Constitution and Bylaws of UtSTA

Constitution of the Utah Science Teaching Association

ARTICLE I

NAME AND AFFILIATION

Section 1: The name of this organization shall be the Utah Science Teaching Association (UtSTA).

Section 2: Utah Science Teaching Association is an affiliate of the National Science Teaching Association. However, membership in UtSTA does not constitute membership in NSTA, nor does membership in NSTA constitute membership in UtSTA

Section 3: Utah Science Teaching Association is a registered 501 (c)(3) Non Profit organization in the state of Utah.  

ARTICLE II

MISSION STATEMENT

Section 1: The purpose of the Utah Science Teaching Association shall be the advancement, stimulation, extension, improvement, and coordination of science teaching in all fields of science at all education levels. The Association shall not engage in any activity which would be inconsistent with the status of an educational, charitable, and scientific organization as defined in Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue code of 1954 or any successor provision therein.

ARTICLE III

MEMBERSHIP

Section 1: The Association exists to serve its members and their ambitions to provide science education for Utah learners at all levels and in all contexts.

Section 2: Membership is available to those actively engaged in the teaching of science and those interested in science education including interested parties at all levels of science education. 

Section 3: This organization does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, creed, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, citizenship, age, or disability. 

ARTICLE IV

GOVERNANCE 

Section 1: Structure-The Utah Science Teaching Association shall be governed by a Board of Directors consisting of the: 1) executive officers, 2) region representatives, and 3) nonvoting appointees.

Section 2: Officers of the Organization

1. Elected Officers-President; Past President or President-Elect; Higher Education Representative; High School Representative; Middle School Representative; Elementary Representative; Charter, Home, Online, Private Schools Representative; Informal Science Representative; Region Representative Officers.

2. Nonvoting Appointments are determined, as needed, by the Board of Directors.

Section 3: Elections/Appointments

1. Elected Officers are Elected by current members of the organization at the start of a term or if a vacancy occurs midterm they are recommended by the President and appointed by the Board of Directors

2. Nonvoting Appointees are recommended by the President and appointed by the Board of Directors

Section 4: Terms of Office

1. Elected Officers: The length of service for Elected Officers shall be based on specific term limits as specified in bylaws.

2. Appointed Officers: The length of service for Nonvoting Appointees is determined by and reviewed annually by the Board of Directors. 

Section 5: Removal from Office

1. Elected officers: Elected officers may be removed from office by a vote from the Board of Directors or a vote of the General Membership.

2. Appointed Officers: Appointed offices may be removed from office by a vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 6: Powers- Only Elected Officers of the Board of Directors are voting members and shall make decisions for the work and direction of the organization. All decisions not described specifically in constitution or bylaws shall be made by the Board of Directors.

Section 7: Governing Rules- The Board of Directors shall use Robert’s Rules of Order to conduct business. 

ARTICLE V 

QUORUMS

Section 1:Decisions shall be made only when a quorum has been assembled in a scheduled meeting where all members of the Quorum have been notified of the meeting. Quorums are defined as:

1. A quorum of the Executive Officers shall consist of a simple majority of more than 50%.

2. A quorum of the Board of Directors shall consist of a simple majority of more than 50%.

3. A quorum of the General Membership shall consist of all respondents when a notification of action is sent to all current members with at least 30 days advance notice. 

 

 ARTICLE VI

MEETINGS

Section 1: Board Meetings- The Board of Directors shall meet regularly to direct the work of the organization. Meeting minutes shall be approved by the Board of Directors and be published to the membership.

Section 2: Committee Meetings- Board Committees shall meet regularly to support the work of the organization and provide counsel and advice to the  Board of Directors.  

Section 3: Working Meetings- Members of the board may meet for working meetings in order to complete assignments from the Board of Directors. 

ARTICLE VII 

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

Section 1: Amendment Proposal- A proposed amendment may go to vote with General Membership, if 

1. approved by the Board of Directors of the UtSTA, OR

2. requested in a petition bearing the signatures of at least 10% of the General Membership of the Association. 

