Bylaws of the Teacher Education Division (TED) of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers

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Article I: Mission

Teacher Education (TED), a Division within the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, Inc. (NAGT), is committed to the recognition and critical importance of promoting and sustaining quality preparation of Earth Science teachers. Based upon science education research and best practices in geoscience teaching, TED members strive to improve teacher education in a diverse range of settings including higher education, K-12, professional development, and informal learning environments.

 

To achieve this mission, TED:

  • Provides a forum for exchanging ideas, concerns, resources, and information about the role of geoscience in teacher education;
  • Develops a network of full-time, part-time, and adjunct faculty, and other education professionals to improve geoscience instruction for teachers and teacher education;
  • Makes recommendations to the NAGT Council and membership on activities of special interest and benefit to geoscience faculty, staff, administrators, and students who work with K-12 teachers;
  • Shares and disseminates curricular and pedagogical strategies that will produce successful geoscience teachers;
  • Collaborates in and supports research in geoscience teacher education

Article II: Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the Division shall extend from September 1 to August 31.

Article III: Governance

A. The Division shall be governed by an Executive Board consisting of officers elected by the Division membership, chairs of standing or ad hoc committees, and ex officio representatives of organizations that share missions or purposes well-aligned to those of the Division.

 

  1. The elected officers shall include the President, Vice-President, Past President, Secretary/Treasurer, and Media Director.
     
  2. Ex officio members will be invited to join the Executive Board by majority vote of the elected officers and may include a representative from the GSA Geoscience Education Division, AGU Education and Outreach, NSTA teacher preparation, NESTA, or similar organizations.
  3. Only elected officers will have full voting privileges.

B. The one-year terms of the Division Vice-President, President, and Past President shall be consecutive, pending results of the election. At the end of his or her term, the Vice-President will be nominated by the Nominations Committee for the office of President, and the President will be nominated by the Nominations Committee for the office of Past President.

 

C. The other Division officers shall serve three-year terms except as noted below.

  1. The terms for any office with a term longer than one year shall be staggered to minimize the number of vacancies in any given election.
     
  2. The term beginning in 2014 for Media Director will be a two year term with all subsequent terms for Media Director being three years in length.
     

D. In the event that an officer must step down before then end of her or his term, the executive board may appoint a current member of TED to fulfill the remainder of the vacated term.

E. Any officer unable to attend more than two consecutive meetings of the Executive Board, or incapable of participation in Executive Board activities for 3 or more consecutive months, may be asked by the Past President to step down for the remainder of the fiscal year. Any officer asked to step down may run again for election to the Executive Board after one fiscal year has passed.

F. A quorum of the Executive Board may bar a candidate from running for election if just cause is brought forward. Serious or continued violation of these By-Laws may be considered just cause.

Article IV: Officers and Responsibilities

A. Responsibilities of the President

  1. Leadership
    1. Provide overall leadership of the Division
    2. Represent the Division and the interests of geoscience teacher education on the NAGT Council
    3. Recruit Division members to serve as liaisons with education groups in external professional organizations, such as the Geological Society of America (GSA) and the American Geophysical Union (AGU)
    4. Coordinate Division activities within the NAGT and with liaisons to external organizations
    5. Communicate regularly with a liaison on the NAGT Executive Committee
  2. Communications
    1. Collaborate with the Media Director in maintaining a tone for Division communications that is aligned with Article I
    2. Contribute a regular communication to members as directed by the Executive Board
  3. Meetings
    1. Prepare and distribute agendas, and preside at meetings of the Division and Executive Board; if unable to attend, then with sufficient advance notice, designate the Vice-President or Past President to provide agendas and meeting facilitation
    2. Ensure that minutes of previous meetings are distributed by the Secretary/Treasurer within one (1) month after each meeting
    3. Attend all meetings of the NAGT Council or, if unable to attend, designate an alternate to represent the Division
  4. Finances
    1. Approve expenditures up to $500 total per year that are not a part of the yearly budget but align with established expense policies and are in line with the current budget. Larger amounts must be approved by the Executive Board.
    2. The President shall appoint two (2) members of the Division to audit the financial records of the Division at the end of the term of the Secretary/Treasurer. The auditors shall report the results of their audit to the Executive Board.
  5. Administration
    1. File an annual Division report with the NAGT Executive Director
    2. Provide the Vice-President and Past President with copies of all significant business communications

