing Committee meetings may be called by the members of the Executive Committee as needed.

Section II: Nominations

A. A Nominating Committee, chaired by the Immediate Past President, shall make its report at the Spring Meeting. Nominations may be made from the floor at this session. All nominations shall require the consent of the nominee.

Section III: Elections

A. Voting ballots shall be distributed by the Association secretary in accordance with procedures set forth in the By-Laws.

B. The candidate for each office receiving the highest number of votes cast shall be declared elected.


Article VII
Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws

Section I: Constitution

Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed to the Executive Committee by action of not less than three active members of the Association.

Such proposed amendments shall be in writing and shall contain the exact wording of the proposed amendment with an exact notation of where this shall affect the Constitution. It shall be accompanied by a written statement explaining the need for the amendment. Each amendment shall then be distributed to the voting members at least one month prior to a regularly scheduled meeting. At the meeting, due discussion and/or explanation shall occur. Ballots will be distributed to the voting members as specified in the By-Laws. Results shall be tabulated and distributed to the membership no later than a date specified in the By-Laws. A simple majority of those voting shall be sufficient to place an amendment in effect.


Section II: By-Laws

Details of the operation of the Association shall be governed by the By-Laws. These By-Laws may be amended by a simple majority vote of the members present at any general meeting.


Article VIII
Financial Limitation of Members

Section I: Financial Limitations

No portion of the funds of the organization shall be used for the personal benefit of an individual member or group of members except for reasonable compensation for services rendered by the Association. All services must be approved by the Executive Committee.

Article IX
Rules of Order

Section I: Rules of Order

Robert's "Rules of Order-Revised" shall be the basis for the official proceedings of the Association.


Article X
Quorum

Section I: Quorum

A Quorum for any meeting of the Executive Committee shall be a minimum of eight members.


Article XI
Dissolution

Section I: Dissolution

In the event that a majority of the membership determines to dissolve this Association, all assets, financial or otherwise, shall within sixty (60) days or whenever thereafter practical and after paying or making provisions for the payment of all of the liabilities of the Association, deliver or pay over all the Association assets to any successor organization approved by the membership. If no successor organization is so recommended, all assets, financial or otherwise, shall within sixty (60) days or whenever thereafter practical and after paying or making provisions for the payment of all liabilities of the Association, be delivered or paid over to the voting membership on an equal basis.





By-Laws


Section I: Dues for each type of membership shall be as follows:

A. Educational - $75.00
B. Corporate Partner - $100.00
C. Honorary members shall pay no dues.
D. Associate - $35.00


Section II: Term of Office

A. President and President-elect serve one year terms.

B. Secretary and Treasurer serve two year terms.

Section III: Duties of the Officers

President:
1. Preside at all meetings of the Association and of the Executive Committee.

2. Appoint, with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee, Chairpersons of Standing Committees, Ad Hoc and Special Committees and representatives to other organizations as required during the tenure of office. Nothing herein contained shall be construed as preventing the President from making interim appointments without the advice and consent of the Executive Committee in case of emergency. Such appointments shall become final when approved by the Executive Committee.

3. Appoint, with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee, such delegates to represent the Association at national and regional meetings.

4. Carry out the directives of the Association and the Executive Committee.

5. Call meetings of the Executive Committee and such special meetings of the Association or of its committees as shall be necessary for the proper conduct of business.

6. Appoint a parliamentarian to serve at meetings.

7. Appoint, with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee, such vacancies as may occur in elective offices for the unexpired portion of the term of office of the position vacant.

8. Facilitate the fall conference.

9. Represent the organization in any official capacity, as needed.

10. Evaluate continuously the duties of all officers and committees.

President-Elect

1. Preside at any meetings at which the President is not present.

2. Carry out the needed procedures for any Constitutional and/or By-Laws changes.

3. Succeed the President in the event that a vacancy occurs in the Office of President and complete the unexpired portion of the President's term.

4. Assist the President in the performance of his duties upon request.

5. Act as Chairperson of the Program Committee to plan and facilitate the spring conference and plan the fall conference.


Secretary:

1. Keep careful minutes of all General and Executive Committee meetings and distribute copies to all members of the respective committees and the Historian.

2. Receive and file copies of the minutes of all committee meetings and other important records. The minutes and records shall be deposited with the Historian at the end of the secretary's term of office.

3. Carry on such correspondence as the President or Executive Committee may order.

4. Maintain a complete file of such correspondence which shall be deposited with the Historian at the end of the Secretary's term of office.

Treasurer:

1. Shall be bonded. The amount of the bond is to be determined by the Executive Committee.

2. Be responsible for the maintenance of accurate records of membership and the validation of any individual's rights to vote at any regular or special meeting of the Association.

3. Receive and disburse all monies on behalf of the Association and keep careful records thereof. Such records shall be turned over to the next treasurer at the end of his/her term of office.

4. Carry out directives the Executive Committee may order.

5. Deposit all monies in a recognized bank.

6. Report to the Executive Committee at each of their regular meetings the current financial status of the Association.

7. An outside audit shall occur at the end of a treasurer's term. An internal audit committee of at least three members appointed by the President shall audit the treasurer's books annually.

Immediate Past President:

1. Serve as Historian.

2. Member of Executive Committee.

3. Chairperson of the Nominating Committee.

Section IV: Executive Committee

1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the elected officers, the Immediate Past President, whose Institution is currently a member in good standing with the Association, one representative each of the Corporate Partner and Associate Memberships and eight (8) duly elected Members at Large. The members-at-Large will represent each of the eight recognized Regional Consortia (See Appendix I).

2. The Executive Committee shall meet at least twice yearly. Additional meetings may be called by the President or on request of one third of the members of the Executive Committee. Meetings of the Executive Committee must be called by the President.

3. The Executive Committee, in conducting the business of the Association, shall function within the bounds set by the By-Laws and the Constitution.

4. The Executive Committee shall determine a date for the audit of the financial records of the Association and shall either select or approve the selection of an outside accountant for this purpose at the end of a treasurer's term. At the end of a year during a treasurer's term, the president will appoint a 3-member audit committee with the approval of the Board. Such audit shall occur at least once annually and shall occur on each transfer of the records from one person to another.

5. The Executive Committee shall set policy for the Association.

6. The Executive Committee shall review and approve or correct the audited records submitted each year by the Treasurer.

7. Monitor performance of Association officers and act to remove an officer, if necessary.

Section V: Voting

Voting for officers, amendments to the Constitution or on any other matter requiring a ballot shall follow these steps:

  1. Ballots shall be distributed to the membership within ten business days of the close of any meeting where the membership determines a vote is required.

  2. These ballots shall be returned to the Secretary for accounting ten business days from the date that the ballots were distributed. Prominent notice of this date shall appear on each ballot.

  3. The Secretary shall inform the Executive Committee of the results of the ballot within five business days of the ballot due date.

  4. New Officers shall assume their duties on July 1st, immediately following the election and shall be introduced to the membership under their new titles at the first following General Membership Meeting.

Section VI: Vacancies

Should any elected office become vacant, the President, with the approval of the Executive Committee, shall appoint a member of the Association to fill the unexpired term. In the event of an emergency, the presiding officer may appoint an interim officer from the Association pending approval of the Executive Committee. If a vacancy occurs in the case of a President-Elect, a special election will be held.

Appendix 1

BMTA Regions

Capital, Central, Great Western, Long Island, Lower Hudson, Mid-West, North Country, South



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