Association of Plainfield Teachers Bylaws



Association of Plainfield Teachers BylawsUpdated: April 16, 2019Article l.NameThe name of the organization shall be the Association of Plainfield Teachers, which hereafter, shall be known as the APT, an affiliate of the Illinois Education Association and the National Education Association.Article ll.PurposesThe Association of Plainfield Teachers shall:work on behalf of all members who belong to both the Illinois Education Association and the National Education Associationprotect and promote the interests and rights of the member(s)promote within the membership the highest standards of professional practiceencourage active participation of all members in all areas of educationArticle lll.MembershipSection 1: Membership in this organization shall be open to all certified staff of School District 202, this excluding administrative personnel. It is mandatory that members of this organization also hold concurrent membership in the Illinois Education Association and the National Education Association.Section 2: The membership shall be from September 1 through August 31.Section 3: Acceptance of membership is made by payment or pledge of dues on or before September 30 of any school year.Section 4: All committees and officer positions named herein; both elected and appointed will be held by any dues paying members meeting qualifications listed in Sections 1, 2 and 3 above, and Article IV; Section 2.?Section 5: EntitlementsRight to vote in all region and local electionsRight to represent the Association/Region as a delegate at the state and national levels.Right to hold office and/or sit on APT District committeesRight to serve as a building representativeRight to serve as a member of the negotiation committee or negotiation support teamRight to legal representation through IEARight to free liability insurance (up to $1,000,000) and life insurance ($10,000) through NEARight to NEA Member Benefit discounts insurance, credit, loan services, home buyer, etc.Right to participate in IEA/NEA professional development opportunitiesIEA Learning Portal, Summer Leadership Academy etc.Article lV.OfficersSection 1: PositionsOfficers shall consist of both elected and appointed positions. Elected positions shall be President, Membership/Treasurer Officer, Elections Officer and Communications Officer. ?Appointed positions shall be Grievance Officer, Sick Bank Officer. The budgeted Officer stipend will be based on the performance of duties as listed in Appendix A. Should performance of duties be incomplete, the stipend will be adjusted by Officers’ decision.The President shall appoint an APT member to manage the APT website. A stipend will be paid based on Officers’ decision.Section 2: NominationsOfficers shall consist of both elected and appointed positions. Elected positions shall be President, Membership/Treasurer Officer, Elections Officer and Communications Officer. ?Appointed positions shall be Grievance Officer, Sick Bank Officer. President must be a tenured teacher.? All candidates must have served at least one (1) term as an Officer of the APT.? Other elected officers must have served as Building Representatives for one (1) year. Nominations must be submitted to the Executive Board prior to the April APT meeting.Appointed positions:? President or President Elect shall make known to the Executive Board at the April Executive Board meeting nominations for appointed positions. Nominations must be approved by a majority of members present.? If majority vote is not achieved, the floor will be open to nominations.? Nominees must be present to accept the nomination.? Each nominee shall be given time to verbally accept the nomination and outline their experience for the position.? All nominated will be placed on a ballot for membership vote.? The election will take place within 2 weeks of the April meeting.A write-in provision is required if the number of declared candidates is less than the number of positions available. ? ?When the number of candidates equals the number of positions available, candidates may be declared elected.Section 3: ElectionsOfficer elections shall be conducted by secret ballot within each building. Building Executive Board team members shall tally their own building’s votes prior to submitting them to the Election Officer who, upon receipt, will verify all ballots at the March Executive Board meeting. Number of ballots and signatures must match to be considered valid.?Section 4: TermsElected officers will serve a three-year term. The terms of officers will be staggered. Appointed positions shall be made annually.Section 5: DutiesThe officers shall perform duties as prescribed by the Bylaws and Appendices thereof, and by Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised.Section 6: Removal of OfficersAny officer may be removed for actions of wrong-doing or failure to perform duties as outlined in Appendix A by majority vote of the Representative Assembly. Any can result in immediate removal by majority vote of Executive Board. An Officer may