ARTICLE I
NAME AND PURPOSE
 
Section 1. Name
 
The corporate name of the Association shall be the Science Education Leadership Association of New Jersey, Inc. The Association may continue to be known and do business as the New Jersey Science Education Leadership Association (NJSELA).
 
Section 2. Purpose
The purposes of this Association are:
a. To stimulate and facilitate in the professional development of efficient and effective leadership practices to improve science education.
 
b. To enhance the professional competence and status of leaders in science education.
c. To provide opportunities for science supervisors, department heads, and educators responsible for and/or interested in leadership in science education to discuss, and take action on matters of common interest and concern.
d. To facilitate communication among leaders in science education.
e. To stimulate and to aid in the development of curriculum materials.
f. To present to the appropriate agencies issues of concern to science education leaders.
 
g. To conduct research leading to the incorporation of new trends, methods, and curriculum in science education
 
h. To provide members with benefits that will help in their science education leadership endeavors.
i. To promote the improvement of the teaching and learning processes as they relate to the content, methods, and attitudes toward science in the schools of New Jersey.
 


 
ARTICLE II
 
MEMBERSHIP
 
Section 1. Membership
a. Membership in this Association shall be open to: (1) individuals in leadership positions who are responsible for science education, (2) individuals who were formerly members,     (3) individuals who are leaders in science education, (4) corporations or individuals who are advocates of science education. This may include science department heads, coordinators, consultants, supervisors, directors, principals, assistant / vice principals, curriculum coordinators, superintendents, science specialists, curriculum developers, college instructors of science teachers or supervisors, anyone having science supervisory responsibilities, corporations or their representatives or anyone who has ever served in these capacities.
 
Section 2. Types of Membership
There shall be five types of membership. They are:
 
a. Active Member - any member who presently meets one of the established membership categories.
b. Retired Member - any member who retires from active service to science education may    continue to be a member of the Association providing that helshe has been an active member the preceding three years. Retired members shall have all the rights and privileges of an Active Member.
 
c. Life Member - all former Presidents of the Association upon retirement from active service will be awarded a Ute Membership in the Association. There shall be no dues for a Life Member and he / she shall have all the rights and privileges of an Active Member.
d. Corporate Member - a corporation may join the Association and be entitled to all rights and privileges of an active member except the right to vote
 
e. Corporate Representative - a corporate representative may join the Association and be entitled to all rights and privileges of an active member except for the right to vote.
 
Section 3. Dues
Dues for membership shall be set by vote of the membership at the Annual Meeting.
 
a. Dues for membership shall be recommended by the Executive Committee and be set by vote of the membership no later than March 1st.
 
b.The membership year shall be from January 1 through December 31.
 
 
c. The Membership Chairperson shall delete from the Association rolls such persons who have not paid current dues by January 1 of the membership year.
         
Section 4. Corporate Seal
 
The Association shall have a corporate seal. The President shall be the custodian of the corporate seal and papers.
 
Section 5. Title VI and Title IX
 
The Association complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It also complies with Title IX.
 
ARTICLE III
ADMINISTRATION
 
Section 1. Elected Officers and Executive Committee
 
a. The officers of the Association shall be a President, Past President, President-elect, a Secretary, and a Treasurer (five persons). The officers of the Association shall serve as the Board of Trustees for corporate purposes.
b. The Executive Committee shall be the governing body of the Association. The Executive Committee shall include the officers of the Association, and the following appointed members: National Science Education Leadership Association liaison representative, New Jersey Science Convention Co-Chairperson, Publications Editor, Membership Chairperson, Awards Chairperson.and other committee chairpersons appointed by the President. The Executive Committee shall be composed of a maximum of twenty (20) persons. All members of the Executive Committee shall have full voting rights.
 
Section 2. Terms of Elected Officers
The President, Past President, and President-Elect shall serve for one year and shall not succeed themselves except in extraordinary circumstances as approved by the Executive Committee. The Secretary and the Treasurer shall serve for one year and may be re-nominated and reelected.
 
