MONTVILLE TOWNSHIP EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, INC.

CONSTITUTION, BYLAWS AND POLICY

Revised 9/2008

ARTICLE I- NAME

The name by which this organization shall be known is the MONTVILLE TOWNSHIP EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, INC. It is incorporated as a non-profit corporation under Title 15, Section 1-12 of the Revised Statutes of the State of New Jersey.

ARTICLE II- PURPOSES

  1. To work for the welfare of the school children, the advancement of education, and the improvement of instructional opportunities for all.
  2. To develop and promote the adoption of such ethical practices, personnel policies and standards of preparation and participation as mark a professional.
  3. To develop and promote a continuing program to improve salaries, fringe benefits, working conditions and instruction through formal negotiations, being the exclusive representative, with the Montville Township Board of Education, and in compliance with the current contract and/or state statutes.
  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.
  5. To hold property and funds and to employ a staff for the attainment of these purposes.

ARTICLE III- MEMBERSHIP

Section 1: Active Members

  1. Active membership in the Association shall be open to all professional personnel employed in the schools of Montville Township who hold an earned bachelor’s, or higher, degree (or hold a regular vocational or technical certificate) and, where required, hold or are eligible to hold a regular legal certificate, and who agree to abide by the Code of Ethics of the education profession.
  2. Active membership shall be continuous until the member leaves the school district, resigns from the Association, or fails to pay their membership dues by October 15.
  3. Active members of the Association shall also be members of the National Education Association, the New Jersey Education Association and the Morris County Council of Education Associations.

Section 2: Retired Members

Teachers who have been active members in the Association shall receive lifetime membership upon their retirement.

ARTICLE IV- OFFICERS

Section 1: The officers of this Association shall consist of a President, 1st Vice President- Personnel, 2nd Vice President- Negotiations, Secretary, Negotiations Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Chairperson, Newsletter Editor/Web Manager, Public Relations Coordinator and Benefits Chairperson. The officers listed above shall be paid by the Association with Association funds. They shall be paid in two equal installments, on or about the fifteenth of November and May.

Section 2: The President shall preside at all General, Council and Executive meetings. He/she shall appoint chairpersons of all committees subject to the consent of the Council. The President and the committee chairperson shall sign all official correspondence pertaining to the Association. In the year following his/her term in office, he/she shall sit on the Council as Immediate Past President and shall be entitled to voting rights.

Section 3: The 1st Vice President shall assume the duties of the President in his/her absence. The 1st Vice President shall be in charge of all grievances and personnel matters.

Section 4: The 2nd Vice President shall assume all responsibilities involved in negotiations, including public relations.

Section 5: The Secretary shall have charge of the official correspondence of the Association and shall send out all notices to the members except those applying to negotiations. The Secretary shall be the custodian of all records and all public relations regarding general Association business with the exception of negotiations.

Section 6: The Negotiations Secretary shall be custodian of all records for negotiations, and shall record and transcribe the minutes of all negotiations sessions. The Negotiations Secretary shall be in charge of all correspondence relating to negotiations.

Section 7: The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all funds for the Association. He/she shall also be responsible for presenting a financial statement to the membership at the General and Council meetings. The Treasurer shall issue checks countersigned by the President for all authorized expenditures. In the event of an emergency, the Executive Board can empower the Treasurer to issue checks.

Section 8: The Membership Chairperson shall be in charge of the disbursement of membership forms, collecting dues, reporting of new members (including cash and APD), and sending them to Trenton for the purposes of handling and meeting payments of membership dues. The Membership Chairperson shall be responsible for maintaining a complete and up-to-date membership list that should be sent to the President and Treasurer monthly.

Section 9: The Public Relations Coordinator shall be concerned with the social well being of the Association. The Public Relations Coordinator shall strive to foster harmony, unity and goodwill among the members, and to help create these qualities between the membership and the administration through a variety of activities.

Section 10: The Benefits Chairperson shall be responsible for maintaining information on all types of benefits offered to the membership. This includes but is not limited to the following: Health, pension, retirement and all types of contributory insurance. The Benefits Chairperson shall be aware of the level of benefits currently offered in the surrounding school districts, and is expected to take an active role in negotiations.

Section 11: The Newsletter Editor/Web Manager shall be responsible for maintaining the montvillemtea.com website and disseminating the MTEA newsletter quarterly.

ARTICLE V- COUNCIL

Section 1: Said Council shall consist of the Executive Board and building representatives. Said Council shall transact and organize all business of the Association. Individual members shall be represented on the Council by their building representatives, the exception being matters pertaining to negotiations and election of officers, which must be acted upon at a General meeting called by the President.

The Council annually appoints a person to audit the books and records of the Association, and to report in writing the findings of such an audit.

The Council may authorize any expenditure up to two hundred dollars ($200), the exception being those costs necessary to maintain teachers’ rights and working conditions and other related conditions, the Council may authorize such costs up to fifteen hundred dollars ($1,500).

