By-laws of the Association for Gifted and Talented Students
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 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.
Article 2- Purpose
AGTS Louisiana was organized for the purpose of establishing gifted and talented education in the State of Louisiana and as a resource in support of those individuals who advocate for and support gifted and talented education in Louisiana and in school districts throughout the state. That purpose shall be maintained with these objectives:
A: Provide Leadership: Organize the advocates of gifted and talented education and students throughout the State of Louisiana.
B: Advocate: Be the primary advocate for gifted and talented education and students through its members by providing information so that individuals may advocate before lawmakers, policy makers, and education administrators at the state and school district levels.
C: Educate: Be a resource for elementary and secondary teachers and administrators, college and university professors, and parents of gifted and talented students through appropriate methods in order to advance their knowledge and the effectiveness of their role to gifted and talented students.
D: Network: Join with other agencies and organizations and establish and operate 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 and appointed officers and a Board of Managers.
There shall be three categories of chapters: school district chapters, professional chapters, and one statewide at-large chapter.
School District Chapters
There shall be one chapter per school district. School District Chapters shall be grouped together in seven Regions. These Regions shall be named and numbered: Southeast Region 1, Capital Region 2, Southwest Region 3, South Central Region 4, Central Region 5, Northwest Region 6, and Northeast Region 7.
Southwest Region 1 shall consist of school districts in the parishes of Ascension, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, and Terrebonne.
Capital Region 2 shall consist of school districts in the parishes of East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Livingston, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, and West Feliciana.
Southeast Region 3 shall consist of school districts in the parishes of Allen, Acadia, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Evangeline, Jefferson Davis and Vermillion.
South Central Region 4 shall consist of school districts in the parishes of Assumption, Lafayette, Pointe Coupee, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, Iberia, Iberville, and West Baton Rouge.
Central Region 5 shall consist of school districts in the parishes of Avoyelles, Catahoula, Caldwell, Concordia, Grant, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Vernon, and Winn.
Northwest Region 6 shall consist of school districts in the parishes of Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, DeSoto, Jackson, Lincoln, Red River, Sabine, and Webster.
Northwest Region 7 shall consist of school districts in the parishes of East Carroll, Franklin, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Richland, Tensas, Union, and West Carroll.
Charter schools shall be part of the public school district in which they are located.
Professional Chapters
Professional Chapters shall be formed for the purpose of professional development and advancement of teachers and administrators of gifted and talented education. Professional chapters may serve multiple school districts.
At-Large Chapter
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.
There shall be one statewide chapter for charter schools.
Chapters shall be chartered for a five-year period by the Board of Managers who shall have oversight of its operations. A review of each chapter must be conducted within six months of the expiration of a charter.
Chapters shall be governed autonomously by its members according to its own by-laws approved by the Board of Managers.
Chapters shall have representation on the Board of Managers.
AGTS Louisiana is an autonomous state association which 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 and talented children.
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 truthfully completes an application for membership and submits to the organization the application with the annual dues. The Vice President for Membership may administratively approve the application, pending Board approval, if the applicant meets all the criteria for membership. The applicant shall have full membership rights immediately and maintain those rights unless the application is rejected by the Board. To retain membership, one must pay the annual dues no later than the annual anniversary date of original membership.
Parents of gifted and/or talented students may hold a membership jointly.
Membership in a School District Chapter or a Professional 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 Managers. Honorary membership carries no voting rights or financial obligations and must be renewed annually by the Board.
All members may attend Board of Managers meetings and participate in the discussion. Only Board members may vote.
Article 5- Board of Managers
AGTS Louisiana shall be governed by a self-perpetuating Board of Managers. The Board shall nominate and elect its members to serve a term of three years. There shall be no limit to the number of terms a member may serve on the Board.
The Board of Managers shall consist of no less than twenty members, who may serve as an elected or appointed officer of the association, and ex-officio members. The president of each chapter shall be an ex-officio member. All members shall have equal voting rights.
Elected and appointed officers shall not make up the entire Board. At least seven members shall not hold an officer position.
The Board of Managers shall meet in regular session quarterly. Twenty-five percent of the members of the Board shall constitute a quorum. A three week notice of a regular meeting shall be given.
Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President or by written request to the President by one fourth of the members of the Board. A two week notice of a special meeting shall be given.
Emergency meetings of the Board may be called by the President with a two-day notice.
A board member may be removed after one year by a majority vote of the members of the Board for failure to attend Board meetings, failure to perform the duties of the office, or conduct harmful to the purpose of the association.
The Board of Managers shall adopt a budget before the beginning of a fiscal year.
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 and eleven appointed vice-presidents. These officers shall serve in a dual capacity as officers of the Board and officers of the association.
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 Board of Managers.
Officers shall be nominated by a committee consisting of at least three members. The immediate past president shall serve as chairperson of the nominating committee and shall submit a recommendation of elected officers to the Board of Managers at least 60 days prior to the end of the term. An election may be conducted by mail ballot.
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 and Communications, the Vice-President for Education Services, the 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. If the appointed officer is a Member of the Board, the new vice-President shall serve in a dual capacity as a Member of the Board and an officer.
Vice-Presidents shall be nominated by the President with the majority consent of the Board for appointments which shall take effective immediately. All Vice-Presidents serve at the pleasure of the President who at any time may recommend a replacement to the Board. The majority of the members of the Board must concur with the President’s recommendation for replacement to take place. Vice-President’s are entitled to membership on the Board 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 prior to their nomination for office unless waived by a two-thirds vote of the Board.
The president shall be the chief executive officer and Chairman of the Board with the authority to perform the duties specified in the by-laws, codified policy and procedures state law, and necessary to operate the organization between meetings of the Board of Managers.
The secretary shall be the chief administrative officer. The secretary shall record and maintain the minutes of meetings of the Board of Managers, maintain permanent records and documents, perform duties specified in the Codified Policy and Procedures document and shall be the successor to the president, if the president resigns or can no longer carry on the duties of president.
The treasurer shall be the chief financial officer of the association. The treasurer shall submit an annual budget to the Board of Managers for consideration, receive all revenue, make expenditures as authorized by the Board of Managers, perform duties specified in the Codified Policy and Procedures Document and maintain all financial records.
The President-elect shall automatically succeed to the presidency at the end of the President’s term.
A vacancy in the office of Secretary or Treasurer shall be filled temporarily by presidential appointment and for the remainder of the term by a vote of the Board of Managers.
Article 7- Committees
Standing committees shall be: The Executive Committee, the Conference Committee, the Membership Committee, Member Services Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Legislative Advocacy Committee.
Special committees shall be established by the president and/or the Board of Managers.
The president shall appoint committee chairs and members.
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 emergency situations.
Members of the Conference Committee shall plan and execute an annual conference, subject to approval by the Board of Managers. The appointed Vice-President for Education Services shall serve as chair of the committee.
Members of the Membership Committee shall advise the Board and the Vice President for Membership on member recruitment and retention and membership policy and procedures. The Vice President for Membership shall serve as chair of the committee. Members of the committee shall be the Treasurer and all regional vice presidents and others appointed by the President.
Members of the Member Services Committee shall propose and execute programs and services that help serve the needs of gifted and talented children and their parents. The Vice-President for Member Services shall serve as chair of the committee.
Members of the Finance Committee shall have oversight of the budget and all finances. Members shall have an audit of the financial records conducted annually and report the findings of the audit to the President and Board of Managers. The Treasurer shall serve as chair of the committee.
Members of the Legislative Advocacy Committee shall annually formulate a legislative agenda, track bills filed in the Louisiana Legislature which affect gifted education, advocate for or oppose particular bills according to the dictates of the Board of Managers, lead the membership in lobbying efforts. The Vice-President for Advocacy and Communications shall serve as chair of the committee.
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 which establish policy and procedures.
The Codified Policies and Procedures document shall be distributed annually to all Board of Managers and all chapter presidents.
Article 9- By-Laws and Amendments
The by-laws may be amended by a two-third vote of the Board of Managers. Voting may be by mail ballot.
An amendment may be proposed by any member. It must be submitted in writing to the Board of Managers 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 Managers meeting when the proposal is considered.
The By-laws shall be distributed annually to all Board of Managers members and all chapter presidents.
ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF MANAGERS on June 30, 2007 in Baton Rouge, LA
_______/signed/_________________
Andrea Galliano, Secretary