Constitution of the Cam/Voc Education Association
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ARTICLE I: NAME AND INCORPORATION
Section 1: The name of this organization shall be Cam/Voc Education
Association, hereafter referred to as the Association.
Section 2: It is incorporated as a non-profit corporation under Title 15,
Section 1-12 of the Revised Statutes of the State of New Jersey.
ARTICLE II: AFFILIATION
The Association shall be an affiliate of the National Education Association, the
New Jersey Education Association, the Camden County Council of Education
Associations.
ARTICLE III: PURPOSES
Section 1: The purpose of the Association shall be to:
a: Work for the welfare of students, the advancement of education, and
the improvement of instructional opportunities for all.
b: Develop and promote the adoption of such personal policies and
standards preparation and participation as mark a professional.
c: Advance professional rights and status and responsibilities of its
members.
d: Represent its members and other employees in negotiations and
grievances with the School Board on all matters of compensation and all
other terms and conditions of employment.
e: Form a representative body to speak with authority for the members.
f: Establish cooperation between the members and the community.
ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Active Members
a: Active membership in the Association shall be open to any person
employed in the Camden County Technical School district except those
excluded by the contract agreement.
b: Active members, where eligible, of the Association shall also be
members of the Camden County Council Education Associations, the
New Jersey Education Association, and the National Education
Association.
Section 2: Honorary Members
Honorary membership may be conferred upon members for distinguished
service to education and the profession. Honorary membership shall
enjoy all the priviledges of the Association except those of voting and
holding office and shall be exempt from payment of dues.
Section 3: Rights of Membership
a: Every active member shall have the equal rights and priviledges within
the organization to nominate candidates for office; to vote in elections or
referenda of the Association; to attend membership meetings; to
participate in the deliberations and voting upon the business of such
meetings except that in voting on contract ratification. Only members
in the appropriate unit of representation shall have the right to vote.
b: Every member shall have the right to meet and assemble fully with
other members; to express any views, arguments or opinions; to express
views at meetings upon candidates in an election of the Association or
upon any business properly brought before the meeting.
c: No member shall be fined, suspended, expelled or otherwise
disciplined except for non-payment of dues without being served with
specific written charges and given a reasonable time in which to prepare
a defense which may be asserted at a full and fair hearing.
ARTICLE V: OFFICERS
Section 1: The officers of the Assication shall consist of a President, a First
Vice-President, and Second Vice-President, a Corresponding and Recording
Secretary and a Treasurer.
Section 2: The officers shall be elected in May at separate building meetings
and shall be installed in June for a term of 2 years.
Section 3: President, First Vice-president, and Second Vice-president shall
not be eligible to serve more than 3 consecutive terms in the same office.
Section 4: Officers of the Association shall serve their terms so long as they
satisfactorily perform the duties of their office. Where an officer is guilty of
misconduct, such officer may be removed for cause (shown after notice and a
hearing) and by a majority vote of the members of the Association.
a: Recommendations for recall can be made by the submission of a
petition containing the signatures of fifty-one (51) percent of the
membership to the Executive Committee.
b: The Executive Council shall notify, in writing, any officer who has been
recommended for recall.
c: Any officer may appeal, in writing, to the Executive Council.
d: The Executive Council shall schedule hearings, whenever necessary,
to review the recommendations of recall of an officer.
e: The report of those hearings shall be made available to the
membership.
f: A general membership meeting shall be called two (2) weeks afer the
issuance of the report.
g: Such recall shall be determined by a majority vote of the membership
in attendance at said meeting.
Section 5: In the event of vacancy, in the office of the President, the First
Vice-President shall become President and serve until the next annual
election. The Second Vice-President shall then become First Vice-President
and serve until the next annual election. A Second Vice-President may then
be appointed by the Representative Council to serve until the next annual
election.
ARTICLE VI: EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
The Executive Council shall consist of:
a: The officers of the Association.
b: The immediate past President if he or she is still an eligible member.
ARTICLE VII: REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL
Section 1: The policy-forming body of the Association shall be the
Representative Council.
Section 2: The Representative Council shall consist of the Executive Council
and elected faculty representatives from each school.