Section 2: The Executive Board shall be composed of the President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Secretary, Negotiations Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Chairperson, Public Relations Chairperson and Benefits Chairperson.

Section 3: There shall be one building representative for each ten (10) members of the Association. Their duties shall be to inform their individual members of the business of the Council and also to obtain written votes when necessary. Building representatives are required to hold at least two 10-minute meetings per month, one before the scheduled Council meeting to complete a needs assessment, and one after the Council meeting to disseminate information to their staff.

Section 4: Building representatives shall be elected within each building in June prior to the Council meeting of that month and shall serve a term of one year.

Section 5: The Council may remove the chairperson of any committee and/or building representative for lack of effective performance of duty.

ARTICLE VI- DUES

Section 1: Dues shall be paid no later than on October 15, or on the payroll deduction plan.

Section 2: Dues shall be collected by the building representatives and coordinated by the Membership Chairperson.

ARTICLE VII- MEETINGS

Section 1: Regular meetings of the Council shall be held on the second Tuesday of each month, unless the district calendar of events necessitates a change in the MTEA meeting schedule, and shall be open to the general membership. Any member who is not a member of the Council may attend its meetings and may receive permission to speak.

Section 2: General meetings of the Association shall be held in September and May, and whenever necessary for matters pertaining to negotiations or other important matters.

Section 3: The President may call special meetings at any time.

Section 4: Special meetings may be called by petition of one half of the membership of the Association.

ARTICLE VIII- NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

Section 1: A nominations-election committee shall be formed. The nominations-election committee shall consist of up to: 4 members from the High School, 2 members from LazarMiddle School, and one member from each elementary school, appointed by the President.

Section 2: Said committee shall be formed in February and will provide the President with minutes from their first meeting by March 10.

Section 3: Voting for the election of officers shall take place on the first Tuesday in May. The nominations-election committee will develop the ballot for the election and samples of said ballot will be presented to the membership no later than two weeks preceding the election. Voting will take place on site in each building and will commence 15 minutes after the dismissal time of the school and continue for one hour. The election will be under the supervision of the nominations-election committee.

Write-ins shall be allowed and provision for same provided on ballots. Absentee ballots shall be available to any MTEA member who has advanced notice of an absence from school on the second Tuesday in May, for any reason, or has a personal commitment immediately after school, or has a club/coaching conflict, etc., thus preventing the member from voting during the regularly scheduled election times. Applications, available through the Association Representatives, must be made to the Nominating Committee Chairperson at least one week prior to Election Day. The absentee voter will be sent a special ballot and is responsible for returning the absentee ballot to the Nominating Committee Chairperson prior to Election Day. In matters not specifically covered by this article, Robert’s Rules of Order Revised shall prevail.

Section 4: Officers shall hold office for one year.

Section 5: Officers elected in the May election shall assume office at the May General meeting. They shall have as their advisers, until the end of the school year, the entire slate of outgoing officers.

Section 6: An elected officer may be removed from office for non-performance of duty by a fifty-one percent (51%) vote of the total membership of the Association.

Section 7: The Association shall conduct an election of four teachers to a Professional Development committee as required by the New Jersey Administrative Code. This election shall be conducted among the instructional staff of the MontvilleTownship school district for which the Association is a majority representative.

The election procedure shall provide for open nominations and secret ballot. A majority vote shall be required for election.

Terms of office shall be for three years; however, in order to stagger them, in the first year that elections are held, two terms shall be for two years and two terms shall be for three years. Terms shall commence September 1 following election and shall expire August 31 of the appropriate year.

In order that these persons elected may take office September 1, the Association shall establish an elections calendar and procedures, which will provide for the proper conduct and completion of the elections, including possible runoff balloting, by the conclusion of the school year. Vacancies shall be filled by election to the un-expired terms.

ARTICLE IX- VACANCIES

Section 1: With the exception of the Presidency, the Council shall have the power to fill a vacancy on the Executive Board.

Section 2: In the event the Presidency becomes vacant, the 1st Vice President will automatically assume the duties of the President, and the Council shall have the power to fill the vacancy of the 1st Vice President.

ARTICLE X- AMENDMENTS

Section 1: The Constitution may be amended by a vote of fifty-one percent (51%) of the total membership, or by fifty-one percent (51%) of those members present at the September or May General meetings.

Section 2: The proposed amendment shall be presented to the membership in writing at least five (5) days prior to the time said amendment shall be voted on.

ARTICLE XI- PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

Section 1: The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order Revised shall govern the Association in all cases of which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the Constitution and Bylaws.

Section 2: A Parliamentarian shall be appointed each year by the Executive Board. He/she shall attend all General and Council meetings.

ARTICLE XII

Changes in salaries of all officers must be by a majority vote at a General Membership meeting.

ARTICLE XIII

Officers of the Association will distribute to the membership a complete list of changes (including salary guides) in the Master Contract with the Board of Education no later than forty-eight (48) hours prior to a meeting for a ratification vote on said contract.

