CONSTITUTION
of the
KNOX COUNTY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
CONTENTS:
ARTICLE I – NAME AND AFFILIATION
SECTION 1. Name
SECTION 2. Affiliation
ARTICLE II – PURPOSE
SECTION 1
SECTION 2
SECTION 3
SECTION 4
SECTION 5
ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1. Membership Categories
a. Active Members
b. Retirees
SECTION 2. Discipline of Members
ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS
SECTION 1. General Officers
SECTION 2. Method of Selection
SECTION 3. Terms and Succession
SECTION 4. Filling of Vacancies
ARTICLE V – EXECUTIVE BOARD
SECTION 1.
SECTION 2. Composition
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4. Vacancies
SECTION 5.
ARTICLE VI – REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY
SECTION 1.
SECTION 2. Composition
SECTION 3.
ARTICLE VII – AMENDMENTS
ARTICLE I – NAME AND AFFILIATION
SECTION 1.
The name of this Association shall be the Knox County Education Association, herein referred to as the Association or the KCEA.
SECTION 2.
The organization shall be affiliated with the Tennessee Education Association (TEA) and with the National Education Association (NEA) and shall meet with the minimum standards for affiliation as set forth in the TEAand NEA governance documents.
ARTICLE II – PURPOSE
SECTION 1.
To work for the welfare of public school children, the advancement of education and the improvement of instructional opportunities for all.
SECTION 2.
To unite and strengthen the teaching profession and to secure and maintain economic and professional security for all members.
SECTION 3.
To develop and promote the adoption of such ethical practices, personnel policies, working conditions, and standards of preparation and participation as marks of the profession.
SECTION 4.
To enable members to speak with a common voice on matters pertaining to the teaching profession and to present their individual and common interests before the Board of Education and other legal authorities.
SECTION 5.
To hold property, funds and other assets, and to employ a staff for the attainment of these purposes.
ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1. Membership Categories
Membership in the Association shall consist of the following classifications: active certified and classified public school employees, and retirees. All questions regarding such matters as classification, eligibility,and privileges of members shall be determined by the Executive Board and approved by the Representative Assembly of the Association.
a. Active Members
1. Active membership in the Association shall be open to all personnel employed by the Knox County school system, who support the purposes and goals and agree to abide by the Code of Ethics of the Association. An active member is entitled to all rights and privileges of membership in the Association.
2. Active members of the Association shall also maintain membership in the Tennessee Education Association and the National Education Association.
3. Membership shall become effective upon statement of intent of payment of annual dues and shall continue in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution and Bylaws and with the policies and regulations adopted by the Representative Assembly of the Association. Active membership shall be continuous until the member leaves the school system, resigns from the Association, fails to pay membership dues or fails to comply with all rules and regulations of this Association.
b. Retirees
Members who retire may continue as honorary members for life. They shall not be eligible to vote, hold office, nor represent the Association.
SECTION 2. Discipline of Members
No member may be censured, suspended from membership, or expelled, or cancelled from membership in this Association unless the member concerned has been given due notice of such an action and has had an opportunity for a due process hearing before the Executive Board. Any disciplinary action taken may be appealed to the Executive Board, the Representative Assembly and /or the Association. The Executive Board may reinstate a member who has previously been suspended or expelled from the Association.
ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS
SECTION 1. General Officers
a. The officers of the Association shall consist of a president and vice president, the immediate past president, a secretary, and a
treasurer. A qualified parliamentarian shall be an appointed officer without voting privileges in Executive Board and Representative Assembly meetings. However, s/he shall have the same privileges to vote as any other member in a general membership meeting of the Association.
b. Officers shall have been members of the United Education Profession for at least three years and have attained tenure prior
to their nomination and shall maintain their membership in good standing during their terms of service.
SECTION 2. Method of Selection
a. The president, vice president, the secretary and the treasurer shall be elected by secret ballot by the membership at large
according to the procedures outlined in Article X of the Bylaws. The parliamentarian shall be appointed by the president and
approved by the Executive Board.
b. The immediate past president shall be the person who has completed the full term of office as president for which s/he has most recently been elected.
SECTION 3. Terms and Succession
a. The term of office of the president and vice president shall betwo (2) years and neither may succeed themselves.
b. The secretary and the treasurer shall serve for a two (2) year term and may succeed themselves. In the event a member has served (2) two consecutive terms as secretary or treasurer, a full elective term must have elapsed before said individual is eligible for reelection to this office. This amendment becomes effective 2010-2011.
c. The elected officers shall assume office on the first day of July following their election and shall hold office until their qualified successors have assumed office.