Section 3. Duties of the Officers
a. The President shall preside over the meetings of the Association and its Executive Committee, shall appoint members to the Executive Committee, shall appoint such committees as are necessary to conduct the Association's business, shall serve ex-officio on such committees, and shall be the official representative of the Association before the public and other educational bodies. The President shall serve on the Steering Committee of the New Jersey Science Convention and be responsible for all duties of the position as stated in the NJSC's Constitution and Policies.
 
b. The Past President shall serve as chairperson of the Nominating Committee, shall serve as the NJST A liaison representative, shall serve as the President of the Association should the office of the President become vacant, and shall act in an advisory capacity to the President The Past President shall serve on the Steering Committee of the New Jersey Science Convention and be responsible for all duties of the position as stated in the NJSC's Constitution and Policies.
 
c. The President-Elect shall act for the President in his / her absence, shall perform such duties as the President may delegate, shall serve or oversee the Program Chairperson for the NJSELA's programs at the New Jersey Science Convention, and shall plan the regular programs sponsored by the Association which will be held during his / her term. The President-Elect shall serve on the Steering Committee of the New Jersey Science Convention and be responsible for all duties of the position as stated in the NJSC's Constitution and Policies.
d. The Secretary shall keep accurate minutes of all meetings of the Association and meetings of its Executive Committee shall maintain the official files of the Association, shall be responsible for overseeing the notification to members of all open meetings and the Executive Committee of all business meetings, and shall be responsible for parliamentary procedures during meetings.
e. The Treasurer shall serve as the custodian of the Association funds and make payment of all debts of the Association which are approved by the Executive Committee, shall keep accurate records of all financial transactions, of the Association, shall report the same on a regular basis as requested by the President, shall file any federal and financial transactions and maintain records of all grant programs, shall collect dues from the Membership Chairperson, and oversee membership record keeping.
 
Section 4. Approved Executive Committee Members
a. The National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA) liaison representative shall be the liaison to the NSELA and other supervisory groups and shall perform duties related to these groups as designated by the President.
 
b. The Science Convention Executive Co-Chairperson shall serve for a term of 2 years and work with the New Jersey Science Teachers Association Co-Chairperson in planning the Annual New Jersey Science Convention. The NJSC Co-Chairperson representing the NJSELA shall be selected in accordance with the NJSC Constitution and shall keep the Association's Executive Committee informed as to the NJSC's deliberations.
c. The Awards Committee Chairperson shall appoint a committee which will be responsible for nominating recipients and determining criteria for selection of any awards designated by the Executive Committee.
 
d. The Publications Editor shall be responsible for the editing and publishing of the Newsletter of the Association on a regular basis.
 
e. The Membership Chairperson shall work with the Treasurer to oversee the membership rolls, the membership data base, and conduct membership drives as directed by the Treasurer of the Association.
f. Other committees may be established by the Executive Committee to carry on the special projects and activities of the Association as the need may arise. The President shall appoint a chairperson for each committee.
 
g. All members of Association committees shall be current members of the Association .
 
Section 5. The Executive Committee
a. The Executive Committee shall conduct business as is directed by the membership at general meetings. It shall also function so as to provide continuity in the affairs of the Association between general meetings. The Executive Committee shall be the governing body of the Association.
 
b. The Executive Committee shall approve the planned expenditure of Association funds.
c. The Executive Committee shall be composed of a maximum of twenty (20) voting members which shall include the officers of the Association and appointed voting members
 
d. A simple majority of voting members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum in the transaction of business.
 
 
Section 6. Board of Trustees
 
a. The business of the Association, except as may otherwise be designated with respect to the Executive Committee. shall be managed by the Board of Trustees consisting of the elected five (5) officers of the association.
b. The President, by virtue of office, shall also be Chairperson of the Board of Trustees.
c. Each Trustee shall hold office for terms concurrent with their positions as elected officers of the Association.
 
d. Four (4) members of the Board of Trustees shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of the business of the Board of Trustees. Each Trustee shall have one vote.
 
Section 7. Dissolution of the Corporation and the Distribution of Assets
 
a.   No part of the net earnings of the Association shall inure to the benefit of, or be
distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or private persons, except that the Association shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Article I hereof.
 
b. Upon dissolution of the corporation, the Board of Trustees shall, after paying all of the liabilities of the corporation, dispose all assets of the corporation to such organizations organized and operated exclusively for educational scientific purposes which shall qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or corresponding provisions of any future Internal Revenue Law).
c. Organizations to be given consideration may include, but are not limited to the the following: New Jersey Science Teachers Association, the National Science Education Leadership Association, and the New Jersey Academy of Science.
Section 8 Tax Exempt Status
 
No substantial part of the activities of the Association shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the Association shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the Association shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on by an Association exempt from Federal income tax under section 501 (c) (3) under the Internal Revenue code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law) or by an Association, contributions to which are deductible under section 170 (c) (2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law).
 
