CalSPRA
California School Public Relations
Association
BYLAWS
-REVISED MAY, 2009-
Article
I Ð NAME
The name of this chapter
shall be the California School Public Relations Association (CalSPRA).
Article
II Ð PURPOSES
The chapter is organized and
shall be operated exclusively for charitable, scientific and education
purposes, as may qualify it as exempt from Federal income tax under Section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, or any corresponding provision
of any future United States Internal Revenue Law. More specifically, such purposes include, but are not
limited to:
Article
III Ð MEMBERSHIP
1. Members shall consist of those who have
responsibility for public information or public relations tasks related to
education. The CalSPRA president,
president-elect, treasurer and secretary shall be members in good standing with
the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). All other chapter officers and members
should be encouraged to be members of NSPRA.
2. Associate members shall be those who are
interested in and supportive of educational public relations and public
information. Associate members may
not vote and are not eligible to hold office. Associate members include students, former education public
relations professionals, those who are working in public relations outside
education and others the CalSPRA Executive Board may deem appropriate.
3. Golden Mentor status, signified by lifetime
membership, is granted to members who are retiring from full-time status in the
education public relations field, who have been active, supportive members of
the chapter during their career and who have been members for the previous five
years.
4. In all memberships valid dues payments for services
or events sponsored by CalSPRA will determine whether an individual is
considered a member in good standing of CalSPRA.
5. Members who are not in good standing with CalSPRA may
have certain membership privileges suspended or revoked as determined by the
Executive Board.
6. Annual membership term shall commence on July 1 and
end on June 30 of the following year.
Article
IV Ð DUES
The dues of the Association
shall be established by the Executive Board. Any changes in dues shall include an effective date. Fiscal year for the Association shall
commence on September 1 and end on August 31 of the following year.
Article
V Ð EXECUTIVE BOARD
1. The Executive Board of the Association shall consist
of:
a) Voting members Ð the President, President-elect,
Secretary, Treasurer and Immediate Past President.
b) Non-voting members Ð Committee chairpersons and state
department liaison.
2. The Executive board shall act as the governing body
of CalSPRA with the authority vested in it by the general membership.
3. The Executive Board shall authorize appointment of
all committees, and shall formulate policies for the programs and services of
the Association.
4. A majority of the members of the Executive Board
shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of all business.
5. The Executive Board may remove any officer from
office:
a) If, in the boardÕs judgment, the officerÕs actions
have caused serious damage to the Association or to its reputation.
b) If the officer cannot meet or has not met the
responsibilities of the office.
Such removal shall require a two Ð thirds (2/3) vote of the Board.
Article
VI Ð OFFICERS
Officers of CalSPRA shall be
President, a President-elect (who shall become President after one yearÕs
service as President-elect), a Secretary, a Treasurer and an Immediate Past
President.
1. President Ð The president shall be the Executive
Director of CalSPRA and shall perform the following duties:
a) Preside at all official meetings of CalSPRA and its
Executive Board;
b) Approve routine disbursements;
c) Maintain active communication with the National
School Public Relations Association and the regional Vice President;
d) Coordinate activities between CalSPRA and other
appropriate organizations throughout the State and Nation;
e) Represent CalSPRA to agencies and organizations when
necessary.
2. President-elect Ð The President-elect shall perform
the following duties:
a) Perform all the duties of the President in the event
of the inability of the President to act;
b) Serve as liaison between special committees
established by the President;
c) Serve as program chairperson and be responsible for
arranging meetings of CalSPRA.
3. Treasure Ð The Treasurer shall perform the following
duties:
a) Keep all records of funds and financial transactions
of CalSPRA;
b) Provide financial statements to the Executive Board
as needed;
c) Disburse CalSPRA funds for normal, necessary and
expected expenses as approved by the President and, with Executive board
approval, disburse funds for any other expenses incurred by the Association;
d) Prepare and present financial reports (including, but
not limited to net worth, itemized
category, and income statements) at all CalSPRA meetings;
e) Maintain a file of all members of CalSPRA;
f) Maintain mailing lists for the Association;
g) Prepare materials (name badges, list of participants,
etc.) for attendees at conferences;
h) Collect dues and meeting fees.
4. Secretary Ð The Secretary shall perform the following
duties:
a) Keep records of all CalSPRA meetings;
b) Prepare an annual membership directory;
c) Handle all routine correspondence of the organization.
5. Immediate Past President Ð The Immediate Past
President shall serve in a voting role on the Executive Board for a one-year
period following his/her term of office and serves as chairperson of the
nominating committee.
Article
VII - COMMITTEES
1. Standing Committees engage in ongoing activities on
behalf of the Association. With
the exception of those specifically listed in this article, they may be created
or dissolved as needed by the President with the approval of the Executive
Board. Chairpersons and members of
standing committees not specifically listed in Section I of the Article shall
be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Board.
