Bylaws

Article 1 – Articles of Incorporation, Name, and IRS Status

This association is incorporated and shall remain incorporated under the laws of the State of Louisiana as a not-for-profit organization whose name is the Association for Gifted and Talented Students in Louisiana. It shall also be known as AGTS Louisiana. AGTS Louisiana shall maintain its exemption from Federal Income Tax under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code as granted in the IRS letter of February 28, 1978.

AGTS Louisiana is an autonomous state association that shall be affiliated with the National Association for Gifted Children. AGTS Louisiana may enter into partnerships, cooperative endeavors, and association with other groups for the benefit of its members and gifted, talented, and high-potential children.

Article 2- Purpose

AGTS Louisiana was organized for the purpose of establishing gifted and talented education in the State of Louisiana. ATGS Louisiana will serve as a resource in support of those individuals who advocate for and support education for gifted, talented, and high potential students throughout the state. That purpose shall be maintained with these objectives:

Provide Leadership: Organize advocates, inform and guide decision-makers, and coordinate networking efforts between stakeholders in support of gifted, talented, and high potential students

throughout the State of Louisiana.
Advocate: Advocate for gifted, talented, and high potential students’ needs before lawmakers, policymakers, and education administrators at the national, state, and local levels.
Educate: Provide resources, seminars and/or professional development for educators, administrators, college and university professors, community members, and parents of gifted, talented, and high potential students.
Network: Provide a forum to assist parents, educators, coordinators, and community members to collaborate, plan, and support the development of chapters of advocates throughout the state.

Article 3- Organizational Structure

AGTS Louisiana shall be a statewide organization of individual members organized within chapters and governed by elected officers and appointed officers, serving on the Board of Directors.

There shall be two categories of chapters: regional chapters and one statewide at-large chapter.
1. Regional Chapters
  
  There shall be one chapter per each of the seven regions of the state of Louisiana.
  1. Southeast Region 1 shall consist of members who teach or reside in the parishes of Ascension, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, and Terrebonne.
  2. Capital Region 2 shall consist of members who teach or reside in the parishes of East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Livingston, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, and West Feliciana.
  3. Southwest Region 3 shall consist of members who teach or reside in the parishes of Allen, Acadia, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Evangeline, Jefferson Davis and Vermillion.
  4. South Central Region 4 shall consist of members who teach or reside in the parishes of Assumption, Lafayette, Pointe Coupee, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, Iberia, Iberville, and West Baton Rouge.
  5. Central Region 5 shall consist of members who teach or reside in the parishes of Avoyelles, Catahoula, Caldwell, Concordia, Grant, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Vernon, and Winn.
  6. Northeast Region 6 shall consist of members who teach or reside in the parishes of Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, DeSoto, Jackson, Lincoln, Red River, Sabine, and Webster.
  7. Northwest Region 7 shall consist of members who teach or reside in the parishes of East Carroll, Franklin, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Richland, Tensas, Union, and West Carroll.
  8. Charter schools shall be part of the region in which they are located.
2. At-Large Chapter
  
  a. There shall be one statewide At-Large Chapter for the purpose of serving those members who reside in a school district for which no chapter is operational or who resides outside the State of Louisiana.
  
  b. There shall be one statewide chapter for charter schools.
Each Chapter shall be established for a probationary one-year by the Board of Directors who shall have oversight of its operations.
Once the Chapter completes the probationary year and membership reaches 35 members, that chapter shall be established and from that point forward that chapter shall receive 33% of the collected dues.
Annually each chapter must present a report of the chapter’s finances and activities to the board.
Chapters shall be governed autonomously by their members according to their own by-laws approved by the AGTSLA Board of Directors.
Chapters shall have representation on the Board of Directors.
The administrative and fiscal year shall be January 1 thru December 31.

Article 4- Membership

Membership in AGTS Louisiana is available to any adult who completes and submits to the organization the application with the annual dues. The Vice President for Membership will accept the application if the applicant meets the criteria for membership and is in good standing. If approved, the applicant shall have full membership rights immediately. To retain membership, one must pay the annual dues no later than the anniversary date of the original membership.

Parents/Guardians in a single home may hold a membership jointly.
Membership in a chapter may be granted by the membership of a particular chapter in accord with their membership requirements.
Individuals who are Lifetime Members on June 30, 2007, shall retain that membership status. No new Lifetime memberships shall be granted after July 1, 2007.
Honorary membership may be granted to an individual by the Board of Directors. Honorary membership carries no voting rights or financial obligations and must be renewed annually by the Board.
All members may attend the 2nd and 4th quarterly Board of Directors’ meetings and may participate in the discussion. The Voting Board consists of Appointed Officers, Chapter Representatives, Elected Board, and Committee Chairs.

Article 5- Board of Directors

AGTS Louisiana shall be governed by a self-perpetuating Board of Directors who will serve a term of two years. Each elected person shall serve no more than two consecutive terms in the same position. The Board of Directors shall consist of the following.