resign by written notice to the Executive Board one (1) month prior to the effective date of resignation. Removal of the President would require agreement with the district if the conditions of the contract Section 12.7 Association Release Time are unable to be fulfilled. Section 7: Officer Vacancies In the event a vacancy occurs in the office of President, an elected officer shall become President for the remainder of the term. Officers will determine who will fill the vacancy with the consent of the Executive Board. If a vacancy occurs in any other office, the President shall appoint a successor for the remainder of the term, with the consent of the Executive Board.Article V.Representative AssemblySection 1: MembershipRepresentative Assembly shall consist of one (1) APT building representative and a ratio of 1 member to 10 per building. Members in attendance will be verified and approved by Executive Board. Section 2: DutiesThe Representative Assembly shall annually approve (or recommend to the membership) a budget, establish (or recommend to the membership) the dues, approve expenditures, and may adopt programs on behalf of, or for recommendation to, the membership; approve proposed amendments to these Bylaws.Section 3: AttendanceThe Election Team Member will report those attending the assembly by notifying the Communication Officer no later than 24 hours prior. Buildings reporting after the deadline will have their representatives approved at the Representative Assembly. The term is only for the assembly attending. Section 4: VacanciesIt is a building’s responsibility to fill all vacancies.Section 5: MeetingsA quorum for any representative Assembly shall consist of the number of members of the assembly present at the meeting.The Representative Assembly shall meet at least once a year during the school year, and may meet as many times as necessary or reasonable to transact business. Meetings may be called for by the President, a majority of the Executive Board, or upon the request in writing by 100 or more members.Article Vl. MeetingsSection 1: Representative AssemblyThere shall be a at least one (1) Representative Assembly meetings held before May 1st during the school year.Section 2: NotificationThe Executive Board will notify APT members at least seven (7) days prior to any meeting. Special meetings or meetings dealing with negotiations may be called on shorter notice.Section 3: Calling MeetingsMeetings of the membership may be called by the President, a majority of the Executive Committee, or upon request in writing by 100 or more members.Section 4: QuorumA quorum for any general meeting shall consist of the number of members present at the meeting.Section 5: Rules and ProceduresGeneral meetings of the APT shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised.Article Vll. Executive BoardSection 1: MembershipThe Executive Board shall consist of APT Officers, APT Committee Chairs and an APT building representative from each building.Section 2: Building RepresentativesBuilding Representatives (one per building) will be elected each May for a two (2) year term. In the event an elected representative leaves the district, transfers buildings or steps down after May, a new election will be held in early August of the new school year. Building Representatives will be compensated $500.00 per year, paid at the May APT meeting, which will be prorated as stated in Appendix C based on participation related to responsibilities and duties listed in Appendix A. If the representative position is shared, the representatives will be responsible for sharing the stipend amongst themselves.Should there be more than one candidate interested in the position of Building Representative, an election shall take place using a paper ballot. The election will be overseen by a member whose name is not on the ballot. If ballots are needed, a sample ballot will be sent to the president for copying.Should there only be one candidate, a sign stating such will be posted for seven (7) days on the building APT bulletin board. If no objection is raised, said candidate will be declared the building representative for that building on the eighth (8th) day.Section 3: MeetingsMonthly meetings will be held during the school year to conduct business of the Association.Section 4: Duties It shall be the duty of the Executive Board to:convey the recommendations and desires of the organization to the administrationdiscuss and recommend action on matters of business which are to be presented at the regular meetings of the organizationact on any matter it deems necessary as well as any other responsibilities and duties as listed in Appendix A. Article Vlll. CommitteesSection 1: Committee StructuresThere shall be the following District committees as outlined in the Negotiated agreement: Special Education, Insurance, Labor Relations, Calendar (subcommittee of Labor Relations), Teacher Evaluation and Probationary Teachers.There shall be a chairperson for the following APT Committees: Special Education, Early Career Leaders, Sick