CCIS By-Laws

Members shall have the right to:

1. Vote in Executive Board elections.
2. Vote on business brought before the participants at professional development events, with a majority vote by those in attendance determining the outcome.
3. Be considered for nomination to Executive Board office.
4. Attend workshops, meetings, professional development events, and/or compliance workshops.
5. Receive updated legislative information concerning independent study.
6. Receive updated information from the California Department of Education concerning independent study.
7. Receive support from Executive Board members as well as the CDE Board liaison.

The organization shall have an Executive Board with authority to implement these Bylaws and to conduct the affairs of CCIS.

Section 1: Executive Board

1. Members
   1. CCIS conference registration each year defines the attendee as a member of CCIS. There are no additional fees for membership to CCIS.
2. Qualifications of the Executive Board
   1. Candidates must have been actively involved in organizational activities for at least two full years.
   2. Candidates must be members in good standing.
   3. Candidates must be able to commit the time to complete the duties of the office.
3. Terms of Office
   1. Members shall serve two-year terms, with a maximum of two successive terms in any given office.
   2. No member shall serve more than one office at any given time.
   3. In the event that any Executive Board member is unable to carry out his/her duties, that Board member may resign or be asked to resign following a vote of no confidence by the Executive Board. The Board would then be realigned according to the rules of succession.
   4. Honorary: All past presidents and Executive Board members who have served two or more terms shall be honorary lifetime members.
4. Composition of the Executive Board
   1. The Executive Board will be composed of:
      1. President
      2. Vice President
      3. Secretary
      4. Treasurer
      5. Immediate Past President
   2. The President may appoint other members in good standing for special assignments with the approval of the Executive Board.
   3. An advisory person selected by the California Department of Education may serve as a liaison between the organization and CDE at the request of the Executive Board.

Section 2: Executive Board Duties and Powers

The Executive Board shall have the authority to generally supervise and conduct the business of CCIS. None of its acts shall conflict with the organization’s Bylaws.

The Executive Board shall have the authority to:

1. Perform all duties specified in these Bylaws.
2. Coordinate an annual membership campaign.
3. Adopt an annual budget.
4. Appoint a CPA as an independent auditor, prior to June 30th each year, to review the organization’s records.
5. Approve the date, time, place, and contracts associated with the professional learning events, workshops, and/or membership meetings.
6. Establish committees as needed.
7. Hold membership meetings at which a simple majority of those present represents a quorum.
8. Take recommendations to the membership.

Section 3: Executive Board Meetings

1. Regular meetings of the Executive Board shall be held quarterly at a time and place to be determined by the President or the Board.
2. Special meetings of the Executive Board may be called by the President and/or shall be called upon the request of two or more Executive Board members.
3. A simple majority of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum at all meetings.
4. Executive Board meetings shall be held following the most current edition of Roberts’ Rules of Order in all cases in which they are applicable and not inconsistent with these Bylaws and any special rules of order the organization may adopt.
5. Executive Board meetings may be conducted via electronic means.
6. The Executive Board may not include more than one member, with the exception of the Immediate Past President, from the same Local Educational Agency (LEA).
7. The Immediate Past President cannot run for the office of President for at least one full term.

Section 4: Employees/Contract Employees

The Executive Board shall have the authority to hire employees as deemed necessary. These employees shall meet the qualifications, fulfill the responsibilities established in the job descriptions, and be responsible to the Executive Board.

