Bylaws

Section 1. There shall be two classes of membership: Active and Retired.

Section 2. Active Membership shall be open to those who hold professional certificates granted by the Maryland State Department of Education and who are employed by the St. Mary's County Board of Education on a regular, full, or part-time basis.

Section 3. Retired membership shall be granted by the Board of Directors to any active member who retires from the public school system of St. Mary's County, and has joined the MSTA and NEA retired membership in accordance with MSTA and NEA bylaws. Retired members shall have the right to vote, elect delegates to the Representative Assembly, and other benefits determined by the policies of the Board of Directors.

Section 4. Membership shall continue from September 1 through August 31.

Section 5. The Superintendent and any individual who is a member of the School Board's negotiating team shall be denied membership in the association.

Section 1. The Board of Directors shall consist of (a) President (Release Time), (b) First Vice-President, (c) Second Vice-President, (d) Treasurer, (e) Secretary, (f) 5 Members-at-Large (Elementary, Secondary, General, A&S and Retired).

Section 2. To be eligible for office, a member must be an active member of the United Education Profession for the membership year prior to nomination, and at the time of their nomination.

Section 3. An officer must be a member of the United Education Profession during the term of office.

Section 4. The Officers.

Section 5. Members-at-Large.

Section 6. Vacancy.

Should a vacancy occur in any office of the Board of Directors, the Committee of Nominations, Elections and Credentials shall provide for the election of a successor by ballot of the entire membership, except as provided in Article IV, Section 2 and Article V, Section 1-f.

Section 1. The President.

1. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association and shall call special meetings when necessary.

2. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Auditing Committee and the Committee on Nominations, Elections and Credentials.
3. The President shall appoint all EASMC committees except the Committee on Nominations, Elections, and Credentials.
4. The President shall serve as a member of the General Council of the Maryland State Teachers Association.
5. The President shall be responsible for all records of the Association.
6. The President will act as a liaison between the Association and:

• The members of the EASMC bargaining unit

• The media and the community at large
• The SMCPS Central Office
• The SMCPS Board of Education
• The local, state and national elected officials
• The local, state and national affiliates

Section 2. The First Vice President.

Section 3. The Second Vice President.

Section 4. The Secretary.

The Secretary shall keep complete records of all official proceedings of this Association and shall distribute copies of such proceedings when directed to do so by the President.

Section 5. The Treasurer.

Section 6. Members-at-Large.

Section 7. Alternate members of the Maryland State Teachers Association General Council shall be in the following order:

Secretary, General Member-at-Large, Elementary Member-at-Large, Secondary Member-at-Large, A & S Member-at-Large, Retired Member-at-Large.

Section 8. The Board of Directors.

The Representative Assembly shall be the primary policy-making body of the Association. It shall:

1. A unit shall be defined as:

i) school(s) organized under one (1) principal;

ii) each site at which Administrative, Supervisory, or other eligible personnel are assigned;

iii) the class of Retired members.

2. Each unit shall be entitled to one (1) Representative and one (1) alternate for every 12 members or major fraction thereof, as of March1 of the preceding year;
3. Representatives and alternates shall serve a term of one (1) year from August 1 to July 31.
4. In units where there is more than one (1) representative, the elected representatives shall designate one of their numbers to serve as chairperson of the representatives of that unit.

5. Officers and the other members of the EASMC Board of Directors shall be ex-officio (without voting rights) representatives and shall not serve as the Association Representative of their respective units.

1. The Representative Assembly shall meet at least once each month from September through May on dates established at the September meeting.
2. Any member may attend meetings of and speak to a motion before the Representative Assembly, but only accredited representatives may vote on motions.
3. Other meetings of the Representative Assembly may be called by the Board of Directors.
4. Robert's Rules of Order (latest revision) shall be the governing authority on all matters of procedure not otherwise provided for in these Bylaws.

One (1) or more Association Representatives from fifty-one (51%) percent of the units shall constitute a quorum, provided there be a minimum of one-third (1/3) of the accredited representatives present at the meeting.

