Bylaws of the Georgia Association For Multilingual, Multicultural Education
Bylaw I. MEMBERSHIP
Section A. Membership Defined. The privilege of membership is voluntary and is available to all persons and groups who are interested in multilingual and multicultural education, supportive of GAOME's purposes, goals and objectives, and willing to abide by GAOME’s articles of incorporation and these bylaws, and who make payment of annual membership dues. A member in good standing shall meet the applicable requirements set forth in Sections B-F and shall be current in dues payment.
Section B. Categories of Membership. Membership shall consist of the following categories: Regular Members, Institutional Members, and Honorary Members.
Section C. Regular. Regular Membership shall be for individuals. Regular members receive GAOME publications and are entitled to vote in GAOME elections.
Section D. Honorary. Honorary Membership is available to individuals or groups, who by virtue of selection by the Executive Board are awarded complimentary membership, because of their significant contributions to the advancement of multilingual education and/or the work of the Association. Honorary members have all of the privileges of regular members.
Section E. Institutional. Institutional Memberships are available to institutions of education, libraries, and commercial vendors. Institutional members receive GAOME publications, and entitled to one vote. They must pay annual membership dues.
Section F. Affiliate. Affiliate Memberships are for organizations which agree to support GAOME's purposes. Affiliate memberships are granted by the Board of Directors after petition by an organization. The petition shall include a written pledge to uphold GAOME's purposes; a copy of the affiliate organization's Articles of Incorporation and bylaws or constitution, as appropriate; a list of the organization's elected officers and Bonafide members; and payment of initial membership fee. The organization seeking affiliate membership must also demonstrate in its petition that its membership constitutes a minimum of 10 and its officers are also GAOME members in good standing.
Bylaw II. GOVERNANCE
Section A. Executive Board. GAOME shall be governed by an Executive Board of Directors, hereinafter referred to as the Executive Board, comprised of five people who will occupy the following positions: president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary and immediate past president.
Section B. The Board of Directors. The GAOME Board of Directors shall consist of the Executive Board, Regional Representatives, a Parent Representative, and a Communications Coordinator.
Section C. Authority. The authority of the Executive Board shall extend to all matters of policy. The Board shall also establish the criteria for membership, period of membership, annual dues, and qualifications of its officers.
Section D. Officers. The Executive Board shall have six officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Communications Coordinator, and immediate past president who will serve two year terms. The President and the Secretary shall be elected on even numbered years and the Vice President and Treasurer on odd numbered years (This will occur with the exception of the first two years). The representatives from the congressional districts shall be elected yearly. Upon completion of the term, the President will serve on the Board as Past-President to ensure continuity in the organization.
Section E. Vacancies. Any vacancy occurring on the Executive Board and any vacancy in an officer position may be filled for the unexpired term by a vote of a simple majority of the remaining members of the Executive Board.
Section F. Duties of Officers.
(1) The President is responsible for calling and conducting Executive Board meetings, presiding at the Association's Annual General Membership Meeting, appointing the chairperson of each standing committee(s), assisting in the development of the agenda, conducting the business of the organization, and representing the Association to its members and the public. The President shall also distribute meeting agendas to members and the public at least seven days in advance of regular Board meetings and 30 days in advance of the Association’s Annual General Membership Meeting.
(2) The Vice-President assists the President and shall serve as President if the President is absent or temporarily incapacitated. The Vice President shall chair the by-laws committee and will present recommendations/amendments to the Board on a yearly basis. The Vice-President shall chair the Membership Committee and provide ideas to the Board on how to increase membership.
(3) The Secretary shall record, distribute to the Executive Board, and transmit to the Association's regional representatives, minutes of each Executive Board meeting and the Association's Annual General Membership Meeting.
(4) The Treasurer shall oversee the financial operations of the Association and shall present reports on the Association's financial operations and status to the Board and at the Association's Annual General Membership Meeting. The Treasurer shall also ensure that an annual examination of the Association's financial records is conducted and that said examination is available for inspection.
(5) Congressional District Representatives represent the needs and interest of their constituents and provide support to the Executive Board.
(6) Parent Representative. The Parent Representative shall represent parent concerns to the Board. It is therefore required that the Parent Representative have a child or grandchild in a multilingual or ELL program. The Parent Representative shall be up to date on parent concerns. The following shall take place at the request and under the supervision of the President: contact local and state parent advisory committees for their involvement in the annual conference and/or parent institutes throughout the state; organize training sessions at the annual conference with these issues in mind; conduct broader community advocacy activities; and report to the Board on parent issues.
(7) Past President. The Past President shall serve in an advisory capacity on the Executive Board and as Chair of the Annual Symposium.
(8) Communications Coordinator. The Communications Coordinator shall maintain the GAOME website, Facebook page and any other social media established by GAOME. The Coordinator will also be responsible for disseminating GAOME newsletters and presenting ideas to the Board for promoting GAOME activities and materials to the wider public.
Section G. Removal. Any member or officer of the Executive Board may be removed from the Board for misfeasance, malfeasance, or nonfeasance in the performance of his or her duties as Board member or officer. Such removal shall be at a regular meeting of the Executive Board, and upon a vote of a simple majority, provided that a notice of the proposed removal shall have been sent by mail, certified or registered if possible, to the last recorded address of such member or officer at least fifteen (15) days before final action is taken on such removal. The member or officer shall have the opportunity to present any relevant information, in writing, in person, or through a representative, to the Board of Directors before final action is taken.
Section H. Meetings. Meetings of the Executive Board of Directors shall be called by the President or with a five-day notice to all Board members.