Section 2: Amendment Ratification- Amendments to the constitution shall be adopted by a two-thirds vote of a quorum of the general membership.

ARTICLE VIII 

DISSOLUTION

Section 1: If a motion is made calling for the dissolution of the organization, it shall be ratified   by a two-thirds vote of the general membership.

BYLAWS OF THE UTAH SCIENCE TEACHING ASSOCIATION

Chapter 1: MEMBERSHIP

1.0: Membership shall consist of individuals who have current membership status. Membership types are as follows:

1.1:Teacher Membership.Any K-12 or higher education educator is eligible for membership. Teacher membership entitles the holder to attend Association conventions at their own expense and vote in any business session. Dues are determined by the Board of Directors.

1.2: Student/First Year Teacher Membership. Any college or university student who is preparing to become a licensed educator, or any teacher in their first year of teaching is eligible.  This membership entitles the holder to attend Association conventions at their own expense and vote in any business session. The dues shall be at a reduced rate as determined by the Board of Directors. This membership type may be used for multiple years as a student, and for one year as a teacher.

1.3: Advocate Membership. Any person interested in science education (e.g., informal educators, vendors, and enthusiasts) is eligible for membership. Advocate membership entitles the holder to attend Association conventions at their own expense and vote in any business session. Dues are determined by the Board of Directors.

1.4: Honorary Life Membership. Life membership entitles the holder to attend Association conventions at their own expense, and vote in any business session, and to receive all services and publication of the association. An Honorary Life Membership shall be presented to recipients of the "Marv Tolman Award and/or Dick Peterson Award." Association Presidents shall also receive a life membership. Honorary Life Memberships may also be awarded with the approval of the Board of Directors.

Chapter 2: GOVERNANCE

2.0: All powers of governance are held by Elected Officers of the Board of Directors.

2.1: Offices of Governance: Only those individuals actively engaged in science education and who are members in good standing of the association shall be eligible for office. The duties of all officers are described in specific sections below. In addition, all officers are expected to proactively learn the role, serve diligently, build the capacity of their role, and when possible are expected to facilitate the transition of new officers (both elected and appointed) in their role.

2.1.1: Voting Board Members: Board of Directors who have voting rights for decision making within the organization and are elected by general membership. They are collectively responsible to the membership for the well-being of the organization. 

2.1.1.a: Presidency:

2.1.1.a.i: President: The President shall preside at all business sessions and all meetings of the Executive Officers and the Board of Directors. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees of the Association and, under the direction of the Board of Directors, shall have general charge of the affairs of the Association.

2.1.1.a.ii: President-Elect: The President-Elect shall perform the duties of the President in their absence. They work closely with the President to learn from them as they prepare to serve as President the following year. The President may assign the President-Elect certain supervisory roles and responsibilities to support the organization. 

2.1.1.a.iii: Past President: The Past President shall perform the duties of the President in their absence. They work closely with the President and serve in an advisory capacity to support them in their first year as President. The President may assign the Past President with certain supervisory roles and responsibilities to support the organization. 

2.1.1.b: Executive Officers: The elected representatives that are considered Executive Officers of the Board of Directors represent the professionals and students with that specific focus for the entire state. They have the principal assignments of ensuring that their constituents are given careful and considerate attention in all conventions, programs, publications, proposals, and other activities of the Association. Working in cooperation with Region Representatives, they shall provide leadership in the recruitment and fellowshipping of their colleagues in the elementary, middle level, and high schools, and on the college/university campuses.

2.1.1.b.i: Higher Education Representative: The Higher Education Rep serves College/University instructors and students. They ensure the work of the organization is supporting UtSTA Members with this focus. This Representative must currently be faculty at a Utah Institution of Higher Education who supports science education. 

2.1.1.b.ii: High School Representative: The High School Rep serves teachers who work in Utah high schools. They ensure the work of the organization is supporting UtSTA Members with this focus. This Representative must currently be faculty of a Utah High School or a Utah District or Charter School Leader who directly supports high school teaching. 