Section 1. Special meetings of the membership shall be called by the President at the request of the Representative Assembly, or on the written petition of 10% of the Association members.

Section 2. There will be at least one general meeting of the membership each year.

Section 1. The Committee on Nominations, Elections and Credentials shall prepare guidelines for the nomination, election and accreditation of the officers and other members of the Board of Directors. Such guidelines shall be presented annually to the Representative Assembly for review and adoption by December 31. These guidelines shall include but not be limited to the following:

1. open nominations by individual members;
2. provision for the distribution and collection of nominating forms;
3. provision for publication of the list of nominations prior to the election;
4. provision for secret ballot election by the membership;
5. provision for distribution, collection and tally of the ballots; and

6. provision for the election of officers and members of the Board of Directors by a majority of the valid ballots cast or by acclamation where only one candidate is in nomination

Section 2. Local delegates to the MSTA and NEA Representative Assemblies shall be elected in accordance with the guidelines prepared by the Committee on Nominations, Elections, and Credentials and adopted by the Representative Assembly. Such guidelines shall include provision for meeting the requirements of the Constitution and Bylaws of the Maryland State Teachers Association and the National Education Association.

Section 3. Board of Directors Elections.

Section 1. Delegates elected to the conventions of the Maryland State Teachers Association and the National Education Association must be members of the United Education Profession during the year of their election and during the year in which they serve as delegates.

Section 2. All members of the Board of Directors shall serve as MSTA Delegates. The President and President-Elect (when not current President) shall serve as NEA Delegates.

Section 3. Other Delegates and Alternates to the conventions of MSTA and NEA shall be chosen by the entire membership. Delegates to the NEA and MSTA conventions shall be elected at the same time other Association officers are elected.

Section 4. Alternate Delegates shall be those not elected initially and shall serve in the order of votes received during the election.

Section 5. The Board of Directors shall have the authority to notify Alternates when Delegate vacancies occur. Alternates who decline to serve shall forfeit the position of delegate.

Section 1. The President-Elect shall appoint all standing committee chairs to serve during that officer's term as President, except the committee on Nominations, Elections, and Credentials, and shall complete such appointments prior to assuming office.

Section 2. The President shall recommend members of the Association to the President of the Maryland State Teachers Association for service on committees of that organization.

Section 3. All committee chairs shall submit to the Association Secretary for the May General Meeting a written report of the activities of their committees during the previous year.

Section 4. The following standing committees shall be appointed:

1. An Auditing Committee shall be appointed to verify the accounts of the Association. Working with the bookkeeper, the Auditing Committee shall study the fiscal records of the Association and prepare a report for the September meeting of the Representative Assembly.
2. A Budget Committee shall be appointed to prepare an Association budget for presentation to the Representative Assembly at its April meeting. The Treasurer shall be an ex-officio member of this committee.
3. A Bylaws Committee shall be appointed to evaluate continuously the Bylaws and then make recommendations for amendments.
4. A Government Relations Steering Committee shall be appointed to increase teacher participation in the political process and to ensure that the needs of education are addressed in the political area. The Government Relations Steering Committee Chair shall be approved by the Representative Assembly for a two-year term.
5. An Instruction and Professional Development Committee shall be appointed to encourage, endorse and promote activities designed to ensure teacher involvement in the education process.
6. A Legislative Committee shall be appointed to study and suggest legislation concerning public education and to work with corresponding committees of the Maryland State Teachers' Association and the National Education Association.
7. A Membership Committee shall be appointed to plan the membership drive and maintain membership records.
8. A Minority Affairs Committee shall work to increase minority participation in Association business and leadership.
9. A Public Relations Committee shall be appointed to work to secure the best possible image of the Association and the teaching profession in St. Mary's County with the general public.
10. A Social and Hospitality Committee shall be appointed to suggest and plan for such social activities as maybe appropriate and desirable for the Association.