Section 3: Council Representation
a: In each campus of the Camden County Technical School District,
those persons who are members of this Association, shall elect for a term
of two years, one member to the Representative Council for every fifteen
members or major fraction thereof.
b: The Association shall make every effort to encourage ethnic minority
representation on its Representative Council at least proportionate to its
active ethnic membership.
c: The Association shall make every effort to encourage non-classroom
teacher (to include all secretaries, clerks and technicians) representation
on its active ethnic minority membership.
d: The Association shall make every effort to encourage that Gloucester
Township Campus and Pennsauken Campus representation on its
Representative Council shall be at least proportionate to its active
members.
Section 4: Any member of the Association who is not a member of the
Representative Council may attend the meetings, shall sit apart from the
voting body, but may receive permission to speak.
ARTICLE VIII: AMENDMENTS
Amendments to this constitution may be made by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of
the responding active members of the Association in a regular or special
election called for this purpose, provided that:
a: The amendments have been submitted in writing to the Corresponding
and Recording Secretary of the Association.
b: The Corresponding and Recording Secretary of the Association has
distributed copies of the amendments to the members of the
Representative Council.
c: The Representative Council, by a majority vote, proposes to
recommend said amendments to the general membership.
d: The Corresponding and Recording Secretary of the Association has
distributed copies of the amendments so proposed to all active member
of the Association at least two (2) calendar weeks in advance of the
election.
BYLAWS
ARTICLE I: MEETINGS
Section 1: Executive Council
a: The Executive Council shall determine a day of each school month on
which it and the Representative Council will meet. The date and times of
these meetings shall be distributed to the membership by the
Corresponding Secretary during September of each school year.
b: Special meetings of the Executive Council may be held at the request
of the President or three members of the Executive Council. Business to
come before special meetings shall be limited to items stated in the call,
which shall be stated in writing to each member of the Council if time
permits.
Section 2: Representative Council
a: The Representative Council shall meet on the day specified by the
Executive Council. The Executive Council shall prepare the agenda for
each meeting and shall circulate it to all the members the Representative
Council so that the Representatives have the time to discuss it with their
faculty members in advance of the Council meetings.
b: Special meetings of the Representative Council may be held at the call
of the President or upon written request to the Executive Council of
fifty-one (51) percent of the Representatives. Business to come before
special meetings shall be limited to items stated in the call, which shall be
sent in writing to each Representative if time permits.
Section 3: General Membership
a: The Executive Council shall arrange at least one meeting for the
members each year.
b: Special meetings of the membership may be called by the President,
or upon the request of one quarter of the members for a specific purpose;
but no business other than that for which the meeting is called may be
transacted.
c: At least one week prior to each general membership meeting, the
Corresponding Secretary shall notify all members of the time and place of
said meeting.
Section 4: The order of business at any Representative Council or regular
general membership meeting shall be as follows:
a: Call to order.
b: Approval of minutes.
c: Correspondence.
d: Report of the Treasurer.
e: Reports of standing committees.
f: Reports of special committees.
g: Old business.
h: New business.
i: Adjournment.
ARTICLE II: QUORUM
Section 1: The members present of the Executive Council members shall
constitute a quorum for the Executive Council meetings.
Section 2: The members present of the Representative Councl shall
constitute a quorum for the Representative Council meetings.
Section 3: The members present shall constitute a quorum for the General
Membership meetings.
ARTILCE III: POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS
Section 1: PRESIDENT: The President shall:
a: Preside over all meetings of the Executive Council, Representative
Council, and General Membership.
b: Appoint all chairpersons and members of all standing committees and
special committees with the approval of the Representative Council not
otherwise provided for in the Constitution and By-Laws.
c: Be an ex-officio member of all committees.
d: With the treasurer, or one other member, sign all orders drawn upon
the treasury for which a voucher has been submitted.
e: Represent the Association before the public either personally or
through a designated representative.
f: Perform all other functions usually attributed to the office.
Section 2: FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT: The First Vice-President shall:
a: Assume all duties of the President in his/her absence and work closely
with one or more standing committees as the President may suggest.
b: Become President whenever the presidency becomes vacant as
provided for in Article V, Section 5 of the Constitution.
Section 3: SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT: The Second Vice-President shall:
a: Assume all duties of the First Vice-President in his/her absence and
work closely with one or more standing committees as the President may
suggest.
b: Become First Vice-President whenever the position becomes vacant
as provided for in Article V, Section 5 of the Constitution.