B. Responsibilities of the Vice-President

  1. In the absence of the President, preside at meetings of the Division and the Executive Board
     
  2. Chair the Long-Range Planning Committee
     
  3. Coordinate with the Media Director to recruit and maintain contact with Sustaining Members
     
  4. Recruit Division members to serve as liaisons to NAGT Sections
     
  5. Coordinate Division activities with NAGT Section liaisons and report on NAGT Section teacher education activities to the Executive Board
     
  6. Assume other duties as requested by the President
     

C. Responsibilities of the Past President

  1. In the absence of both the President and Vice-President, preside at meetings of the Division and the Executive Board
  2. Assume the duties of the President or Vice-President for the remainder of the term, should the officer resign, become incapacitated or otherwise be unable to fulfill assigned responsibilities
  3. Chair the Nominations and Elections Committee, which is responsible for annual nomination of officers. The Past President shall insure that all candidates and the Executive Board are informed of the results of the election
  4. Maintain the archive of important documents and records for the Division. This shall include, but not be limited to, annual lists of section officers and award recipients, meeting times and locations, programs of sponsored activities and meeting sessions, copies of newsletters, meeting minutes, publications, and workshop materials, and photographs of Division events and sponsored activities
  5. Coordinate with members of the Executive Board to ensure that important communications, documents, photographs, and records are retained for the archives
     
  6. Coordinate with the NAGT national office to:
    1. Store copies or originals of archival materials in a safe and secure location
    2. Maintain an accurate and current list of all members of the Division

D. Responsibilities of the Secretary/Treasurer

  1. Act as recording secretary for meetings of the Division and Executive Board
  2. Submit minutes of Division and Board meetings to the President within one (1) month following the meeting
  3. Maintain accurate records of all aspects of the Division finances including the Division budget
  4. Receive and promptly deposit funds in checking and savings accounts as appropriate and manage them in accordance with guidance from the Executive Board
  5. Disburse funds to pay for budgeted expenditures incurred in the normal activities of the Division. If funds are requested for expenditures that are not a part of the yearly budget, the President may approve amounts up to $500 total per year. The Executive Board must approve amounts above $500 total.
  6. Produce the Treasurer's Report at the end of the fiscal year and submit this report to the President for inclusion in the agenda of the next Executive Board meeting
  7. File an annual Division financial report with the NAGT Executive Director
  8. Upon completion of the term in office:
    1. Provide copies of all financial records to auditors appointed by the President
    2. Transfer all Division funds and financial records to the incoming Secretary/Treasurer
    3. Provide the incoming Secretary/Treasurer with support and job training as needed

E. Responsibilities of the Media Director

  1. Oversee communications and publicity for the Division, including
    1. Develop and maintain a Division website
    2. Maintain and oversee a Division listserv or equivalent mailing list of current membership
    3. Develop and maintain a Division presence on appropriate social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)
    4. Prepare and produce regular communications to members (e.g., electronic newsletter or other postings) as directed by the Executive Board
  2. Work with the Executive Board to establish a tone for all communications that is aligned with Article I
  3. Communicate information through all media outlets about Division and member activities, as well as information from other groups relevant to teacher education, to Division members in order to support the community of teacher education professionals within the geosciences
  4. Communicate information through all media outlets about Division and member activities to external groups, including NAGT, other geoscience professional societies, and other organizations relevant to teacher education in order to promote the activities of the Division
  5. Provide the incoming Media Director with:
    1. Copies of all business correspondence that were sent or received during their term in office
    2. Copies of all files, records, and other information relating to electronic media
    3. Support and job training as needed

Article V: Membership

 

The categories of membership are as follows:

A. Regular membership - Any Active Member of NAGT who is interested in geoscience teacher education or who shares instructional or programmatic challenges with geoscience teacher educators. A regular member of the Division may vote, hold office, nominate candidates for office, and serve on committees.

 

B. Student membership - Any Student Member of NAGT who is interested in geoscience teacher education. Student members may attend regular meetings and serve on committees.

