ARTICLE I - NAME

The organization shall be called the Virginia Consortium of Social Studies Specialists and College Educators and shall be an organization for personnel having responsibility for the development and implementation of social studies education programs. This Consortium shall be an affiliate of the Virginia Council for the Social Studies and is a local affiliate of the National Council for the Social Studies.

ARTICLE II - PURPOSES

The purposes of the Consortium shall be

  1. To provide improvement of social studies education in the Commonwealth through the collective efforts of individuals with assigned leadership responsibilities;
  2. To promote a free flow of ideas among social studies educators in supervision, curriculum development, teacher education, museum education, and the State Department of Education;
  3. To initiate a direct channel of communication among Virginia social studies educators and the National Council for the Social Studies, State Board of Education, legislative bodies, civic agencies, and community leaders;
  4. To promote instructional and curriculum improvements in social studies education;
  5. To foster a positive image of social studies educators as trained professionals whose primary concern is the best education possible for the students of the state; and
  6. To seek solutions to needs in social studies education.

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP AND DUES

Section 1. Membership in the Consortium shall be open to social studies educators in supervision, curriculum development, teacher education, museum education, and the State Department of Education.

Section 2. Membership in the Consortium shall become effective upon payment of association dues for each year at or before the fall meeting.

Section 3. Dues for annual membership in the Consortium shall be set annually at the final meeting of the year; a majority of members present shall be necessary for approval of dues.

ARTICLE IV - OFFICERS

Section 1. Officers. The elected officers of the Consortium shall be president, president-elect, a secretary, and a treasurer. Any member in good standing is eligible to be an officer of the Consortium.

Section 2. Term of Offices. The term of the president shall be one year. The term of the president-elect shall be one year. The president-elect shall then automatically succeed to the office of president for one year. The terms of the secretary and the treasurer shall be for one year; however, these two officers may be reelected for subsequent term.

Section 3. Assumption of Office. Election of officers shall take place prior to July 1 of each year, with each officer elected assuming the duties of the office upon election.

Section 4. Duties of the President. The president shall act as the executive officer of the Consortium. This officer shall preside at all meetings of the Consortium; shall act as chairperson of the executive board; shall appoint members of all committees, both standing and ad hoc; shall notify the membership of the date, time, and place of all general meetings at least two weeks in advance of the meeting, shall circulate proposed amendments to each member two weeks in advance of the meeting at which the amendments are to be discussed; and shall exercise general leadership and supervision over the affairs of the Consortium to implement its purposes. The president or his/her designee may submit to the executive board requests for reimbursement for expenses above and beyond the normal duties of the office.

Section 5. Duties of the President-Elect. The president-elect shall serve as chairperson of the program committee and as a member of the executive board and shall fulfill such other duties as are assigned by the executive board. This officer shall assume and perform the duties of the president in the event of the absence, incapacity, or resignation of the president. At the conclusion of the term as president-elect, this officer shall assume the office of president. Should the office of president become vacant, the president-elect shall immediately become president and shall serve the unexpired portion of the president’s term in addition to the year for which the president-elect shall immediately become president and shall serve the unexpired portion of the president’s term in addition to the year for which the president-elect was elected. In the event that the president-elect fills a vacancy in the office of president, a new president-elect shall be appointed by the president and approved by a majority of the executive board within thirty days of such vacancy. The newly appointed president-elect shall serve the unexpired term.

Section 6. Duties of the Treasurer. The treasurer shall serve as a member of the executive board, keep accurate and up-to-date financial and membership records; have custody of funds of the Consortium, which shall be deposited in the name of the Virginia Consortium of Social Studies Specialists and College Educators; and sign checks for authorized expenses of the Consortium.

Section 7. Duties of the Secretary. The secretary shall maintain a permanent book of the minutes of all general meetings and meetings of the executive board; cooperate fully with directives from the general meetings and/or the executive board meetings regarding needed correspondence and notices.

Section 8. Duties of the immediate Past President. The immediate past president will be a member of the executive board and serve as the Consortium representative to the planning committee for the state social studies conference.

ARTICLE V - EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1. Function. The executive board shall exercise general supervision over the affairs of the Consortium. It shall have the general power to administer the affairs of the Consortium between general meetings. The executive board may by majority vote approve requests for reimburse-ment from the president or his/her designee if those expenses are the result of duties above and beyond the normal duties of the office. Its actions shall be subject to the approval of the assembly by a vote o two thirds of those present and voting.

