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Name and Area Served
Nature and Purposes
Membership & Dues
Officers
Board of Directors
Assembly
Nomination and Election of Officers
Committees
Parliamentary Authority
Dissolution
Amendments
Article I - Name and Area Served
The group shall be called the Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group, serving the interested members of the International Reading Association .
Article II - Nature and Purposes
Section 1 - Nature : The Children's Literature and Reading Interest Group shall be a professional organization of individuals who are concerned with the improvement of reading.
Section 2 - Purpose:The purpose of the this Special Interest Group shall be
Article III - Membership and Dues
Section 1 - Eligibility:Membership in the group shall be open to classroom teachers, instructors, administrators and other members of IRA interested in children's literature and the integration of children's books into the reading program.
Section 2 - Active Members: Membership in the group shall become effective upon payment of group dues for the fiscal year beginning July 1 and ending June 30.
Section 3 - Group Dues: Dues for annual membership in the group shall be set by the Board of Directors with the approval of the assembly. Dues are payable to the group for the fiscal year on or after the preceding May 1 and shall apply to the year beginning July I and ending June 30.
Section 4 - Arrears:Any member who has not paid dues by his/her renewal date becomes inactive.
Section 5 - International Dues: Membership in the International Reading Association is required. Dues to the International Reading Association which provide members with benefits and services dependent upon the type of membership, may be paid to the group.
Section 1 - Officers: The elected officers of the group shall be a vice president, a president-elect, president, a treasurer, a recording secretary, and a corresponding secretary. The final three offices may be combined. Any member in good standing, who is also a member of the International Reading Association, is eligible to be an officer of the group. In addition, the editor of the Dragon Lode , the official publication of the Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group shall be appointed by the board and serve as a member of the board.
Section 2 - Term of Office: The term of office of the vice president shall be one year. The vice president shall then automatically succeed to the office of president-elect for one year, and at the expiration of this term as president-elect, shall become president for a period of one year. The terms of treasurer, recording secretary, and corresponding secretary shall be one year; however, these officers may serve a second term immediately following their first term in office. The term in office of the editor of the Dragon Lode shall be three years with the option of re-appointment for subsequent terms. A year prior to the end of the term the editor shall notify the board of his/her intentions.
Section 3 - Time of Assuming Office: Each officer shall assume the duties of office on July 1, following the spring election.
Section 4 - Duties of Vice President: The vice president shall serve as an ex officio member of the Board of Directors, and coordinator of external programs. The vice president shall prepare a proposal for the program which he/she will coordinate for the following year when the vice president becomes president-elect. Should the office of president-elect become vacant, the vice president shall serve the unexpired portion of the president-elect's term to which the vice president was elected.
Section 5 - Duties of President-elect: The president-elect shall serve as an ex officio member of the Board of Directors and as chairperson of the Program Committee, shall coordinate internal programs, and fulfill such other duties as assigned by the Board of Directors. The president-elect shall assume and perform the duties of the president in the event of the absence, incapacity, or resignation of the president. Should the office of president become vacant, the president-elect shall become president immediately 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, for any reason the president-elect is unable to assume the duties of president immediately, the vice president shall assume the duties of the resident.
Section 6 - Duties of President: The president shall act as the executive officer of the group. The president shall preside at all meetings of the group, shall act ex officio as chairperson of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, and shall exercise general leadership and supervision over the affairs of the group, implementing its purposes.
Section 7 - Duties of Treasurer: The treasurer shall: 1) collect dues; 2) keep accurate records of total membership, including latest addresses and telephone numbers; 3) maintain accurate and up-to-date records; 4) have custody of the funds of the group which shall be deposited in the name of Children's Literature and Reading Special Group of the International Reading Association; 5) sign checks on behalf of the group; 6) cooperate fully with an annual audit and, within thirty (30) days of retirement from office, turn over to the successor all funds, accounts, and books of the treasurer.
Section 8 - Duties of Recording Secretary:The recording secretary shall: 1) record the happenings of all group meetings and all meetings of the Board of Directors; 2) keep a permanent book of the minutes of all meetings; 3) cooperate fully with the successor by turning over up-to-date records within thirty (30) days of retirement of retirement; 4) circulate minutes of board meetings to members within two months of the meetings.
Section 9 - Duties of Corresponding Secretary: The corresponding secretary shall: 1) notify total membership of the date, time, and place of all general meetings at least two (2) weeks before the meeting; 2) circulate proposed amendments to each member at least thirty (30) days in advance of the meeting at which the amendments are to be voted upon; 3) cooperate fully with directions from council meetings and/or meetings of the Board of Directors regarding needed correspondence and notices; 4) send articles and notices to IRA headquarters; 5) cooperated fully with the successor by turning over an up-to date record of correspondence within thirty (30) days of retirement from office.
Section 10 - Duties of the Editor: The editor shall appoint the editorial board for the Dragon Lode , publish the Dragon Lode three times a year and in the final year of his/her term, train the new incoming editor.
Section 11 - Interim Replacement: In the event of a vacancy in the office of vice president-elect, treasurer, recording secretary or corresponding secretary, the Board of Directors shall have the power to fill the vacancy until the next regular election.
Article V - Board of Directors
Section 1 - Function: The Board of Directors shall exercise general supervision over the property and affairs of the group. It shall have the general power to administer the affairs of the group between group meetings and shall report its action to the membership for approval.
Section 2 - Composition:The Board of Directors shall consist of all current officers and nine members- at-large. The outgoing president may have the option of returning as one of the members-at-large.
Section 3 - Meetings: The Board of Directors shall be empowered to hold such meetings as it shall deem necessary on the call of the president, at such times and places as the president may determine. One annual meeting shall be held each year,
Section 4 - Quorum: A quorum for a meeting of the Board of Directors shall consist of six (6) members.