A quorum of the Executive Board shall consist of a simple majority of members. All meetings of the Executive Board shall be open to GAOME members in good standing. The Executive Board may, by simple majority vote, close any portion of an Executive Board meeting to non-Board members to discuss confidential matters. Any members of the Executive Board of Directors may participate in meetings of the Executive Board by teleconference or videoconference. Proxy voting shall not be permitted at meetings of the Executive Board.
Section I. Annual Meeting. The Executive Board of Directors shall hold at least one annual membership meeting in conjunction with the Association's annual conference/symposium. Twenty members in good standing shall comprise a quorum at the Association's annual membership meeting.
Section J. Affiliates Meeting. The Executive Board of Directors shall also convene a meeting of the presidents of the Association's affiliate organizations in conjunction with the Association's annual conference. The meeting shall be known as the Delegate Assembly.
Bylaw III. NOMINATIONS
Section A. Nomination of Candidates. Qualified candidates for the Executive Board may be nominated for election by the written petition of any three GAOME members in good standing.
Section B. Qualifications of Candidates. Candidates for the Executive Board of Directors and Regional representatives must be GAOME members in good standing prior to their nomination. Reasonable attempts should be made to ensure that candidates represent as many different congressional districts as possible.
Section C. 1 Nominating Procedure Executive Board. To be considered as a candidate to the GAOME Executive Board, nominating petitions must be received at the GAOME Office no later than one month before the annual general assembly and/or conference/symposium as announced by the GAOME Executive Board. All petitions meeting the criteria in Sections A and B of this Bylaw will be accepted, and their nominations will be certified by the Executive Board. If no petition is received, nominations may be taken from the floor at the Annual Meeting. There will be no limitation on the number of candidates.
Section C. 2 Nominating Procedure Regional Representatives. To be considered as a candidate to a regional position, nominations need to be supported in writing by at least three members in good standing.
Section D. Linguistic Representation. For the purposes of nominations, elections, and appointments, a reasonable attempt shall be made to have at least two different linguistic groups represented on the Executive Board.
Section F. Regional Representation. For the purposes of nominations and elections of Regional Representatives, regions will conform to those set up by the state of Georgia as congressional districts.These districts may be modified if the state of Georgia changes them in the future.
Bylaw IV. ELECTIONS
Section A. Election Procedures. Voting for the Regional Representatives shall be on a regional basis; such elections shall take place every year. Members in good standing who attend a specially called regional meeting will be eligible to vote. This special meeting may form part of a regularly scheduled regional or state meeting but it must be announced at least one month before the voting is to take place. Voting will take place on the last day of the meeting. In order to keep the voting process legal, members will:
- Present picture identification to a polling official before submitting the ballot
- Have their name verified through the current membership list or conference credentials
Section B. Executive Officer Election Procedures. Executive Officers shall be voted on by all members in good standing on the last day of the general assembly or conference as previously announced by the Executive Board of Directors. In order to keep the voting process legal, members will:
- Present picture identification to a polling official before submitting the ballot
- Have their name verified through the current membership list or conference credentials
Section C. Selection of Winners. The positions shall be filled by the candidates receiving the highest number of votes for the available positions, as counted by a committee of three who are not on the ballot appointed by the president.
Bylaw V. TERMS OF OFFICE
- The Executive Board can serve for no more than two consecutive terms in the same position. If a new officer cannot be found, additional terms are permissible.
- Other Board Members can serve for a maximum of 4 one-year terms. If a new officer cannot be found, additional terms are permissible.
Bylaw VI. DELEGATE ASSEMBLY
The Association shall have a Delegate Assembly composed of the GAOME Executive Board, and the state affiliate presidents or their designees. The functions of the Delegate Assembly are:
(1) to serve as an advisory body to the Executive Board;
(2) to provide liaison between state affiliates and the GAOME Executive Board; and
(3) to make recommendations regarding amendments to the Association's bylaws, if necessary. The President of GAOME or Vice-President in the case of President’s absence due to his/her emergency shall preside at the annual Delegate Assembly meeting. Announcement and agenda of the Delegate Assembly shall be made available to all affiliate presidents no less than thirty days before the Annual Meeting.
Bylaw VII. AMENDMENTS
Section A. Amendments.
An amendment may be an addition, a deletion, or a change to these Bylaws.
Section B. Procedures for Amendments.
(1) Amendments may be proposed by Executive Board member, Member, Delegate Assembly or by committees of the Association.
(2) Proposed amendments to these Bylaws shall be submitted in writing to the President at any time. Should the President or his/her designee fail or refuse to transmit a proposed amendment, any three Board members may call up an amendment sent to the President in accordance with the provisions of this subsection
(3) Proposed amendments shall be distributed to all members of GAOME for comment at least thirty (30) days prior to being voted on by the Board of Directors.
Section C. Adoption of Amendments.
Proposed amendments shall be reviewed by the GAOME Executive Board with the assistance of the proponent of the amendment prior to distribution. All proposed amendments shall be presented in a publication open to all members for member feedback. Approval or any changes of proposed amendments to these Bylaws may be accomplished by a simple majority of the Board of Directors after the 30 day review period.
Section D. Effective Date for Successful Amendments.
Successful amendments shall become effective sixty (60) days after adoption unless otherwise specified in the amendment..
Section E. Majority Vote Required. Approval of any proposed amendments to these Bylaws may be accomplished by a simple majority of the Board of Directors present at the first board meeting after conclusion of the 30 day review period.
Revisions approved August 26, 2017