BYLAWS

  1. DUES: Active membership dues shall be one hundred and five dollars ($105) per year.
  2. FISCAL YEAR: The fiscal year of the Montville Township Education Association shall begin on September 1 and end on August 31.
  3. FACULTY REP COUNCIL:
  4. The secretary shall make a record of all meetings with copies sent to all members.
  5. Faculty reps shall be responsible for all duties decided upon by the Council.
  6. A faculty rep missing a Council meeting shall be responsible for sending an alternate.
  7. Faculty reps missing three (3) consecutive meetings without reason shall be replaced by another faculty rep.
  8. It shall be the responsibility of the faculty rep(s) to handle and attempt to resolve minor problems on the building level. It is the responsibility of the faculty rep(s) to provide representation for any member upon request. If the problem cannot be resolved at the building level, it is the faculty rep’s responsibility to bring the problem to the 1st Vice President in charge of grievances.
  1. STANDING COMMITTEES: The standing committees for the Montville Township Education Association shall be: Budget, Constitution Review, Newsletter, Instructional and Professional Development, Legislation, Negotiations Team, Personnel, Nominations, and Scholarship.

Committee chair people shall submit an annual report of the proceedings of their committee, which shall be filed with the secretary of the MTEA by the May General meeting. All committees shall report to the Council.

  1. BUDGET COMMITTEE shall consist of at least one member from each school plus the treasurer. With the advice of the officers, said committee shall propose to the Council a budget for the MTEA at the September General meeting.
  2. CONSTITUTION REVIEW COMMITTEE shall consist of at least one member from each school. The committee shall review and make recommendations to the Council concerning any proposed amendments to the Constitution or Bylaws.
  3. NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE shall publish quarterly issues of the MTEA newsletter, within the framework of policy of the Constitution. The newsletter shall be sent to each member of the MTEA.
  4. INSTRUCTIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE shall keep the membership informed of educational programs and problems, teacher certification, professional standards and developments. Said committee shall be responsible for setting up and running in-service workshops for the membership.
  5. LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE shall have broad concern for local, state and national legislation affecting the interest of schools, teachers and the Association. It shall encourage members to exercise their civil and political rights and keep them informed about new legislation through the MTEA Legislative Bulletin.
  6. NEGOTIATION TEAM shall consist of the President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Negotiations Secretary and any other person(s) necessary to ensure representation of all Association members. The team shall negotiate with the Board of Education on hours, wages and working conditions, including the instructional program for all personnel in the negotiating unit. With the aid of appropriate standing committees, it shall prepare negotiation proposals to be approved by the Council prior to being placed before the Board of Education. Upon reaching a tentative agreement with the Board of Education on all matters in negotiations, the team shall prepare and submit its report and recommendations to the members of the Association in the negotiating unit at a meeting for ratification.
  7. GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE The chairperson shall be the 1st Vice President. Members shall be appointed by the chairperson. Duties and responsibilities shall be to enforce those as outlined in the negotiated grievance procedure.
  8. NOMINATIONS AND ELECTION COMMITTEE shall be formed and its duties

fulfilled as stated in the Constitution.

  1. SALARIES: The officers’ salaries shall be as follows: President- $6050; 1st Vice President- $3300; 2nd Vice President in negotiation years- $4070 (pro-rated if negotiations extends into the following year at 1/12th salary per month), in non-negotiating years- $1320; Treasurer- $5060; Secretary- $2200; Negotiations Secretary in negotiation years- $3080 (pro-rated if negotiations extends into the following year at 1/12th salary per month), in non-negotiating years- $935; Membership Chairperson- $1650; Newsletter Editor/Web Manager- $1320; Public Relations Coordinator- $2200; Benefits Chairperson- $1100.
  2. In each school an Association Representative shall be designated as chief representative for that building. In schools having more than one A.R., the Association members of that school shall elect the chief representative. The chief representative shall supervise and coordinate Association matters in his/her school.
  3. AMENDMENTS: The bylaws may be amended by a majority vote at any Council meeting, provided that the officers have previously studied the proposed amendments and copies have been sent to all faculty reps two (2) calendar weeks prior to the meeting.

Revised September 2004

Revised June 2007

Revised September 2008

POLICIES

  1. The President of the Association shall appoint the representatives of the Association to the Governor’s Teacher Recognition Program Selection panel.
  2. The Association or officers will not be signatories to termination contracts of any employee. It is a matter to be worked out between the Montville Township Board of Education and the employee.
  3. Any memorandum of agreement on a master contract must be signed by the President and both Vice Presidents of the MTEA, otherwise it will not be considered valid or binding.
  4. The Association will not endorse or recommend any particular annuity plan(s).
  5. Association representatives will accept checks only for payment made to the Association for social affairs or any other purpose.
  6. Communications through the regular Association channels must have the approval of the President and be reviewed by the Secretary. Items rejected for distribution shall be submitted to the Executive Board. Excepted in this policy is MTEA election campaign literature.

MONTVILLETOWNSHIP EDUCATION ASSOCIATION