Section 1 - Composition: The assembly shall consist of the Board of Directors and all other members of the group.
Section 2 - Function: The assembly shall be the legislative body of the Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group and shall have full power and authority over the affairs of the group, within the limits set by these bylaws. It shall have authority to review decisions made by the Board of Directors and to accept or reject them.
Section 3 - Quorum: A quorum shall consist of 20% of all those eligible to vote in the assembly.
Section 4 - Meetings: The assembly of the Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group shall meet one time each year.
Section 5 - Amendments to the Bylaws: The assembly of the Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group shall have the power to amend these bylaws as provided in Article XI.
Article VII - Nomination and Election of Officers
Section 1 - Election: All officers and board members, except the President and President-Elect, shall be elected buy ballot mailed to all members. (It is to be mailed by the nominating committee.) Postmarked deadline shall be determined by the Chairperson of the Nomination Committee, but should be no later than April 15th.
Section 2 - Nominating Committee: The Nominating Committee shall be composed of two (2) or three (3) members appointed by the President and approved by the Board of Directors at the annual Board of Director's meeting held in May in conjunction with the yearly Conference of the International Reading Association. The Committee shall prepare a slate of nominees annually. Each nominee must be a member of the International Reading Association . Advance consent from each nominee shall be secured by the Committee.
Section 3 - Mode of Election: A call for new officers shall be published in the winter issue of The Dragon Lode . Following this announcement, the Nominating committee will prepare a slate of candidates for the vacant positions. This slate of candidates with their biographical statements and reflections on literature and literacy shall be included with their ballot. Voting shall be by ballot and there should be one (1) or more nominee(s) for each vacant elective office. Space shall be provided on the ballot form for the names of write-in candidates for each position. In case of a tie, a ballot for the two (2) highest nominees shall be distributed at the annual business meeting held in May. The results of the election shall then be announced.
The president shall be responsible for reporting the newly elected officers to IRA Headquarters before May 15 , using the official forms provided by IRA.
Section 4 - Term of Office: Each elected officer shall assume the duties of office on July 1 following the spring election and shall continue to serve for the duration of the term.
Section 1 - Standing Committees: There shall be such standing committees as specified in Sections 2 through 11 of this article. There shall be a carry-over of two (2) members on each outgoing standing committee into the membership of the newly formed standing committee.
Section 2 - Executive Committee: The Executive Committee shall be composed of the president (who shall serve as chairperson), the president-elect, and the vice president. The committee shall meet at the call of the chairperson.
Section 3 - Membership Committee: The Committee on Membership shall plan ways to secure new members and retain present members.
Section 4 - Program Committee: The president-elect shall be chairperson of the Program Committee. This committee shall make plans for all meetings.
Section 5 - Nominating Committee: The Nominating Committee shall function as defined in Article VII, Sections 2 and 3 of these bylaws.
Section 6 - Bylaws Committee: The Bylaws Committee shall continuously study the bylaws of this council to determine if they are meeting current, as well as foreseeable, needs.
Section 7 - Number of Standing Committees:The number of standing committees may be increased or decreased upon the recommendation of the Board of Directors and approval shown by a majority of votes cast at the Assembly.
Section 8: Number of Members onStanding Committees: The number of members of each standing committee shall be determined by the Board, provided that each committee shall not have fewer than three (3) members.
Section 9 - Mode of Appointment and Terms of Standing Committees: The members of the standing committees shall be appointed by the president with the approval of the Board of Directors and shall serve for the term of the president unless otherwise specified in the charge to the committee.
Section 10 - Chairperson of Standing Committees: The chairperson of each standing committee shall be appointed yearly by the president with the approval of the Board of Directors, except as specified in article VIII, Section 2 and 6.
Section 11 - Special Committees: Special committees may be authorized from time to time by the Board of Directors or members at a group meeting and shall serve for a specified period.
Section 12 - Number of Members of Special Committees: The number of members of each special committee may be determined by the Board of Directors or the members at a group meeting. The number of members shall not be less than three (3).
Section 13 - Mode of Appointment of Special Committees: The members and chairperson of special committees shall be appointed by the president with the approval of the Board of Directors and/or members at a group meeting.
Article IX - Parliamentary Authority
The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order , Newly Revised, shall govern the proceedings of this group except in cases governed by the constitution , bylaws, and special rules adopted by this group.
In the case of the dissolution of this group, any assets remaining after paying or making provision for the payment of all the liabilities of the group will revert to the International Reading Association.
Rationale: It is necessary for this article to be included in the bylaws of all U.S. groups in order to fulfill the requirements of the IRA Group Income Tax Exemption. All IRA groups are included in the group exemption under the provisions of Section 501( c ) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code for nonprofit organizations this is why groups are also required to obtain an Employer Identification Number from the Internal Revenue Service. This clause in the bylaws is also important when a group applies for a nonprofit mailing permit.
Section 1 - Origin: Amendments to the bylaws shall be proposed by 1) a quorum of the Board of Directors: 2) the bylaws committee; or 3) by a majority of the voting members present at a meeting of the group.
Section 2 - Procedures for Amending: Amendments may be adopted by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members present at a meeting of the council provided a quorum has been declared . (See Article VI, Section 3.) The amendments must have been presented first at the previous meeting, and/or the proposed amendments circulated to each voting member at least thirty (30) days in advance of the meeting at which the voting on the amendments is to take place.
Section 3 - Incorporation:Amendments
adopted as described in Section 2 shall be incorporated into these bylaws.
©2002 IRA Children’s Literature and
Reading Special Interest Group (IRA CL/R SIG).
All rights reserved. Website:
http://www.csulb.edu/org/childrens-lit
Dr. Kaye West, Webmistress
Date modified: December 29, 2002. Feedback