The Board of Directors shall consist of no more than eighteen members who may serve as an elected officer or appointed Vice Presidents of the association and ex-officio members.
At a minimum, the association shall host six meetings each year.
1. Open meetings shall happen bi-annually with attendance by all elected and appointed Board Members, Members at Large, and Association members.
2. Working meetings shall occur bi-annually with attendance by all elected and appointed Board Members.
3. Additionally, the elected Board shall meet bi-annually.
Twenty-five percent of the members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum. Voting decisions will require all Board Members to vote, in person, via text or email. A three-week notice of a regular meeting shall be given.
Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by the President or by written request to the President by one of the members of the Board of Directors. A two-week notice of a special meeting shall be given.
Emergency meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by the President with a two-day notice.
A Board of Directors member may be removed after one year by a majority vote for failure to attend Board of Director meetings, failure to perform the duties of the office, or cause harm to the purpose of the association.
The Board of Directors shall adopt a budget at the beginning of a fiscal year which runs from January 1 to December 31.
Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of all meetings and the authority of the officers and members of the Board unless specified differently.

Article 6- Officers

AGTS Louisiana shall be managed by four elected officers, seven Regional Representatives, two at large members, and five appointed vice-presidents.

Elected officers shall be the President, Secretary, Treasurer, and President-Elect. Except for the President-Elect, officers shall serve a two-year term from February 1 through January 31 of even-numbered years. The President-Elect shall assume office on February 1 of odd-numbered years. These officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the membership.
Elected Officers shall be nominated by an ad hoc committee consisting of at least three members of the association, appointed by the President. The immediate past president shall serve as chairperson of the ad hoc nominating committee and shall submit a recommendation of elected officers to the Board of Directors at least 60 days before the end of the term. An election may be conducted by an electronic ballot emailed to current members.
In the event the Board fails to hold an election, the current officers shall continue in office as the Acting Officer until a successor is elected.
Appointed officers shall be the Vice-President for Advocacy, Vice-President for Communications, Vice-President for Education Services, Vice-President for Membership, the Vice-President for Chapter Services, Vice-President for Region 1 Southeast, Vice-President for Region 2 Capital, Vice-President for Region 3 Southwest, Vice-President for Region 4 South Central, Vice-President for Region 5 Central, Vice-President for Region 6 Northwest, and Vice-President for Region 7 Northeast, and Vice-President for At-Large Chapters. In addition, there shall be two Members-at-Large.
Vice-Presidents shall be nominated by the President with the majority consent of the elected officers and shall take effect immediately. All Vice-Presidents serve at the pleasure of the President who at any time may recommend a replacement to the elected officers. The majority of the members of the elected officers must concur with the President’s recommendation for a replacement to take place. Vice-Presidents are entitled to membership on the Board of Directors as part of their appointment.
All elected and appointed officers must be a member of AGTS Louisiana in good standing for a full one year before their nomination for office unless waived by a two-thirds vote of the elected officers.
A vacancy in the office of Secretary or Treasurer shall be filled temporarily by presidential appointment and for the remainder of the term and approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
The President shall:
- Preside over the association board meetings, or arrange for a proxy;
- Plan quarterly meetings including preparing an agenda in conjunction with the secretary;
- Call special meetings of the Board of Directors or any of its committees as deemed necessary;
- Establish necessary ad hoc committees to perform other such duties as needed by the Board of Directors and/or President;
- Define the duties of Standing Committees and Ad-hoc Committees;
- Present standing committee chair appointments to the Board of Directors for majority approval;
- Create a position and fill said position with majority board approval;
- Be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee;
- Ensure the Board of Directors follows all bylaws;
- Attend monthly NAGC Affiliate Meetings or assign a proxy;
- Create and distribute the Annual Report;
- Represent and speak for the Association on matters of policy or assign responsibility for such functions;
- Represent the AGTSLA by serving on the LSMSA Board;
- Perform other duties that may be needed for the Association;
The Secretary shall:
- Record and maintain the minutes of meetings of the Board of Directors;
- Establish the presence of a quorum and ensure the accuracy of the Board’s documents;
- Provide a copy of the minutes to all members of the Board of Directors within two weeks;
- Monitor the maintenance and safekeeping of the Board’s documents and records;
- Receive and file copies of documents (minutes from Board and Committee meetings, VP reports, and any official Board of Directors communications);
- Be the successor to the President, if the President resigns or can no longer carry on the duties of President;
- Perform other such duties as may be authorized by the Board of Directors and/or the President;
The Treasurer shall:
- Chair the Finance Committee;
- Be entrusted with the collection and safekeeping of the funds of the Association including membership dues;
- Be authorized as the designee to draw funds from the Association and make payment for debts;
- Work with Vice President of Membership to reconcile dues paid with the membership roster monthly;
- File appropriate documents with the state and federal government on behalf of the Association;
- File form 990 with the IRS (filed after February 28)
- Annual financial report with state filed between October 6 and November 5
- NAGC annual membership, due January 1;
- Report to the association at the elected officers’ meeting and the working meetings.
- Compile the Association’s annual financial report and present it to the board at the first meeting of the year.
- Perform other duties as assigned by the Board of Directors or President;
The President-Elect shall:
- Succeed to the President at the conclusion of the President’s term of office;
- Work closely with the current President to learn the duties of the presidency;
- Monitor public relations initiatives;
- Act as presiding officer in the absence of the President;
- Monitor and report to the board the actions of all Standing Committees;
- Perform other duties that may be assigned by the Board or President;The President-Elect shall:
The Vice President of Advocacy shall:
- Act as a public advocate;
- Track policies at the state and national level and notify the Board of Directors of such initiatives;
- Coordinate the public relations needs of the Association;
- Represent the Association’s needs to the legislature, colleges, universities, and the Louisiana BESE board;
- Sponsor a conference breakout session;
- Provide newsletter articles and social media posts related to advocacy in gifted education;
- Submit an annual report;
- Perform other duties that may be assigned by the Board or President;
The Vice President of Communications shall:
- Act as chair of the Communication Committee;
- Be responsible for communicating through print and electronic media such as the website and social media regarding the activities of the Association to the community;
- Compile a quarterly newsletter;
- Oversee awards process for published materials in the field of gifted education and member/student competitions.
- Submit an annual report;
- Perform other duties that may be assigned by the Board or President;
The Vice President of Membership shall:
- Chair the Membership Committee;
- Maintain a list of all current members and use this list for checks and balances, and upkeep
- Make recommendations to the board for increasing membership and oversee/implement initiatives
- Submit an annual report to the president;
- Perform other duties as assigned by the Board or President;
The Vice President of Chapter Services shall:
- Assist Chapters in developing or adopting bylaws.
- Meet at least quarterly with chapter presidents to assist chapter planning and activities;
- Facilitate submission of annual Financial and Activity reports from each chapter to present to the Board;
- Conduct a review of each chapter within six months of the expiration of a charter and make a recommendation to the board;
- Compile annual reports from each chapter and submit them to the president;
- Perform other duties as assigned by the Board or President;
Vice President of Education
- Chair the Education Committee;
- Recruit presenters for the annual conference;
- Coordinate all needs for the annual conference;
- Schedule and plan teacher professional development and parent workshops
- Oversee selection of candidates for awards and/or scholarships
- Submit an annual report to the president;
- Perform other duties as assigned by the Board or President;