Bank, Grievance and Communications. The APT SPED Committee and Early Career Leaders (ECL) shall meet a minimum of once a quarter. Chair and Co-Chair (if applicable) of the Special Education APT Committee and the Early Career Leaders shall each receive a stipend of $500.00.Section 2: APT Committee Chairs The Chairpersons of the APT committees shall be appointed by the President with the consent of the Executive Board for a two year term. The Negotiations Team members are an exception and will be elected as per Article VllI, Section 4. A Chairperson may be removed by a majority vote of the Executive Board of the APT or may resign by written notice to the Executive Board.Section 3: APT CommitteesA. Communication Committee will be chaired by the Communications Officer and may be comprised of a representative from Pre-K, Elementary, Middle School, High School and Plainfield Academy appointed by the President with the consent of the Executive Board for a 2-year term. The duties of the Communications Committee shall be: to develop brochures etc. for public relations campaigns that highlight our association to the public and provide factual information for public knowledge develop and record videos as needed for our website explaining issues relevant to our membersand any other communications as needed.B. The Grievance Committee will be chaired by the Grievance Officer and may be comprised of a representative from Pre-K, Elementary, Middle School, High School and Plainfield Academy appointed by the President with the consent of the Executive Board for a 2-year term. The duties of the Grievance Committee shall be: to assist members in identifying violations of the contract provide information to members regarding grievance proceduresassist members in writing grievancesmeet with President as directed to discuss outstanding issues and potential grievancesC. The Special Education Committee will be chaired by an APT member appointed by the President with the consent of the Executive Board for a 2-year term. The Committee may be comprised of a representative from each building. The duties of the Special Education Committee Chair shall be: to assist members in identifying caseload issues and/or violations provide information to members regarding caseload procedures and changesmeet with President as directed to discuss outstanding issues and potential grievancesmeet with Assistant Superintendent of Student Services or his/her designee once a quarter to resolve outstanding issues, provide input and collaborate on future programming needs. report findings back to the APT Special Education Committee and the APT Executive Board.The Early Career Leaders Committee will be chaired by an APT member appointed by the President with the consent of the Executive Board for a 2-year term. The committee may be comprised of a representative, who is in the first 10 years of their career, from each building.The duties of the Early Career Leaders Committee shall be:to assist members in accessing professional development experiencesto meet with the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction or his / her designee once a quarter to discuss, plan, and / or implement professional development opportunities for District 202 staffto report findings back to the APT Executive Boardto support initiatives and or events set forth by the IEA Early Career Committee.Section 4: Negotiations TeamThe Officers of the Association of Plainfield Teachers shall select the Negotiations Bargaining Team members through an application and interview process of interested APT members. In addition to the team, a recorder will be appointed for the purpose of taking notes at each bargaining session. Each individual appointment is for the term of the negotiation cycle. A cycle begins with the team formation and ends with ratification by labor and management. All negotiation team members; with the exception of the President; will receive the same stipend with a minimum of $500.00 not to exceed $1,000.00. In the event that a member of the negotiations team chooses to withdraw from the team, that member and their replacement, will receive a prorated stipend to be determined by the Negotiations Team and approved by the Executive Board. Once bargaining begins, all vacancies will remain vacant unless the Negotiations Bargaining Team appeals to the Executive Board.Other committees may be established on a permanent and ad hoc basis by the Executive Committee.Article lX. NegotiationsSection 1: Member InputTwo years (2) before the contract expires the President shall hold open hearing level meetings, elementary, middle, and high school, for the purpose of identifying contract issues. Initial open hearing meetings are to allow members the opportunity to discuss and make recommendations for those topics that fall under “scope of negotiations,” as outlined in the Professional Negotiations Agreement. Section 2: Negotiations Support Team A year and a half (1 ?) before the contract expires, the Negotiations Support Team (NST) may assemble and begin