Section 5: Duties of the Officers

1. The President or appointed designee shall:
   1. Preside at meetings of CCIS and the Executive Board.
   2. Appoint, subject to the approval of the Executive Board, a presidential designee and/or members to any ad hoc committees deemed necessary.
   3. Be the official spokesperson for the organization.
   4. Represent the organization as needed at meetings with other professional education organizations, CDE, the organization’s legislative advocate, representatives of the legislature and/or its special committees, and the media.
   5. Contribute articles on the organization’s policies, philosophies, and/or positions on issues to the CCIS newsletter and website, to the media, and/or to appropriate governmental agencies.
   6. Meet annually with stipend or paid consultant to the Executive Board to discuss decisions regarding the conditions of their further employment or termination of services, and to negotiate the conditions of their contracts.
   7. Meet annually with the Executive Board Treasurer to review the books, records, and audit reports to ensure that all of these records validate legal accounting procedures and the sound fiscal status of the organization.
   8. Mentor the Vice President.
   9. Manage and provide direction to employees.
   10. Perform other duties appropriate to the office.
2. The Vice President shall:
   1. Review all contract negotiations for workshops and present their budget proposal statements to the Executive Board for its approval.
   2. Serve as President in case of a vacancy in the office of President and shall preside in the temporary absence of the President.
   3. Assist the President as needed.
   4. Perform other such duties applicable to the office.
3. The Secretary shall:
   1. Keep and distribute minutes of all meetings of the Executive Board within thirty days of those meetings.
   2. Keep historical data of the organization.
   3. Oversee updating of the Bylaws as directed by the Executive Board.
   4. Perform duties applicable to the office.
4. The Treasurer shall:
   1. Be indemnified unless a CPA firm oversees all financial activities of the organization.
   2. Meet quarterly with the President to review all of the organization’s financial transactions and records to ensure that legal procedures were followed and to verify that all records of such transactions are available and accurate. The Treasurer shall report the findings of this review to the Executive Board.
   3. Meet with the President immediately following the professional learning events to review all financial transactions, verify expenditures, and validate that the records are legal and accurate.
   4. Pay all bills authorized by the Executive Board.
   5. Develop and revise, as required, a reimbursement policy for Executive Board approval.
   6. Maintain a file of financial records, developed according to standard accounting procedures, for historical and audit purposes.
   7. Ensure that Executive Board and region records are audited annually by a CPA and present the results to the Executive Board at the first board meeting after the end of the fiscal year.
   8. An annual financial report will be available upon request.
   9. Prepare a proposed budget for the next twelve months prior to the end of each fiscal year for adoption by the Board at its first meeting of the fiscal year.
   10. Perform other such duties applicable to the office.
5. The Current Past President shall:
   1. Chair the nominating committee to prepare a ballot containing a slate of officers on the Executive Board.
   2. Preside as parliamentarian at Executive Board and general membership meetings.
   3. Chair ad hoc committees established by the Executive Board when requested.
   4. Perform other such duties applicable to the office.

Section 6: Elections

1. The nomination procedure shall be as follows:
   1. In an election year, a nominating committee of five (5) active members shall be appointed by the Executive Board on or before February 28th of the year preceding the election.
   2. The Immediate Past President shall chair the committee. Should the Immediate Past President be unable to serve, the chair of the committee shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Board.
   3. It is the duty of the committee to nominate members in good standing as candidates for each of the offices.
   4. The slate may not include more than one candidate from the same Local Educational Agency (LEA).
   5. The slate of candidates shall be presented to the Executive Board by the Immediate Past President on or before March 31st of the election year.
   6. In the event that there is an office without a candidate, the Executive Board has the authority to extend the deadline an additional ten days for that office only.
   7. Official ballots shall be sent to the current members for voting on or before April 30th, shall provide for write-in candidates, and shall be collected in a manner that provides for anonymous response.
   8. Completed ballots shall be received by the Immediate Past President or designee no later than May 15th, validated as to eligibility, and counted no later than May 31st.
2. Results from the ballots:
   1. In the event of a tie, the final selection will be made by the current Executive Board.
   2. In the event two people from the same LEA, with the exception of the Immediate Past President, are selected, the final decision will be made by the current Executive Board.
3. The results of the balloting shall be communicated to the Executive Board following the counting of the ballots and announced in the next published newsletter and posted on the CCIS website.
4. The newly elected officers shall take office July 1st and shall serve their terms as long as they remain members in good standing and/or are not subject to actions taken by the Executive Board to terminate their tenure in office.

Section 7: Succession

1. Vacancies on the Executive Board, with the exception of the office of President, shall be filled by appointment of the President with the approval of the remaining members of the Executive Board, and such appointees shall hold office for the remainder of the unexpired term.
2. In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the Executive Board shall appoint a member of the Executive Board to serve the remainder of the unexpired term.
3. In the event that both the President and Vice President are unable to serve, the remaining Executive Board members will consult with the Executive Board liaisons and appoint a member to serve in each office for the remainder of the unexpired term.

Section 1: Amendment Procedures

1. An amendment to the Bylaws may be proposed in writing by a member or members of CCIS.
2. The Executive Board will review the proposed amendment at its next regularly scheduled board meeting.
3. The Executive Board will respond to the proposed Bylaw change thirty (30) days after its review at the scheduled board meeting.
4. Adoption of a proposed amendment shall be by a majority vote of participating members.

In the event of the dissolution of the California Consortium for Independent Study, a California non-profit corporation, the net assets of the organization shall be distributed as follows:

1. All liabilities and obligations shall be paid, satisfied, and discharged or adequate provisions shall be made thereof.
2. All remaining assets shall be transferred to any non-profit corporation with similar purposes as determined by the Executive Board.