2. Nominating Committee Ð The Nominating committee shall
consist of the Immediate Past President, serving as Chairperson, and two other
members representative of the CalSPRA membership. These committee members shall not have served on the
Executive Board in the previous two years. The Committee shall perform the following duties:
a) Accept nominations from CalSPRA members by mail or
e-mail by March 31, following notices in association newsletters, on the list
serve and other forms of communications in order to solicit qualified
candidates for office.
b) Consider the needs of the organization, discuss nominated
candidatesÕ potential for office and prepare a slate of officers from among
candidates whose qualifications include:
1) One year in the field of school public relations;
2) Current membership in CalSPRA;
3) Evidence of active participation in CalSPRA;
4) Current membership in NSPRA.
c) Certify that candidates meet the qualifications of
office.
d) Contact potential candidates to confirm interest and
ability to serve.
e) Place the final slate of candidatesÕ names and spaces
for writeÐin candidates on a printed ballot, sent to members via U.S. mail or
electronically to all eligible members no later than April 15.
f) Oversee the return of the ballots and announce the
elected officers.
3. Special committees may be appointed by the President
with the approval of the Executive Board, which shall designate the powers of
the committee and term of appointment.
These committees may include, but need not be limited to:
a) Newsletter Committee
b) Blue Ribbon Committee
c) Publication Contest Committee
d) Membership Committee
e) Website
Article
VII - ELECTIONS
1. Election of officers shall be concluded by April 30
of each year and the election results shall be reported to NSPRA national
offices by the outgoing secretary.
Newly elected officers shall officially take office on May 1 and shall
serve through April 30 of the following year.
2. Candidates receiving the highest number of votes
(simple majority) shall be deemed elected to their respective offices. In the event of a tie, a runoff
election shall be held. In
situations not covered by these Bylaws, the Executive Board shall meet and
resolve the conflict.
3. In the event of an unexpected vacancy or if a vacancy
occurs during the unexpired term of any Executive Board member, the President
shall appoint a member to fill the unexpired term.
Article
IX Ð MEETINGS
CalSPRA shall hold at least
four professional development meetings or activities per year. These meetings may be held
independently or in conjunction with other professional conferences or
Executive Board meetings. These
meetings shall be directed toward achieving the stated goals of CalSPRA.
Article
X Ð AMENDMENTS
1. These Bylaws may be amended by a majority of the
membership present at any CalSPRA meeting, provided a quorum of the Executive
board is present and the meeting has been announced to the membership in
writing at least ten (10) days in advance of the meeting.
2. When deemed necessary by the Executive Board, bylaw
amendments can be included with officer candidate ballots and sent via U.S.
mail, electronically (email or web based) or faxed to members in good standing.
Article XI Ð COMPENSATION
AND/OR REIMBURSEMENT OF EXPENSES TO MEMBERS AND BOARD MEMBERS
1. CalSPRA shall be responsible for expenses incurred
by/on behalf of the current President to maintain membership in the national
School Public Relations Association during the PresidentÕs year in office (if
not paid by the PresidentÕs employer), as well as all normal and reasonable
expenses incurred to attend the NSPRA national conference, including
registration, travel, food and lodging.
2. It shall be considered a conflict of interest to
reimburse members of CalSPRA (or their districts/county offices/business) for
the use of the memberÕs/memberÕs staffÕs time, talent or services to the
organization. All reimbursement to
members shall be limited to actual expenses incurred in providing such service
to the organization, and requires approval of the Board of such expenditure
prior to incurring the expense.
3. Expenses incurred by members of the Board while
performing the normal duties of their office shall be the responsibility of the
Board member or their employer.
Any reimbursement to Board members to cover any other expenses incurred
on behalf of the organization shall require prior approval of the Board.
Article
XII Ð PROHIBITED ACTIVITES
No part of the earnings of
the chapter shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, its
directors, officers, or other private persons, except that the organization
shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services
rendered and to make payments and distributes in furtherance of the purposes
set forth in these Bylaws. Except
as provided in Section 501(h) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, or any
corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law, no
substantial part of the activities of the organization shall be the carrying on
of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the
Corporation shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing
or distribution of campaign statements) any political campaign on behalf of any
candidate for public office.
Notwithstanding any other
provision of these Bylaws, the organization shall not carry on any other
activities not permitted to be carried on;
a) By a corporation exempt from federal income tax under
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, or the corresponding
provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law, or
b) By a corporation, contributions to which are
deductible under Section 170 (c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, or
the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law.
Under dissolution of the
corporation, the executive Board shall, after paying or making provision for
the payment of all liabilities of the corporation, dispose of all the assets of
the corporation exclusively for the purpose of the corporation in such manner,
or to such organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for
charitable, educational, or scientific purposes as shall at the time qualify as
an exempt organization or organizations under Section 501 (c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1954, or the corresponding provision of any future
United States Internal Revenue law, as the Executive Board shall determine.
Article
XIII Ð AFFILIATION
When the AssociationÕs
Bylaws are duly approved, it shall become a Chapter of the National School
Public Relations Association.