SECTION 4. Filling of Vacancies
a. Should a vacancy occur in the office of president, the vice president shall assume the office of president for the remainder
of the unexpired term. If the unexpired term is for a period of 18 months or longer, it shall be considered as equivalent to an elected term of the presidency. If the unexpired term is for a period of less than 18 months, the vice president shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term and will be eligible to stand for re-election to a two (2) year term.
b. In the event that the office of president is vacated and the vice-president becomes the president with three (3) or more months remaining until the next election, the election committee shall hold an election within thirty (30) days to fill the office of vice-president.
c. In the event that the office of vice-president is vacated with three (3) or more months remaining until the next election, the
election committee shall hold an election within thirty (30) days of the notification of the vacancy in the office of vice-president.
d. If the office of both president and the vice-president become vacant at the same time between elections, except as provided in Article V, Section 3 of the Constitution, and more than three (3) months remain until the next election, the remaining members of the Executive Board shall choose one of their number to serve as president pro tempore until a secret ballot election can be held for these officers. The election must be held within thirty (30) days.
e. If the office of the secretary or treasurer becomes vacant and more than three (3) months remain until the next election, the
election committee shall hold an election within thirty (30) days of the unexpired term. If less than three (3) months remain until the next election, the Executive Board shall elect by secret ballot one of their number to serve the remainder of the unexpired term.
f. Persons elected to fill such vacancies shall take office the day following their election.
g. If the position of parliamentarian shall become vacant, the vacancy shall be filled as provided in Article IV, Section 1 of this Constitution.
ARTICLE V – EXECUTIVE BOARD
SECTION 1.
The Executive Board shall consist of the officers, twelve representative members. Any TEA Board Member and/or NEA Director if he/she is a member of the Knox County Education Association shall serve as an ex officio, non-voting member.
a. Members shall have attained tenure and shall have been Association members for a minimum of three years prior to accepting a nomination to the Executive Board.
b. Nine certified classroom teachers shall be elected on three year staggered terms. Four (4) of the nine shall be elected by and from the Pre-K-5 schools; two (2) of the nine by and from 6-8 schools; and two (2) of the nine by and from 9-12 schools (including vocational centers), and one (1) of the nine by and from identified non-traditional school sites.
c. Three (3) members shall be elected at-large for three (3) -year terms. One of these positions shall be designated as ethnic minority; one shall be designated as administrative, and the other shall be designated as Education Support Professional (ESP).
d. No representative member of the Executive Board having served a full three-year term shall be elected to succeed herself/himself.
e. Terms of Executive Board members shall begin on July 1.
SECTION 2.
The total composition of the Executive Board shall reflect a representation of the ethnic minority members at least proportional to the ethnic minority membership in the Association. Also, there shall be proportional representation of classroom teachers, ESP’s, and administrators. The total composition of the Executive Board shall reflect a proportional representation of ethnic minorities and administrators, as there are active members in the Association. If this representation is not reflected after a normal election process, additional representation shall be nominated and elected at large for a one (1) year term to fulfill this requirement.
SECTION 3.
Whenever a 2/3 majority of the Executive Board shall agree that an officer or Executive Board member has been grossly negligent of the duties defined in the Bylaws or is incapacitated, they may recommend to the Representative Assembly of the Association that the office be declared vacant. The officer concerned must have been given due notice of such an action and must have had an opportunity for a due process hearing before the Executive Board. In the case of an Executive Board member, if the Assembly so votes by a 2/3 majority, it shall immediately elect a replacement to fill the unexpired term.
SECTION 4.
If vacancies for elected positions on the Executive Board occur more than three (3) months prior to the next regular election, the
election committee shall conduct a special election for the position(s) within thirty (30) days. Persons so elected shall take office the day following the elections.
SECTION 5.
Under personnel policies adopted by the Representative Assembly and within the annual budget, the Executive Board shall have the power to employ a staff for the efficient management of the Association.
ARTICLE VI – REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY
SECTION 1.
The legislative and policy-forming body of the Association shall be the Representative Assembly.
SECTION 2.
The Representative Assembly shall consist of the Executive Board, and one or more representatives elected from each school faculty and the central administrative office as determined under the Bylaws, Article VI, Section 1. The election of delegates shall follow the same provisions for representation of ethnic minorities, classroom teachers, ESPs and administrators as provided in Article V, Section 2, of this Constitution.
SECTION 3.
Any member of the Association who is not a member of the Representative Assembly may attend its meetings and may receive permission to speak.
ARTICLE VII – AMENDMENTS
The membership may amend or repeal the Constitution by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of those voting, provided that this procedure is followed sequentially:
(1) that copies of the proposed amendments have been distributed and discussed at the regular meeting of the Representative Assembly; and
(2) that the Association Representative has presented and discussed the proposed amendments to the membership in each designated building prior to the vote; and
(3) that the vote shall take place within ten school days from the date that the report is made to the Representative Assembly.
All amendments shall take effect immediately following the vote at which they were ratified except when a different effective date
shall have been specified.
Adopted January 17, 1989
Amended March 9, 2009