Article 7- Committees

Standing committees shall be The Executive Committee, the Education Committee, the Membership Committee, Communications Committee, Finance Committee, Arts Committee, and the Legislative Advocacy Committee.

Special committees shall be established by the president and/or the Board of Directors.
The president shall appoint committee chairs and committee members with Board of Directors’ approval.
Members of the Executive Committee shall be the elected officers. The president shall serve as chair of the committee. The committee has the authority to govern between Board meetings and act in emergencies.
Members of the Education Committee shall plan and execute an annual conference, subject to approval by the Board of Directors. They shall also propose and execute programs and services that help serve the needs of gifted, talented, high-potential children, teachers, and their parents. The appointed Vice-President for Education Services shall serve as chair of the committee.
The Vice President of Membership and the Membership Committee members shall collaboratively plan member recruitment, retention, and membership policy and procedures. Members of the committee shall be the Treasurer and all regional presidents and others appointed by the President. The Vice President for Membership shall serve as chair of the Membership committee.
Members of the Finance Committee shall have oversight of the budget, recruit grants, and all finances. Members shall complete an audit of the financial records annually and report the findings of the audit to the President and Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall serve as chair of the committee.
Members of the Legislative Advocacy Committee shall annually formulate a legislative agenda, and track bills filed in the Louisiana Legislature and the US Congress which affect gifted education. They shall follow regulations and policies discussed by BESE. They shall advocate for or oppose particular bills according to the dictates of the Board of Directors, and lead the membership in lobbying efforts. The Vice-President for Advocacy shall serve as chair of this committee.
Members of the Communications Committee shall publish a quarterly newsletter and maintain social media posts. The Vice-President for Communications shall serve as chair of this committee.
Members of the Arts Committee shall highlight artistic student talent, advise the board on current trends in the Arts, and develop programs to address students’ and teachers’ needs. The chair of this committee is appointed by the president with majority board approval.
Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of all meetings and authority of the officers and members of the committee.
A quorum for a committee consists of twenty-five percent of the members of the committee present

Article 8- Codified Policies and Procedures

A Codified Policies and Procedures document shall be maintained by the Secretary and reviewed every five years by a committee appointed by the President. This document shall contain Board approved motions that establish policy and procedures. The Codified Policies and Procedures document shall be distributed annually to all Board of Directors and all chapter presidents.

Article 9- By-Laws and Amendments

The by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors. Voting will be by emailed ballot.

An amendment may be proposed by any member. It must be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors for automatic placement on the agenda. The president shall appoint a special committee to consider the amendment and make a recommendation to the Board for consideration. All members must be notified of the proposed amendment. The recommendation of the special committee, and given a thirty-day opportunity to comment on the proposed amendment either in writing to the Board or in person at the Board of Directors’ meeting when the proposal is considered.
The By-laws shall be distributed annually to all Board of Directors, members and all chapter presidents.

ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF MANAGERS on March 13, 2022 in Lafayette, LA

_______/signed/_________________
Christine Briggs, Secretary

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