2.1.1.b.iii: Middle School Representative: The Middle School Rep serves teachers who work in Utah Middle Schools and Jr. High Schools. They ensure the work of the organization is supporting UtSTA Members with this focus. This Representative must currently be faculty of a Utah Middle School, Jr. High School, or a Utah District or Charter School Leader who directly supports Middle School teachers. 

2.1.1.b.iv: Elementary School Representative: The Elementary School Rep serves teachers who work in Utah elementary schools. They ensure the work of the organization is supporting UtSTA Members with this focus. This Representative must currently be faculty of a Utah Elementary School or a Utah District or Charter School Leader who directly supports elementary school teachers. 

2.1.1.b.v: Charter/Home/Online/Private School Rep: The Charter/Home/Online/Private (CHOP) representative is responsible for interpreting, promoting, and executing the purposes and activities of the Association among elementary and secondary teachers of science throughout the state that teach in a non-district supported school (charter, home, online, private).  It shall be their duty to promote, expand, and represent this demographic of the UtSTA membership. 

2.1.1.b.vi: Informal Science Education Representative: The Informal Science Education representative is responsible for interpreting, promoting, and executing the purposes and activities of the Association among all informal and non-formal science education groups. It shall be their duty to promote, expand, and represent this demographic of the UtSTA membership.

2.1.1.c: Region Representatives: The Region Representatives shall be primarily responsible for interpreting, promoting, and executing the purposes and activities of the Association among elementary, secondary, and college teachers of science in their defined geographical

regions. It shall be their duty to promote, expand, and represent the membership of the organization in their region.

2.1.2: Non-Voting Board Members: Specific roles on the Board are filled by appointments determined by the Voting Board Members Under the direction of the Board President. 

2.1.2.a: Executive Director: An Executive Director shall be appointed by the Board of Directors after an application process. The executive director organizes the affairs of the organization by working with the President, Committees, Board of Directors and accountant to support the mission of the organization. The executive director shall receive all monies of the Association and provide for their safekeeping, keep a record of the membership, pay all authorized bills, keep an accurate and current record of all receipts and expenditures of Association funds, reports as requested by the Board of Directors. The appointment shall be reviewed annually by the Board of Directors. Compensation for services shall be determined by the Board of Directors. The Executive Director is a non-voting member of the Board of Directors and its Executive Board.

2.1.2.b: Historian: A Historian shall be nominated by the president and approved by the Board of Directors. The Historian keeps track of activities and achievements associated with the organization, collects historical data, and keeps records of the proceedings of the Association. The appointment shall be reviewed annually. The position is voluntary and non-compensated. The Historian shall be a non-voting member of the Board of Directors and its Executive Officers.

2.1.2.c: Utah State Board of Education Science Specialist(s): The Utah State Board of Education may be represented by the Specialist(s) in Science Education. The position is by invitation annually, voluntary, and non-compensated. The USBE specialists are non-voting members of the Board of Directors and support the Executive Officers. 

2.1.2.d: Other Appointees: Other Appointees may be selected by the President for specific tasks and roles. They shall be nominated by the president and approved by the Board of Directors. These positions shall be voluntary and non-compensated. These other appointees shall be non-voting members of the Board of Directors. 

2.2: Term Limits: The length of all Voting Board Member positions are based on terms and term limits. 

2.2.1: Presidency Term Length: The UtSTA presidency will last four years. It starts by serving as the President-Elect and will serve one year with the current President. The following year, the President-Elect will become the President and will serve a two-year term, the first term with the Past-President, and the second term with a new President-Elect. After two years as President they will serve one year as Past-President. 

2.2.1.a: Presidency Term Limits: A UtSTA President cannot serve subsequent terms that would result in them being both President and President-elect/past president. 

2.2.2: Executive Office and Region Representatives Term Length: The term of all Executive Office and Region Representatives shall be three years, with their terms staggered so that a near equal number are elected each year. 