 
ARTICLE IV
MEETINGS
Section 1. Regular Meetings
a. Regular meetings of the Association may be held as decided by the Executive Committee. The dates of said meetings shall be established by the Executive Committee and announced to the membership. Regular meetings shall include the Annual New Jersey Science Convention held in conjunction with the New Jersey Science Teachers Association.
Section 2. Special Meetings
a. Special meetings may be called at the discretion of the Executive Committee Special meetings must be called by the President or the Executive Committee upon written request of fifty percent (50 %) of the active members of the Association. All members of the Association are to be notified in writing or by the Association Newsletter of such meetings at least two (2) weeks prior to the meeting.
 
Section 3. Executive Committee Meetings
 
a.   The Executive Committee shall meet on a regular basis at times and dates determined by the President
.
 
Section 4. Annual Meetings
 
a. The Annual Meeting of the Association's membership being required under applicable provisions of the New Jersey statutes, shall be set at and shall be held on or about May 15th of each year, except if such day shall fall on a weekend or legal holiday, or for other reasonable cause. The Board of Trustees shall fix the annual meeting date. It shall not be more than two weeks before or after the May 15th date.
b. Notice of the Annual Meeting date shall be given as required in Article IV, Section 2 of the Constitution dealing with special meetings.
         
Section 5. Open Meetings
 
a. All meetings of the Association are open to persons interested in science education.
         
Section 6. Quorums
a. A quorum for general and special meetings shall be those members present.
b. A quorum for any committees of the Association shall be the majority of its members.
 
c. A quorum for the Board of Trustees meetings shall be four (4) members.
d. A quorum for Executive Committee meetings shall be a simple majority of the voting members.
 
Section 7. Parliamentary Authority
a.      Robert's Rules of Order, Revised shall be the parliamentary authority for the Association on such questions as are not covered by the Constitution.
b.     The Secretary, by virtue of his or her office, shall be responsible for overseeing parliamentary procedures for the Association during meetings.
 
 
ARTICLE V
ELECTIONS
 
Section 1. Nominations and Elections
a.      Each year the Past President shall appoint a nominating committee composed of members of the Association. The Past President shall be ex-officio chairperson of the committee.
b.     The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of officers and present each to the membership by the February general meeting. Nominations shall be accepted from the floor at this meeting, provided that the nominee's permission has been obtained. All nominees must be members of the Association.
c.      In the event there is one nominee for each office, a motion may be offered on behalf of members for the slate of officers presented. The membership shall be notified by the Association Newsletter or other general mailing of the slate of officers.
d.     In the event there is more than one nominee for any elected office, the Nominating Committee shall prepare a ballot and mail it to each active member of the Association at least three (3) weeks preceding the Annual Meeting of members (approximately May 15th). Ballots shall be received by the Chairperson of the Nominating Committee until midnight of the day preceding the meeting, and shall at that meeting declare elected those nominees who have received a plurality of the votes cast.
e.      All elected officers shall assume their positions at the close of the Annual New Jersey Science Convention.
 
ARTICLE VI
AFFILIATION
 
 
Section 1. Affiliation
a.      The Association shall maintain affiliation with the National Science Education Leadership Association and the New Jersey Science Teachers Association. Members are encouraged to be members of NSELA.
b.     The Science Education Leadership Association of New Jersey will recognize formal affiliation of other associations, provided such associations recognize the principles and purposes of the Science Education Leadership Association of New Jersey. The members of such associations should be members of the NJSELA. Affiliation may be voted by the Executive Committee after careful review of the Constitution, By-Laws, and other appropriate documents from an association which submits a formal request to the President of the Association. The main purpose of any affiliate must be directly compatible with the purposes of the Science Education Leadership Association of New Jersey as expressed in Article I, Section 2.
c.      Affiliations which require or demand the use of Association funds are prohibited.
 
 
ARTICLE VII
AMENDMENTS
 
Section 1. Amendments
a. Amendments to the Constitution of the Association may be proposed by the Executive Committee or any individual member or group of members of the Association.
b. Such proposals are to be presented at the Annual Meeting by the Secretary.
c.  Proposed amendments shall be submitted to all Association members for a vote by the Secretary within thirty (30) days after the Annual Meeting. Said votes shall be called for and counted by the Secretary.
 
d. An amendment shall be enacted if two-thirds (2IJ) of the votes are in favor of the amendment.
e. The membership may be notified by the Association Newsletter or other general mailing as to the results of the vote on the amendments.
Proposed by the Executive Committee on February 17, 1999.
Adopted by membership ratification on May 12, 1999.