Section 4: CORRESPONDING AND RECORDING SECRETARY: The
Corresponding and Recording Secretary shall:
a: Keep accurate minutes of all the Executive Council, Representative
Council, and General Membership meetings.
b: Maintain all the office files.
c: Distribute minutes to all members within ten (10) days following
Executive Council, Representative Council, and General Membership
meetings.
d: Distribute copies of all proposed amendments to the Constitution as
prescribed in Article VIII of the Constitution.
e: Be responsible for typing and distribution of materials as prescribed
by the President or Representative Council.
f: At least one (1) week prior to each meeting the Corresponding and
Recording Secretary shall notify members of the time and place and said
meeting.
Section 5: TREASURER: The Treasurer shall:
a: Be responsible for collection of all dues.
b: Deposit all monies in a bank, in the name of the Association.
c: Notify NJEA of the name of the bank in which the Association dues are
deposited.
d: Hold the funds of the Association and disberse them accordingly upon
submission of vouchers approved by the President.
e: Sign all checks along with the President.
f: Report at each meeting of the Executive Council, Representative
Council, and General Membership.
g: Prepare an annual financial statement which shall be sent to NJEA for
the group filing.
h: File the appropriate Federal and State forms.
i: Transmit appropriate NJEA-NEA dues to NJEA no later than ten (10)
days after receipt by the Association from the Board of Education.
j: Be bonded, if appropriate, for such money amount as may be
determined by the Executive Council from time to time.
ARTICLE IV: POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Section 1: The Executive Council shall:
a: Be responsible for the management of the Association.
b: Authorize all expenditures within the limits of the budget.
c: By a two-thirds (2/3) vote, authorize the spending of money for
non-budgeted items not to exceed $150.00 in any one case.
Disbursements in excess of $150.00 must have the approval of the
majority of the Representative Council.
d: Propose policies for consideration by the Representative Council.
e: Execute policies established by the Representative Council.
f: Cause to be reported to the members its transactions and those of the
Representative Council.
g: Establish such special committees as may be necessary.
h: Set the agenda for the Representative Council and all General
Membership meetings.
Section 2: Whenever the offices of the President, First Vice-President, and
the Second Vice-President shall become vacant between elections, except as
provided in Article V, Section 5 of the Constitution, the remaining members of
the Executive Council shall choose one of their members to serve as
President pro tempore until the Representative Council can fill the vacancies.
ARTICLE V: POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL
Section 1: The Representative Council shall:
a: Approve the budget.
b: Set the dues for the Association.
c: Act on reports of committees.
d: Establish the policies of the Association.
e: Adopt rules for governing the conduct of meetings as are consistent
with this Constitution and By-Laws.
f: Be the final judge of qualifications and elections of officers, executive
committee members and faculty representatives.
g: Unless otherwise specified, appoint members to fill the unexpired
terms of officers and faculty representatives.
Section 2: Powers not delegated to the Executive Council, the officers or
other groups in the Association shall be vested in the Representative Council.
Section 3: Any member of the Representative Council who misses 3 or more
meetings will be subject to disciplinary actions.
ARTICLE VI: COMMITTEES AND CHAIRPEOPLE
Section 1: Structure
There shall be chairpeople executing the specific functions listed below.
He/she shall serve for a term of two (2) years. He/she will appoint a
committee as deemed necessary by the Executive Council.
Section 2: Appointment
The President, with the advice and consent of the Executive Council, shall
appoint members of the standing committees at the regular meeting in
September.
Section 3: Reports
Each committee shall select a secretary who shall keep a continuing record of
activities. Chairpersons shall report as necessary to the Executive Council,
Representative Council, and the General Membership and shall prepare an
annual written report which shall become a part of the continuing committee
record in the Association files.
Section 4: Committee Title and Duties
a: The Professional Rights and Responsibilities Chairperson shall
explore and prepare programs for securing satisfactory policies and
procedures for the redress of grievances. He/she shall process all
grievances filed in accordance with the Agreement and the policies
adopted by the Association. He/she shall advise the Executive Council in
situations involving the defense of individual rights. He/she shall have one
representative from each division and shall meet, when deemed
necessary, to discuss potential grievances. The results of these meetings
shall be discussed with the President and the appropriate action shall be
taken according to the provisions of the Cam Voc negotiated agreement.
b: The Membership chairperson shall organize and conduct membership
enrollment. He/she shall attempt to enroll cash members, new members,
and former non-members employed for the current school year. It shall
communicate with members on automatic payroll deduction to return by
direct mail any corrections in their status or address after receiving their
annual membership cards in the mail.