2.2.2.a: Executive Office and Region Representative Term Limits: An Executive Office and Region Representative may serve in that office for a maximum of two consecutive terms if they are reelected by the membership. Following two terms the Representatives must vacate the position for at least one term.

2.2.2.b: Any officer that is appointed by the board to fill an empty office position may finish their appointed term and then serve for two full terms if they are reelected by the membership. 

2.2.3: Non-voting Appointees: Non-voting Appointees do not have term limits and may serve for the duration of time based upon their annual reviews and as determined by the Board of Directors and the needs of the organization. 

2.3: Removal from Office: All Board Members may be removed from office for misfeasance, malfeasance, or nonfeasance in office. 

2.3.1: Initiation for Removal: Process will depend upon the type of board member described in 2.1

2.3.1.a: Voting Members - Proceedings for removal may be initiated by a petition submitted to the Executive Director of the Association with signatures from either

2.3.1.a.i: a simple majority (more than 50%) of the Board of Directors OR

2.3.1.a.ii: at least twenty percent (20%) of the General Members of the Association.

2.3.1.b: Non-voting Members - Proceedings for removal may be initiated by a petition submitted to either the Executive Director or President of the Association with signatures from a simple majority (more than 50%) of the Board of Directors. 

2.3.2: A letter of Initiation for Removal is sent to the individual and Executive Officers

2.3.3: After a due process hearing determined by the Board, a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors is required to sustain the removal.

2.3.3.a: If the number of votes necessary to sustain the charge is met, the office will be vacated and an interim replacement will be appointed by the Board of Directors within one month. 

2.3.3.b: If the number of votes necessary to sustain the charge is not met, the Voting Board Member will maintain their position.

Chapter 3 NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

3.0: Board members who have governance powers are voted onto the board through elections. 

3.1: Nominiations: Each year, the Board President selects a Committee Chair to promote, direct, and run elections. 

3.1.1 The Elections Committee Chair shall form a committee and they shall present to the board of Directors a slate of two or more nominees who are active members of the association and are in good standing,  for each office for which the term expires during the forthcoming year. The nominations shall be presented to the Board of Directors a minimum of one month prior to the conference.

3.1.2 The slate of proposed officer candidates shall be published to the general membership for a specified amount of time as directed by the President and Board of Directors.

3.2 Election Process: Voting will take place during the Annual Conference of the Organization or a suitable alternative that promotes the inclusion of as many members as possible. The candidate who receives the highest number of votes for a respective office shall be elected.

3.2.1 Elections are overseen and votes are tallied by the Elections Committee, under direction of the Elections Committee Chair.

3.2.2 Active members of the Association may vote for all Executive Board positions. Members within a given region may vote for their representative.

3.2.3 In the event of a tie, the elected office will be determined by a vote of the board of directors.

3.2.4: The newly elected officers shall take office at an induction meeting determined by the Elections Committee following their election. 

3.2.5: Vacancies: When a vacancy occurs in any office between elections the vacant office shall be filled by appointment. These temporary appointments shall be filled by an officer elected by the Membership at the next possible election.  

3.2.5.a Non-presidential board members are appointed by the President with approval of the Executive Committee. 

3.2.5.b The office of the President shall be filled by the active President-Elect or Past-President 

3.2.5.c If needed an Interim President-Elect will be appointed by the Executive Board from within the current board members until the next election.

3.2.5.d If needed a past president shall be filled by a previous past president through invitation from the Executive board. 

Chapter 4: COMMITTEES

4.0: Utah Science Teaching Association will use committees to complete the work of the organization. 

4.1: Board Member Committees: These are committees made up of members of the Board of Directors for the purpose of focusing on the needs of the organization. The focus of the Board Member Committees may change and may include general membership as desired by the Board of Directors. Each standing committee shall consist of a Chair, appointed by the President, and general members of the Association and/or Board. Committee's dedicate time to thoroughly research and vet specific issues or decisions before making recommendations to the full board.

