CCIS By-Laws

Section 1: General Membership:

Registration for any CCIS conference or webinar grants membership for one fiscal year, which is August to August; no additional fees are required for membership.

Members shall have the right to:

1. Vote in Executive Board elections.
2. Be considered for nomination to the Executive and/or Extended Board.
3. Be notified of all workshops and meetings, professional development events, and/or compliance workshops.
4. Be provided:
   1. Updated legislative information concerning independent study.
   2. Updated information from the California Department of Education concerning independent study.
   3. Access to the CCIS Compliance Manual upon attendance at a Compliance Workshop and/or Training.

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

Section 1: CCIS Board

1. The CCIS Board shall be comprised of two levels:
   1. The Executive Board: Executive Board Duties and Powers are defined in Section 2 below
      1. Qualifications:
         1. Candidates must have been actively involved in organizational activities for at least one full year on the Extended Board.
         2. Candidates must be members in good standing.
         3. Candidates must be able to commit the time to complete the duties of the office.
   2. The Extended Board:
      1. Qualifications: Extended Board members are typically recruited from the regular CCIS membership and can include: Teachers (K-12), administrators, special education personnel, union representatives, CTA appointees, CDE or similar.
      2. Appointed by the Executive Board: Extended Board members shall be appointed by the Executive Board, with the goal of maintaining a membership of no fewer than three and no more than five individuals at any given time.
      3. Duties: Members shall serve in an advisory capacity to the Executive Board.
      4. Advisory/Affiliate Member: An advisory person selected by the California Department of Education (CDE) and/or the Department of Finance may serve as a liaison between the organization and the CDE at the request of the Executive Board.
2. Terms of Office
   1. Executive Board members shall serve two-year terms, with a maximum of two consecutive terms in any given office. If a seat becomes vacant due to term limits and no qualified candidate expresses interest, the Executive Board may, by a simple majority vote, approve an additional term for the Officer who previously held that position.
   2. No member shall serve in more than one office at any given time.
   3. In the event that any Executive Board member is unable to carry out their 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 (see Section 7: Succession).
   4. Honorary Membership: All Past Presidents and Executive Board members who have served two or more terms shall be honorary lifetime members of CCIS.
3. Composition of the Executive Board
   1. The Executive Board may not include more than one member from the same Local Education Agency (LEA).
   2. The Executive Board Offices will be composed of:
      1. President: The President must have served on the Executive or the Extended Board for at least 2 years before they can be elected President. The required 2 years of service on the Executive Board or Extended Board need not be consecutive or immediately prior to the election.
      2. Vice President
      3. Secretary
      4. Treasurer
      5. Current Past President

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 no less frequently than 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 Robert’s Rules of Order in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they are 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 from the same Local Education Agency (LEA).
7. The Current Past President cannot run for the office of President for at least one full term.

Section 4: Contractors

The Executive Board shall have the authority to engage independent contractors as deemed necessary for duties including, but not limited to: fiscal management, legislative advocacy, and compliance/audit technical support.

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 independent contractors to the executive board to discuss decisions in regards to the conditions of their ongoing engagement 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. Coordinate with contractors to ensure timely completion of agreed-upon deliverables.
   10. Perform other duties appropriate to the office.
2. The Vice President shall:
   1. Serve as President in case of a vacancy in the office of President.
   2. Preside over Board meetings in the absence of the President.
   3. Assist the President as needed.
   4. Perform the 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. Schedule electronically all official board meetings: Executive and/or Full, and invite appropriate individuals.
   3. Oversee and/or send all official correspondence of the Board as directed by the Board.
   4. Keep historical data of the organization.
   5. Oversee the updating of the Bylaws as directed by the Executive Board.
   6. Perform the duties applicable to the office.
4. The Treasurer shall:
   1. Be indemnified against errors and omissions made in good faith in the execution of their duties, provided a CPA firm oversees all financial activities of the organization. This indemnification does not extend to acts of fraud, embezzlement, or willful misconduct.
   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, and report the findings of this review to the Executive Board.
   3. Meet with the President immediately following the professional learning events to review all of the financial transactions, verify expenditures, and validate that the records are legal and accurate.
   4. Develop and revise, as required, a reimbursement policy for Executive Board approval.
   5. Maintain a file of financial records, developed according to standard accounting procedures, for historical and audit purposes.
   6. Ensure that Executive Board 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.
   7. Make available current financial reports upon request by any Executive Board Member.
   8. 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.
   9. Perform other such duties applicable to the office, such as—but not limited to—maintaining and updating the CCIS Fiscal Guidelines (Updated: July 2026).
5. The Current Past President shall:
   1. Coordinate with the President to review all contract negotiations.
   2. Present contractor budget proposal statements to the Executive Board for its approval.
   3. Chair the nominating committee to prepare a ballot containing a slate of officers on the Executive Board.
   4. Preside as parliamentarian at Executive Board and general membership meetings.
   5. Chair ad hoc committees established by the Executive Board when requested.
   6. 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 Current Past President shall chair the committee. Should the Current 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 Education Agency (LEA) as any other candidate and/or an existing Executive Board member.
   5. The slate of candidates shall be presented to the Executive Board by the Current 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. Any write-in candidates must meet the eligibility requirements for all Board positions as described above.
   8. Completed ballots shall be received by the Current Past President or designee no later than May 15th, validated as to eligibility and counted no later than May 31st.
2. Election Results
   1. In the event of a tie, the final selection will be made by the current Executive Board.
   2. The results of the balloting shall be communicated to the Executive Board following the counting of the ballots and announced via email and posted on the CCIS website.
   3. 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 by 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 an individual who is eligible according to the terms above to serve as President for the remainder of the unexpired term. If the replacement comes from the Executive Board, then the Executive Board shall appoint a replacement for the newly created vacancy from the Extended Board. This may be done by a majority vote of the remaining Executive Board.
3. In the event that both the President and Vice President are unable to serve, the remaining Executive Board members will consult with the Extended Board 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 one or more members of CCIS.
2. The Executive Board will review the proposed amendment at its next regularly scheduled meeting.
3. The Executive Board will respond to the proposed amendment(s) within thirty (30) days following that review.
4. At least ten (10) days prior to the vote, all members shall be sent by email both the current Bylaws and the proposed amended Bylaws for review and comment.
5. Voting shall be conducted by email after the ten-day review and comment period.
6. Adoption of a proposed amendment shall require a majority of votes cast by participating members.
7. The Executive Board will review and tally the votes to determine the outcome.

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 a non-profit corporation with similar purposes as determined by the Executive Board. The Secretary must also notify the Secretary of State and the Franchise Tax Board of such dissolution in a timely manner.