c: The Public Relations and Communications Chairperson shall be
responsible to keep the general membership informed of Association
action through fliers and newsletters. He/she shall develop procedures by
which the Association can present materials through newspapers, radio,
television, and other mass media and work cooperatively with the public
in civic, fraternal, and social organizations. He/she shall develop a
telephone call system for the membership in case of a crisis situation. At
least one of its members shall be at the disposal of the Negotiations
team. All communications shall be reviewed by the Association
President.
d: The Social Chairperson shall organize such social activities as may
serve the needs of the members and promote rapport within the
Assocation.
e: The Legislative Chairperson shall have broad concern for state and
national legislation affecting the interests of the Association. He/she shall
inform members about newly proposed and enacted legislation related to
their interests, promote activities leading to the passage of desirable
legislation, encourage members to exercise their responsibility to vote
and their right to participate in political activity.
Section 5: Special Committees
a: Each year the President shall appoint, with the approval of the
Executive Council, special committees as may be necessary, and shall
disband them upon completion of their duties. These committees shall
operate according to the rules approved by the Executive Council. No
officer shall serve on an Adult Committee. A copy of the audit shall
become part of the Association's permanent record. A copy shall be sent
to NJEA.
b: The Negotiations Committee shall survey the members and prepare a
proposed package to be negotiated by the Board of Education by the
Association's negotiation team in all areas of member welfare and
general working conditions.
ARTICLE VII: ELECTIONS
Section 1: Nominations
a: The President, subject to approval by the Representative Council, at
its January meeting in an election year shall appoint a Nominating
Committee, which will name one or more candidates for President, First
Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Corresponding and Recording
Secretary, Treasurer, and Association Representatives.
b: The Nominating Committee shall make its recommendations to the
Representative Council at its March meeting. Members of the
Representative Council may nominate other candidates.
c: The Nominating Committee shall present all nominations to the
General Membership in a bulletin at least one week before the date in
May set for a general election meeting.
d: Any eligible member, who, at the close of nominations, is the sole
candidate nominated for any office, shall be delcared elected by the
Representative Council and shall be identified as such on the ballot and
any bulletins covering elections and candidates.
Section 2: Voting
a: The President, with the approval of the Representative Council, shall
appoint an Election Committee. No elected person may serve on this
committee.
b: At the May membership election meeting, members shall vote for
officers by secret ballot in accordance with procedures developed by the
Elections Committee and approved by the Rpresentative Council.
c: The Elections Committee shall report the results to the President, who
shall cause them to be published. New officers shall be installed at the
regular June Executive Council, Representative Council meeting.
d: Results of the elections of the officers shall be reported immediately to
NJEA, NEA, and the County Associations by a member of the Elections
Committee.
ARTICLE VIII: CONTRACT RATIFICATION
Section 1: Absentee Ballots
a: The ballot will consist of a printed ballot, complete instructions, and 2
return envelopes. There will be a space on the inner envelope for the
member's signature. The ballot will be placed in the inner envelope and
returned to the President in the mailing envelope provided. This will
maintain the secrecy of the member's vote.
b: All ballots will be due to the President of the Association seven (7)
days prior to the ratification meeting. The ballots will remain unopened.
c: The day of the ratification meeting, the signatures on the envelopes will
be checked against a list of qualified voters. The voter is checked off the
list as having voted, the ballot is removed and placed with all the other
ballots, and the envelope is discarded.
d: The President will count these votes and add them to the total number
of votes cast.
Section 2: The President, subject to approval by the Representative Council,
will establish the rules for the ratification process in accordance with Article X
of the By-Laws Constitution.
ARTICLE IX: FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year of the Association shall begin September 1 and end on August
31.
ARTICLE X: AUTHORITY
The most recent issue of Robert Rules of Order shall be the Parliamentary
authority for the Association on all questions not covered by the Constitution
and By-Laws and such standing rules as the Executive Council may adopt.
ARTICLE XI: AMENDMENTS
Amendments to the By-Laws may be made by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of
the responding active members of the Association in a regular or special
election called for this purpose, provided that:
a: The amendments have been submitted in writing to the Corresponding
and Recording Secretary of the Association.
b: The Corresponding and Recording Secretary of the Association has
distributed copies of the amendments to the members of the
Representative Council.
c: The Representative Council, by a majority vote, proposes to
recommend said amendments to the general membership.
d: The Corresponding and Recording Secretary of the Association has
distributed copies of the amendments so proposed to all active members
of the Association at least two (2) calendar weeks in advance of the
election.
Amended: June 27, 1994
October 22, 1996