4.2: Standing Committees: The board of directors shall convene an Elections Committee annually as described in Chapter 3 section 1 of the bylaws. Other standing committees may be convened by the Board of Directors. 

4.3 Ad Hoc Committees: The Board of Directors President shall organize the creation of Ad Hoc committees to complete a specific objective during a specified timeline. appoint such committees not provided for in the Constitution or Bylaws, as may be necessary to facilitate the management of the Association. All committee appointments shall be made for a term coincident with the President unless otherwise provided in the Constitution or Bylaws.

4.3.1 The President may appoint one or more representatives of the Association to serve with any group, board, committee, council, congress, or convocation when the interests of the Association demand. They may negotiate agreements (consistent with the Constitution of these Bylaws) with institutions, individuals, or other societies, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors.

4.4 Committee Terms of Office and Reporting

4.4.1 The term of appointment to the standing committees may be renewed annually during their terms of service. 

4.4.2 The membership of all committees shall be announced in the Association Newsletter after the appointment. 

4.4.3 Appropriate officers, the Chairs of all standing committees, and others as directed by the President, shall report to the President one month prior to the Annual Convention unless otherwise ordered by the Board of Directors The Board of Directors  may require such interim reports as are deemed necessary.

Chapter 5: PUBLICATIONS 

5.0: The association will communicate with members through the use of publications 

5.1 Newsletter: UtSTA shall have a monthly Newsletter of which the External Committee Chair, or their designee, shall be Editor. 

5.2 Social Media: UtSTA shall have a social media presence that will share upcoming events, resources, and opinions that are aligned with the mission of the organization.

5.3 Website: The UtSTA website shall post upcoming events, resources, and opinions aligned with the mission of the organization

5.4 Other: The Association may sponsor and/or promote other publications approved by the Board of Directors.

Chapter 6: ORGANIZATION PARTNERSHIPS

6.0 The Association welcomes the opportunity to work with existing and emerging groups that are interested in the advancement of science education and will assist them in their efforts to organize and to facilitate their own programs, as long as the objectives of the Association and the cooperating group are mutually supportive. 

Chapter 7: OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE GENERAL MEMBERSHIP

7.0: The Utah Science Teaching Association will host opportunities for the general membership to support the mission of the organization. 

7.1: The Utah Science Teaching Association will host or co-host an Annual Conference for all members.

7.2: Additional opportunities may be scheduled by the Board of Directors.

Chapter 8: DUES

8.0: Dues will be collected from the general membership to facilitate the mission of the organization.  

8.1:Dues for membership shall be established by the Board of directors

8.1.1: Annual dues will cover membership for a 12 months following the start date of the membership. calendar year(s) in which they are paid. 

 Chapter 9: AMENDMENTS

9.0: Amendments to the bylaws can be made to adjust for growth, changes, and other unforeseen needs. 

9.1: Suggested amendments to the Bylaws may originate from the Board of Directors or from any General Member of the Association to the Board. 

9.1.1: A proposed amendment may go to vote with General Membership, if 

9.1.1.a: approved by the Board of Directors of the UtSTA, OR

9.1.1.b: requested in a petition bearing the signatures of at least 10% of the General Membership of the Association. 

9.2: Amendments to the Bylaws shall be adopted by a two-thirds vote of a general membership quorum.  

Chapter 10: FINANCES

10.0 Finances

10.1 Power over finances: The Board of Directors shall oversee and direct all financial matters of the organization.

10.2 Budget: The Utah Science Teaching Association shall manage their financial operations based on a budget approved by the Board of Directors

10.2.1: Budget creation and approval: The Executive Director should propose a budget for initial review and full approval by the Board of Directors. 

10.2.2: Budget should be approved by the Board of Directors before the start of the following fiscal year.

10.2.3 The board will receive a budget report from the executive director detailing the expenses that occurred and the current status of each budget item. Reports should occur every 6 months at a minimum with updates at monthly board meetings.