Standing Rules of the Fairfield-Suisun Unified Teachers’ Association

I. Name and Affiliation

1. Copies of the governance documents and record of proceedings (Minutes) of the governance bodies shall be readily available to members at the organization's principal office of business. Copies of the governance documents shall be furnished to each Faculty Representative at the start of each membership year.

II. Purpose

III. Members

IV. Officers

1. The President shall:

a. Call meetings of the Association and the Executive Board;

b. Suggest policies, plans and activities for the Association and be held responsible for the progress and work of the Association;

c. Attend meetings of the Service Center Council of which the Association is a part;

d. Attend other CTA/NEA meetings as directed by the Representative Council;

e. Attend all public meetings of the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District School Board or shall assign a designee to attend in his/her stead; and

f. Be familiar with the governance documents of the Association, CTA, and NEA.

2. The Vice President shall:

a. Formulate and distribute the Association's calendar of activities.

3. The Recording Secretary shall:

a. Maintain audio records of the proceedings of each meeting, regular or special of the Association, Representative Council, and the Executive Board; and

b. Distribute the minutes for all meetings to members of the Representative Council, Executive Board, and to the membership when appropriate.

4. The Corresponding Secretary shall:

a. Distribute notices of meetings and agendas for all meetings to members of the Representative Council, Executive Board, and to the membership when appropriate.

5. The Treasurer shall:

a. Every quarter prepare a written financial report for the Representative Council and Executive Board.

V. Meetings

1. General Membership

a. A vote to ratify contract provisions shall be held at a high school site, a middle school site, and an elementary school site on separate days as directed by the Executive Board.

2. Representative Council

a. Elections of the faculty group site representative(s) and alternates for the ensuing school year shall be held in April / May of each year.

b. Members of the Representative Council shall serve a term of one (1) year from June 1 to May 31 of the following year.

c. Special meetings of the Representative Council shall be called for a specific purpose and no business other than that for which the meeting is called may be transacted.

3. Authority

a. The Representative Council shall adopt the annual budget of the Association on or before the first meeting of the school year;

b. The Representative Council shall meet at least eleven (11) times during each year; the number, place, and time of meetings to be decided by the Executive Board.

c. Notices and agenda for all meetings of the Representative Council shall be sent to all members of the Representative Council at least two days before the date of the meeting.

VI. Executive Board

1. Composition

a. The at‑large members of the Executive Board shall be elected for a term of two (2) years, commencing on June 1 of any calendar year. One-half (½) of the Directors‑at‑large shall be elected in a general election in April of each odd-numbered year and shall take office on June 1 following their election. The remaining Directors‑at‑large shall be elected in a general election in April of each even‑numbered year and shall take office on June 1 following their election.

2. Authority

a. The Executive Board may spend unbudgeted funds to a limit of $2,500 per project.

3. Meetings

a. The Executive Board shall meet at least eleven (11) times during each year and at such other times as the President may deem necessary, or upon written petition to the President by a majority of the members of the Executive Board.

VII. Committees

1. Standing

a. Bargaining

(1) Employees in the bargaining unit shall be surveyed to determine contents of the contract proposal.

b. Budget

(1) Adoption and Annual Budget. The preliminary annual budget shall be submitted to the Representative Council by action of the Executive Board at the regular meeting prior to the May Representative Council meeting, and shall include the recommended dues level needed to fund the budget. Final refinement and adoption shall be the responsibility of the Council at the time of its May meeting. Changes in category amounts not to exceed ten percent (10%) of the total for the given category may thereafter be made during the fiscal year by action of the Executive Board; changes in excess of this percentage shall be made only with the approval of the Representative Council.

VIII. Elections

1. Special Elections. Special elections for NEA Delegate(s), CTA State Council Representative(s) , and any others deemed necessary by the President, shall be conducted according to appropriate calendar deadlines, as determined by NEA guidelines, CTA guidelines, or in the case of local special elections, by the President. All active Association members shall be eligible to vote in such elections.

2. Special Bargaining Unit Election. Teacher members of the Mentor Selection Committee shall be elected in an election conducted by the Association in May of each year. All bargaining unit members are eligible to vote in this election. Six (6) teacher members shall sit on the committee. Two (2) committee members shall be elected each year, each for a term of three (3) years. Vacancies shall be filled by special election for the balance of that member's term.

3. Procedures

a. Notification of offices open for election, nomination procedures, and election timelines shall be distributed to all members and posted in all customary and appropriate locations.

(1) Any Active member, at his/her request, shall have his/her name placed in nomination for an office of the Association.

(2) The name of any Active member may be placed in nomination by any other member, with the consent of the nominee.

b. For general elections, names shall be placed in nomination from the floor of the Representative Council [by either method 3.a.(1) or 3.a.(2) above]. Nominations will be opened at the March Representative Council meeting and will be closed at the April Representative Council meeting.

c. For special elections, nominations will be received by the Election Committee Chair for placement on the ballot if he/she determines that qualifications for the given position have been met.

d. All elections will be conducted by secret ballot and a majority vote of all ballots cast shall be required to decide all issues and offices unless a higher percentage is otherwise specifically provided for in the governance documents. When necessary in elections for offices, runoff elections shall be held between the two candidates receiving the most votes on the first ballot.

e. The President or designee shall provide verified notification of election results to all candidates in contested general elections. Notification shall occur within twenty-four (24) hours of the tallying of the vote.

IX. Parliamentary Authority

1. A Parliamentarian shall be selected by the President and approved by the Representative Council for the work year at the first regular meeting of the Representative Council.

a. The Parliamentarian shall provide service at all general meetings of the Association and of the Representative Council for the ensuing work year.

b. By a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Representative Council, a Parliamentarian may be replaced by an alternative that shall serve the remainder of the term or until replaced.

c. In the absence of the Parliamentarian, the President shall appoint a temporary Parliamentarian for the duration of a meeting.

X. Amendments