 

C. Honorary membership - A candidate for honorary membership shall be a long-standing member of the Division or a distinguished individual whom the Division wishes to honor. A nomination for honorary membership may be made by any member and shall be awarded by a unanimous vote of the Executive Board. Honorary members shall have all rights and privileges accorded regular members.

 

D. Sustaining membership - A candidate for sustaining membership shall be a college, university, learning center, publisher, retailer, manufacturer, or similar entity that supports the mission of the Division. Sustaining members shall have rights and privileges accorded by the Executive Board.

 

E. Adjunct membership – Any Adjunct Member of NAGT who is interested in geoscience teacher education or who shares instructional or programmatic challenges with geoscience teacher educators. An adjunct member of the Division may vote, hold office, nominate candidates for office, and serve on committees.

 

F. Retired membership – Any Retired Member of NAGT who is interested in geoscience teacher education or who shares instructional or programmatic challenges with geoscience teacher educators. A retired member of the Division may vote, hold office, nominate candidates for office, and serve on committees

 

 

Article VI: Dues

 

The dues of the Division shall be established by Executive Board action, according to the needs of the Division, with appropriate notice to be published in the Division Newsletter. Dues are to be paid by December 31 and cover the succeeding year; they shall become delinquent on January 1 with suspension of privileges in the Division. All members of the Division shall pay the annual dues using procedures approved by the Executive Board.

 

 

Article VII: Standing Committees

 

A.Nominations and Elections Committee : This committee shall be chaired by the current Past President and consist of the two immediate Past Presidents of the Division, if available. The President shall appoint a long-standing Division member to substitute for any Past President that is unavailable to serve. This committee shall solicit nominations for positions on the Executive Board and shall oversee the annual election of officers. Elections shall be held annually by ballot or secure website. At least sixty (60) days prior to the beginning of the election, the Nominations Committee shall present to the President a list of nominations to be sent to the membership of the Division. The ballots shall indicate at least one nomination for President, Vice-President, and Past President, and nominations for the Secretary/Treasurer, and Media Director at the completion of each position's three year term. Nominees for the Past President, President, and Vice-President shall either be currently employed as a geoscience teacher educator, or have had experience teaching pre-service or in-service teachers. There shall be write-in privileges for all offices. The Committee Chair shall serve as teller and report the election results to the Division.

 

B.Long-Range Planning Committee : This committee, chaired by the Vice-President, shall develop and identify resources to achieve the Division mission as specified in Article I. This shall include identifying and soliciting potential sustaining members.

 

C.Conference Committee : This committee shall organize collaborative activities at existing meetings and conferences, such as those of the GSA, the AGU, and NAGT sections.

 

D.Ad Hoc Committees : The Executive Board shall establish such Ad Hoc Committees, and appoint their Chair, as may be in the interests of the Division. The specific purpose, number of members, and terms of office shall be specified at the time of the creation of the Ad Hoc Committee. Such stated conditions may be altered only by direct action of the Executive Board.

 

 

Article VIII: Quorum

 

The number of Executive Board members necessary for a quorum to conduct a meeting of the Executive Board shall be sixty (60) percent of all officers.

 

 

Article IX: Conflict of Interest

 

All Board and Committee members, including the President, shall abstain from any decisions that may result in a conflict of interest, financial or otherwise, on the part of that individual.

 

 

Article X: Amending the Bylaws

 

The Executive Board shall establish such amendments to the Bylaws as may be needed to accomplish the mission set forth in Article I. Members shall be notified at least sixty (60) days in advance of a proposed amendment to the Bylaws, and notified within thirty (30) days after an amendment has been adopted by the Executive Board. At least two thirds of the Board members must approve an amendment before it is adopted. An amendment to the Bylaws shall go into effect ninety (90) days after adoption unless the President receives written objections from a quorum of twenty (20) percent of the voting membership of the Division. If a quorum objects in writing to an amendment, then that amendment shall be held in abeyance until the next annual election of officers, at which time a majority vote of the eligible members shall be required for its adoption and for it to become immediately operational.

Adopted by the vote of the Executive Board on ________________.

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