Section 2. Composition. The executive board shall consist of all current officers, the immediate past president, chairpersons of all standing committees, and three members-at-large.

Section 3. Meetings. The executive board shall be empowered to hold such meetings as it shall deem necessary on the call of the president and at such times and places as the president may determine. At least one meeting of the executive board shall take place before each general meeting in order that board may consider items for the agenda and other pertinent issues. The president shall consult with the executive board before each general meeting in order that the board may consider items for the agenda and other pertinent issues.

Section 4. Quorum. A quorum for a meeting of the executive board shall consist of fifty-one percent of its members.

ARTICLE VI - ASSEMBLY

Section 1. Composition. The assembly shall consist of the executive board and all other members in good standing of the Consortium.

Section 2. Function. The assembly shall be the legislative body of the Consortium and shall have full power and authority over the affairs of the Consortium within the limits set by these by-laws. It shall have authority to review decisions made by the executive board and to accept or reject them.

Section 3. Quorum. A quorum shall consist of fifty-one percent of the members of the Consortium present.

Section 4. The assembly shall meet annually in the fall and spring.

Section 5. At least two weeks in advance of each meeting, the president shall notify all members of the date, time, and place of the meeting.

Section 6. Amendments. The assembly shall have the power to amend these by laws as provided in Article X.

ARTICLE VII - ELECTIONS

Section 1. Mode of Election. All officers except the president shall be elected by ballot at the spring meeting. The nominations committee shall present a slate of nominees for each office to the assembly for approval. Nominations may be made from the floor. A majority of the votes shall be necessary for election to office. In the event of a tie, the executive board shall make the final decision.

Section 2. Nominating Committee. The nominating committee shall prepare a slate of nominees annually. The committee shall secure advance consent from each nominee.

Section 3. Term of Office. Each elected officer’s term shall begin at the conclusion of the spring meeting.

ARTICLE VIII - COMMITTEES

Section 1. Appointments. The president shall appoint members of all standing committees for a term of one year and shall appoint all members of ad hoc committees. Each committee shall elect its own chairperson.

Section 2. Composition. There shall be a least three members, including the chairperson, on each committee; however, other persons with special expertise may be called in if circumstances warrant such action. Any vacancies on a committee, for whatever reason, shall be filled by the president.

Section 3. Committees. The Consortium shall have a nominating committee, a program committee, a conference committee, and other such committees as deemed necessary by the president.

ARTICLE IX - PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern the proceedings of this Consortium, except in cases governed by law and special rules adopted by the Consortium.

ARTICLE X - AMENDMENTS

Section 1. Origins. Any member or members in good standing may propose an amendment to these by-laws by submitting such amendment(s) to the executive board in writing. It shall be the duty of the executive board to consider such amendments and, by majority vote, approve them for final deliberation and vote by the assembly. Further, the executive board may initiate amendments and submit them to the assembly for approval.

Section 2. Procedure. Amendments may be adopted by the affirmative vote of two thirds of the members present and voting at a regular meeting of the Consortium.

Section 3. Incorporation. Amendments adopted as described in Section 2 shall be incorporated into these by-laws.

ARTICLE XI - AFFILIATION

Section 1. Affiliation. The Virginia Consortium of Social Studies Specialists and College Educators shall be an affiliate of the Virginia Council for the Social Studies, which is a state affiliate of the National Council for the Social Studies.

Section 2. Relationships. The relationship of the Consortium to the Virginia Council for the Social Studies shall be:

  1. To support the general purposes and goals of the National Council for the Social Studies and the Virginia Council for the Social Studies;
  2. To assure the executive board of the Virginia Council for the Social Studies annually that 75% of Consortium members who have major professional responsibility in the field of social studies are also members of the Virginia Council for the Social Studies (general supervisors, administrators, and community leaders will not be considered in the ratio);
  3. To inform the executive board of the Virginia Council for the Social Studies of all position statements and resolutions adopted by the Consortium;
  4. To promote jointly position papers and resolutions upon which both the Consortium and the Virginia Council for the Social Studies agree. The Consortium will promote those resolutions and position statements relevant only to the purposes of the Consortium.
  5. To assist with the planning and operating of the annual state social studies conference.