investigating, examining, interpreting, comparing and contrasting contracts. The NST may prepare an online questionnaire for the membership to establish priorities of negotiable items. The President will provide a written report of all findings to the Negotiation Bargaining Team.The NST building members will meet with the Negotiations Team to organize, prepare and deliver information to the membership regarding tentative agreements.A year (1) before the contract expires the Negotiation Bargaining Team will assemble and be assigned to a list of schools of varying levels. The first meeting may take place before bargaining begins followed by subsequent meetings that will serve to inform each school of the Negotiation Bargaining Team’s progress as needed.Once bargaining begins, if needed, the Negotiations Support Team (NST) will become the Crisis Team for the purpose of researching, preparing, tracking, and organizing preemptive and strike activity. The Negotiation Bargaining Team maintains the right to assemble the Crisis Team at any time during the bargaining process. Upon reaching a tentative agreement the Crisis Team review and distribute copies to the APT membership within their buildings.For purposes of counting ballots, 3 (three) Negotiation Support Team members from each level (elementary/BMLC, middle school and high school/PA) will be randomly chosen from willing volunteers attending the Tentative Agreement meeting. Section 3: Tentative AgreementAfter the tentative agreement has been reached on the terms of the negotiations packages, each APT member shall be given a print copy of the agreement. During a period of non‐work stoppages, members will be given a minimum of seventy‐two (72) hours to review and consider the package before a vote may be taken as outlined in Article IX section 6 Subsection A. Forty‐eight (48) hours after receiving the contract, members shall have the opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with the APT President and at least half of the Negotiations Bargaining Team. The vote as outlined in Article IX section 6 Subsection A cannot be held until a full twenty‐four (24) hours after the question and answer session.Section 4: VotingVoting on the package shall take place in the following manner: The Elections Officer shall announce a voting day with the recommendation from the Negotiations Bargaining Team.On the day of the vote each member shall sign a voting roster before receiving an envelope, and a printed ballot. The vote is sealed in an envelope and deposited in a designated container. Designated election person must witness deposits. Number of ballots and signatures must match to be considered valid.The Negotiation Support Team Members shall return all ballots and signature-voting roster to a place designated by the Election Officer where they will be combined and counted by the randomly chosen Negotiation Support Team members. Counting of ballots shall begin no earlier than 5:00 PM. The outcome shall be reported to the Association President for announcement to the members, administration, and press.Article X: DuesThe local dues for members shall be set annually by the APT Officers based on the needs of the organization and be approved by the majority of those voting at the Representative Assembly.Article Xl: AmendmentsAny member may propose amendments to the Bylaws. Such proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to President or other designated APT Officer.Proposed amendments must be distributed at the building level through the Communications Team Member at least two (2) school days prior to voting on the amendments.Proposed amendments shall be adopted by a majority vote of the Representative Assembly.Article Xll. Grievance and Grievance AppealThe Executive Board shall decide whether or not a grievance shall be processed on to a final or binding arbitration. The Association Grievance Committee’s recommendation shall be given to the Executive Board prior to its decision.Article XIII. RatificationThese articles shall be ratified, and the organization shall be in operation as soon as the majority of the Representative Assembly present ratifies these bylaws. Appendix AOfficer Job Descriptions?All Officer Positions must fulfill the following requirements:Maintain confidentiality.Attend monthly APT Membership meetingsAttend monthly officer meetingsAttend school board meetings (1 per quarter)Attend meetings of assigned committeeParticipate in APT/Community eventsMonitor assigned section of Board policiesEstablish and maintain communication with Rally to Tally TeamAttend New Teacher Induction LuncheonAttend beginning of the year training for your position at the WSO.President? Duties include:Being Chief Executive Office with the power and the duty to enforce the By-Laws and contract of the APT; Facilitating all Executive Board meetings, officer meetings and Representative Assemblies; Carrying out Association business in the interim between board meetings; Representing the Association and members in Labor Relations; Representing members in disciplinary