Section 5. Special committees may be appointed by the President and shall be appointed at the direction of two-thirds (2/3) of the Representative Assembly.

Section 1. Robert's Rules of Order (latest revision) shall govern the proceedings of this Association at all times, except when they are not consistent with the Bylaws.

Section 2. The President may appoint at the beginning of each year a parliamentarian who shall serve as advisor in matters concerning these Bylaws.

The Review Board shall be composed of five (5) members, at least one (1) of whom shall be a member of an ethnic-minority group, appointed by the President with the advice and approval of the Board of Directors for two (2) year staggered terms beginning September 1. A member shall be eligible for reappointment for one additional term.

1. Members of the Review Board shall have been members of the Association for three (3) consecutive years immediately prior to appointment and shall maintain membership in the Association during their terms.
2. A member of the Review Board shall hold no elective office, other than delegate in the Association to the Maryland State Teachers Association and the National Education Association conventions.
3. No officer or other member of the Board of Directors shall be appointed to the Review Board within two (2) years following separation from such office.

1. Rule on matters of Bylaw interpretation referred to it by the Board of Directors or Representative Assembly;
2. Rule upon and be final judge on all election disputes referred to it by any candidate.
3. Process and certify any recall procedure.

1. The members of the Review Board shall select the chairperson from its members.
2. It shall develop its own rules of procedure with the approval of the Representative assembly.

Section 1. Officers of the Association may be impeached for violation of the "Code of Ethics of the Education Profession", for an unlawful act, for misconduct, or for gross negligence in office.

Section 2. Impeachment proceedings against an officer may be initiated by written petition submitted to a Review Board by at least fifteen percent (15%) of the certified representatives to the Representative Assembly.

1. The Board of Directors may establish, through its policies, an appropriate dues structure for members other than Active members.
2. The dues of Active members shall be set annually by the Representative Assembly at the time it adopts the next fiscal year budget; dues shall not exceed an amount equal to .0035 times the teacher salary on Range 2, Step 3.
3. Active members may pay EASMC-MSTA-NEA dues either by payroll or by check; however, if full dues check is not received from a member not on payroll deductions by October 1, the President may suspend that person's Active membership until full dues are paid in accordance with Board of Director's policy.
4. Through the Negotiated Agreement, the Board of Education has agreed to deduct EASMC-MSTA-NEA dues for members who have voluntarily authorized such deductions. Payroll deductions of dues are continuing from year to year. Cancellation of dues deduction can be effected only by written notice to the President of the Association within the first fifteen calendar days of the duty year for teachers.
5. Annual EASMC dues for persons eligible for Active membership who are employed fifty (50) percent or less of the normal schedule for a full-time member in that same job position shall be one-half (1/2) the dues set in the budget for full-time Active members.
6. Annual EASMC dues for an Active member on approved leave of absence shall be full dues if such leave is with full pay; one-half (1/2) dues if such leave is less than fifty percent (50%) pay; one-quarter (1/4) dues if such leave is without pay.

However, if any member is placed on involuntary leave without pay as a result of administrative action, such as, but not limited to, lay-off or dismissal (being contested), such a member shall pay one-tenth (1/10) dues to EASMC.

But, if any member on involuntary or voluntary leave qualifying for reduced or pro-rated dues reverts to full or part-time status within a school year with appropriate pay, or commences the year in that status, dues shall be what is otherwise payable.

7. The annual and/or lifetime membership dues for eligible Retiree members shall be set annually by the Representative Assembly at the time it adopts the next fiscal year budget.

Section 1. The ratification of the proposed contract shall be voted on only by members of the EASMC using printed official ballots. Voters will be required to sign a list of school personnel in order to receive the ballot. Since all votes are secret, there will be no hand counts. The count will be certified by the Faculty Representative and the Negotiating Team member by signing the total ballot count.

Section 2. The ballots will be sealed, sent to the Chairperson of the Negotiating Team and retained by the Association for the duration of the contract.