CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
(Revised November, 2017)
ARTICLE I NAME
The name of the Association shall be the National Association of Professors of Middle Level Education, Incorporated.
ARTICLE II PURPOSE
The purposes of the Association are to:
• Provide a professional network to enhance the exchange of information and ideas, as well as, to encourage the discussion of topics related to the preparation of middle level educators.
• Contribute to the development of an expanded middle level research base, and provide additional means for sharing and disseminating current research and ideas among those interested in middle level education.
• Serve actively as advocates for the middle school movement, especially in terms of promoting middle level concepts among various publics commonly dealt with in the preparation of middle level educators.
• Share in the advocacy for the middle school movement by supporting the stated purposes and goals of the Association for Middle Level Education.
ARTICLE III MEMBERS
Section 1
Membership in this Association shall be open to anyone interested in middle level education and the preparation of middle level educators.
Section 2
Under “umbrella” requirements set for affiliates by the Association for Middle Level Education, members of the Association are also encouraged to hold membership in AMLE.
Section 3
The membership fee shall be paid annually. The term of membership shall be for one calendar year.
ARTICLE IV OFFICERS
Section 1
The officers of the Association shall be a President, a President-Elect, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and the Regional Directors; in addition, there shall be an Executive Council (made up of the officers, the Past President, Regional Directors, and Committee Members) whose responsibility is to promote the functioning of the Association. These officers and the Executive Council shall perform the duties described in these bylaws and by the parliamentary procedures of ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER.
Section 2
Duties of the officers shall be as follows: The President shall serve as the Conference Coordinator, organizing all aspects of the annual business meeting. The President and Past President will review proposals for the annual Best Practice Session and the President will organize the session and serve as liaison to AMLE. The President will provide content for each newsletter (published at least twice annually) as well as the website. The President and President-Elect will plan and preside over the Executive Council meeting prior to the annual business meeting each year. The president-elect chairs the elections committee. The treasurer chairs the finance committee and is responsible for maintaining all financial and membership records of the Association and providing reports at business meetings. The Secretary chairs the publications committee and is responsible for taking minutes at both the Executive Council meeting and the annual business meeting of the Association.
Section 3
Nominations for elected officers and members of the Executive Council shall be collected by the Elections Committee Chair, who is the President-Elect, prior to the annual business meeting. Each nominee will provide a brief biographic statement, which will be sent to the Association membership by the Elections Committee Chair. At the annual business meeting, an election will be held, and results will be shared with the Association at that time.
Section 4 Only members of the Association shall vote in the election of officers and committee members, all of whom make up the Executive Council. Members may be elected to positions by acclimation.
Section 5 All officers and committee members shall be elected to serve for two years with the exception of the Treasurer, who shall serve for three years. The Regional Directors shall serve for a period of three years.
ARTICLE V ASSOCIATION MEETINGS
Section 1
The business meeting of the Association shall be held concurrent with and as part of the annual meeting of the Association for Middle Level Education, and shall be held for the purpose of conducting business that may arise.
Section 2
Present members of the Association, present and in good standing, shall constitute a quorum.
ARTICLE VI THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Section 1
The Executive Council shall consist of the officers of the Association, Past President, Regional Directors, and Committee Members.
Section 2
Regional Directors shall be selected on a geographically representative basis, two (2) from each of the four territorial regions established by the Association for Middle Level Education. They shall serve three-year overlapping terms. It is the responsibility of the Regional Directors to organize and carry out events and activities within the region and report on events and activities at the business meeting.
Section 3
The Executive Council shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Association, fix the hour and place of meetings, make recommendations to the Association, and shall perform such other duties as are specified in these bylaws. The Executive Council shall be subject to the orders of the Association, and none of its acts shall conflict with action taken by the Association.
Section 4
Members of the Executive Council who are unable to attend board meetings may be replaced. The President shall make this decision and may appoint an Association member to fill the unexpired term.
Section 5
Members of the Executive Council (President, President-Elect, Past President, Treasurer, Secretary, Regional Directors, and Committee Members) shall each have one vote.
Section 6
During Executive Council meetings, five members, to include at least one officer, shall constitute a quorum.
Section 7
The Association for Middle Level Education may recognize state level affiliate groups.
A potential state affiliate shall:
• have bylaws with provisions that parallel those of the National Association of Professors of Middle Level Education; and
• meet the additional approval criteria of having elected officers, having a representative board, having regularly scheduled meetings, having yearly goals, submitting an annual report to the Association, which indicates continued compliance with approval criteria.
ARTICLE VII COMMITTEES
Section 1
The Finance Committee shall be chaired by the Treasurer. It shall be his/her duty to prepare an annual budget, collect dues (from members as well as through AMLE), and report on membership. This committee shall prepare materials and reports to be shared at the annual business meeting. The budget shall first be submitted to the Executive Council for approval and later presented at the annual business meeting. An official audit shall be made prior to the end of each year. One additional committee member shall be elected and serve a two year term.
Section 2
The Election Committee shall be chaired by the President-Elect. This committee shall solicit nominations, confirm willingness to serve, collect bios from nominees, and organize and preside over an election at the annual business meeting. Election results will be reported to the Association. One additional committee member shall be elected and serve a two year term.
Section 3
The Publications Committee shall be chaired by the Secretary. This committee shall communicate with the Current Issues in Middle Level Education (CIMLE) host university, and is responsible for a newsletter which will be published twice annually (fall and spring). The committee will solicit newsletter content from the President, each committee, and the Association membership. In addition, this committee is responsible for maintenance and 4 updates to the Association website. One additional committee member shall be elected and serve a two year term.
Section 4
The Awards Committee shall solicit nominations and collect materials/letters of support. This committee will review nominees and make decisions for each award. Recipients will be submitted to the Executive Council for approval and awards will be presented at the annual business meeting. Two committee members shall be elected and serve two year, rotating terms. The longest serving member will act as chair.
ARTICLE VIII DISSOLUTION
Section 1
Upon dissolution of the National Association of Professors of Middle Level Education (NAPOMLE) organization, all remaining assets must be used exclusively for exempt purposes related to the educational nature of the organization.
ARTICLE IX ANTI-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
Section 1
The National Association of Professors of Middle Level Education (NAPOMLE) will not discriminate in offering memberships, election of officers, granting of awards, selection of authors, publication matters or any other membership activities or conditions based on the race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, ethnicity, or sexual orientation or preference of its participants.