investigations conducted by the District Office Administration or appointing similar representation; Participating in region council and relevant activities of the Illinois Education Association; Be familiar with and monitor all activities related to the contract, school code and legislation and communicating relevant information to members; Representing the Association before the public either personally or through delegates; Appointing and removing members and chairpersons of all committees pursuant to the By-Laws; Calling meetings of the Executive Board and membership; Presiding over meetings of the Executive Board and membership when present; Cosigning all checks with the treasurer on a monthly basis and submitting monthly expense reports to Treasurer to be reported to the Executive Board; Holding scheduled meetings with District Office personnel; Attending at least one school board meeting per month during school year. Sitting on district and APT committees as needed; Holding meetings with Officers using Association release time days and provide written agenda and minutes to Officers . Submitting monthly expense reports and activities calendars for posting to the APT website. Holding an active seat on Negotiations and participate in bargaining. Representing APT as a delegate for the IEA Representative Assembly Organize the Building Representative training each August.Officer of Treasurer/Membership Duties Include:Writing checks to members for reimbursement.Depositing checks from members etc.Preparing documents for accountant.Building a budget for presentation at the Spring APT RA for the following year with President.Monitoring the bank account/reconciling president expense reports.Maintain records and files.Review packets for District Office for newly hired teachers.Collect all new member forms; reconcile new member list.Twice a year, reconcile the membership roster and send in changes to IEA.Update membership roster as new teachers are hired, name changes occur etc. Maintain local copies of membership forms.Officer of Communications Duties Include:Type out meeting minutes and send out to membershipPass on communication from other officers/remindersCreate and maintain building rep listChair the Communication CommitteeCreate monthly sign in sheetsForward items to webmaster for posting.Collect data from president email requestsOfficer of ElectionsDuties Include:Create, distribute, collect, edit, post and record all bylaw proposals, changes and NBIs for APT Spring RA.Create nomination forms for all elected positions (APT, IEA, NEA, Region 61)Collect, record and send for posting on APT website, all biographical candidate info for all elected positions.Create and stuff all voting materials and forms for contract vote and all elections.Coordinate, count and report all voting on contract and all elections.Hold and facilitate all informational meetings for voting and ballot distribution.Pass on communication from other officers/remindersChair the Election CommitteeLead and coordinate a strike committee should need arise.Officer of FMLA/Sick Bank/Child Care Leave Duties Include:Working with members in difficult situations.Researching the issue/munication with District Office/ HR and PayrollVerify number of days availableWrite letter of request for leaves and send to HR and PayrollTrack members’ lengths of absenceKeep data sheet and record of sick bank daysConfer with President/Officers on decisions as neededOfficer of Grievance Duties Include:Validate the grounds for a grievance.Chair Grievance Committee.Meet with building level reps monthly to share information.Gather data pertaining to a specific municate with HR at District Office Call smaller committee together as needed.Attend grievance trainingsAPT Building RepresentativeDuties include:Maintain confidentialityAttend all APT Executive Board meetings throughout the school year (8)Hold building meetings (face to face) following APT Exec. Bd. Meeting (8)HS and MS may wish to consider asking department/grade level reps to attend a meeting to bring information back to departments/teams/grade levelsELEM may wish to ask grade level reps to attend a meeting to bring information back to grade level teamsAttend Building Rep training in August of each school year (1)Hold at least one administrative/APT meeting per quarter (4)Attendance at 5 additional meetings from the following categories: (5)Board Meetings (1 required; 17 opportunities)Board Committee Meetings (1 required; 20 opportunities)APT Committee Meetings (SPED or Communications) (1 required; 8 opportunities)Region 61 Meetings (1 required; 8 opportunities)One more of the above; free choice.Secure members from your building to attend the New Teacher Luncheon in August Secure members from your building to attend an APT sponsored community eventSecure members, if needed, from your building to conduct elections, provide grievance support within the building, maintain communication and represent your school on the APT SPED committee Elections plan and implement an election strategy that will improve election turnout;collect and tally all ballots at the building level;deliver all ballots and tallies to the location designated by the Elections Officer;verify ballots and counts of other buildings;SPEDAttend monthly APT SPED meetings;Hold SPED meetings in your building to disseminate the information you receive.Bring SPED issues to the APT SPED meeting.Grievanceattempt to answer questions of the contract at the building level;contact Grievance Committee Member or Chair for clarity of contract questions when needed;communicate to the Grievance Officer or President any concerns that may need to be addressed in Labor Relations.be familiar with Members Right to Representation;represent members in building level disciplinary meetings;submit copy of notes to the President of all disciplinary meetings;keep all matters of discipline municationsForward emails to building members as requested.Maintain the APT Board in your building.Collect building data as requested by the PresidentAPT Building MembersKeep yourself informed of National, State and Local news by:Knowing your APT building leader.Attending APT building meetings.Making a conscious effort to visit the APT, IEA and NEA websites monthly.Sign up for Remind, follow us on Twitter and Facebook and receive monthly emails.Check your building APT Board for updates and news.Attend APT social outings and community events.Know the names of your state and local legislators for “Calls to Action”Read and know your contract.Participate on your building APT team and/or attend a fall or spring APT Representative Assembly.Appendix BElection ProceduresGENERAL ELECTION GUIDELINESAll elections shall follow the same general guidelines as listed below. Elections of APT nature include, but are not limited to, elections of: officers, APT Team Members, region council chair and members, IEA RA delegates, NEA RA delegates and contracts.Nominations for all positions shall be sought prior to any elections taking place.Elections will take place within each building through the combined efforts of Elections Team Member and others of the APT Team. All APT members within the building shall be notified at least 5 days in advance of any upcoming elections through email or postings on APT boards.All ballots will be tallied at the building level by more than one person whose name does not appear on the ballot.Results and ballots shall be delivered and recounted by the Elections Team Leaders at the Elections Chairs designated location and time. Specific instructions may be included for each election by the Election Chair.Said instructions must be implemented as written.Write-in nominees to all APT elections must secure a minimum of 10 votes through the designated voting process in order to be considered to fulfill their elected position from Region 61.Any member who is physically not present on the day of voting, may utilize APT absentee voting procedures. Members who are on FMLA and/or other absences on the day of the vote, may receive a ballot by physically picking them up from their home school or coordinating with their building election chair to secure one. Members may also come to the ballot tally location to cast their vote. All current election procedures will apply once the ballot has been secured. Detailed procedures and absentee sign-in sheets will be included in voting packets. This procedure is not to be used for the sole purpose of voting early. Appendix CCommon Practices ?A. Honoring Retirees and Years of Service: Upon retirement, APT will celebrate each retiring member with a gift card using the graduated scale that follows: 10 – 19 years in Plainfield $50.00; 20-29 years in Plainfield $75.00 and 30+ years in Plainfield $100.00. Retirees will be recognized at the May APT board meeting. Years of Service members will be honored after completing their 20th year of employment in PSD202. Increments of recognition shall be 20 (19.5), 25 (24.5), 30 (29.5), 35 (34.5) and 40 (39.5) years of service. Members being honored will receive a pin recognizing their years of service.A reception shall be held before the start of May APT meeting to recognize and honor these milestones. B. IEA RA and NEA RA Reimbursement ProceduresAll receipts need to be line item receipts; no “total only” credit card receipts will be accepted. All expenses must have a valid, original receipt including the Miscellaneous category.Delegates will follow the IEA/NEA meal guidelines for reimbursement; Alcohol, personal and entertainment expenses will not be reimbursed. Any meals provided will not be reimbursed. (ie: Region meals, caucus breakfasts, etc.) C. Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) that are still in use shall be posted on the APT website, under the section APT Documents ().D. Building Representative Compensation ScaleParticipation in 24 or more events: $500.00Participation in 22-23 events: $425.00Participation in 18- 21 events: $375.00Participation in 15-17 events: $250.00Participation at 14 or less events: $0 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download