CONSTITUTION
Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Hackensack Education Association.
Section 2. It is incorporated as a non-profit corporation under Title 15, Sections 1-12 of Revised Statutes of the State of New Jersey.
ARTICLE II - Affiliation
The Association shall be an affiliate of the Bergen County Education Association, the New Jersey Education Association, and the National Education Association
ARTICLE III - Purpose
The Association is established to promote the educational interests of the students of the Hackensack Public Schools; to develop, promote, and advocate the adoption of personnel policies and standards of preparation and participation which are characteristic of a profession; to advance the rights, status, and responsibilities of its members, and to represent its members and other members of the bargaining unit which this Association represents in negotiations and grievances with the Board of Education of the City of Hackensack.
ARTICLE IV - Membership
Section 1. All persons receiving a salary or stipend from the Hackensack Board of Education, with the exception of the Superintendent of Schools, shall be eligible to become a member of the Association.
Section 2. There shall be four classifications of membership
defined as follows:
a. Active: non-supervisory certificated teaching personnel. Active
members may vote and hold office and take full part in the
proceedings of the Association.
b. Associate: non-supervisory paraprofessional staff members.
Associate members may vote and hold office and take full part in
the proceedings of the Association.
c. Limited: active professional supervisory personnel. Limited
members shall be permitted to attend all General Meetings of the
Association but shall not be entitled to vote or hold office.
d. Honorary: individuals granted Honorary Membership. Honorary
membership shall be granted to a member whose outstanding
service to the Association and whose endeavors in the field of
education have proven beneficial and worthy of distinction.
Recommendations may be made by any member and submitted to the
Faculty Council for approval. An Honorary Member shall enjoy
all the privileges of membership in the Association except
for voting and holding office. Honorary members shall be
exempt from the payment of dues.
Section 3. An individual's membership in the Association shall be limited to one and only one classification at any particular time.
Section 4. When eligible, active members shall also be members of the Bergen County Education Association, the New Jersey Education Association, and the National Education Association.
Section 5. Members of the Association shall enjoy the following
rights:
a. Each and every active member shall have the same rights
and privileges within the organization to nominate for office,
to vote in both elections and referenda of the Association, to
attend General Meetings of the Association and to participate
in the deliberations and voting upon the business of such
meetings.
b. Every member shall be entitled to meet and assemble with other
members and to express any views, arguments, or opinions at
meetings of the Association cencerning any business properly
brought before the meeting or concerning any candidates in an
election of the Association.
c. Members shall net be fined, suspended, expelled, or otherwise
disciplined, except for non-payment of dues, without having been
served with specific written charges and given a reasonable time
in which to prepare a defense and present it at a full and fair
hearing.
ARTICLE V - Officers
Section 1. The elected officers of the Association shall be the President, the Vice President, the Recording Secretary, the Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer and Immediate-Past-President.
Section 2. Each officer shall be elected for a term of two years except that the Immediate-Past-President shall be the member who shall have served as president immediately before the incumbant president. Officers shall assume their duties on the first day of May of the year in which they are elected except that in the case of the Immediate-Past-President this officer shall assume duties on the first day of May of the year in which this officer's successor as president is elected.
Section 3. Officers of the Association shall serve their terms
so long as they satisfactorily perform the duties of their
offices. Where an officer is guilty of misconduct, that officer
may be removed for cause (shown and after notice and a hearing)
by a two-thirds vote of the members of the Association.
ARTICLE VI - Executive Committee
The Executive committee shall consist of the elected officers of the Association.
ARTICLE VII - Faculty Council
Section 1. The Faculty Council shall consist of the Executive Committee and the elected faculty representatives from each of the schools.
Section 2. Any member of the Association may attend Faculty Council meetings and may be granted permission to speak before the Council. Members who are not faculty representatives or members of the Executive Committee shall, however, refrain from voting.
Section 3. There shall be at least one faculty representative from each school building. Where more than one representative is elected from a building, one shall be designated by the representatives from that building as Building Leader. Elections shall take place in April and representatives shall assume their duties on the first day of May of the year in which they are elected. In each school building of the Hackensack Public Schools, those persons who are members of the Association shall elect for a term of two years one representative to the Faculty Council for every ten members or fraction thereof. Teacher aides and cafeteria personnel shall be counted as separate fractions, and each building which has aides or cafeteria personnel shall have at least one member of each of these groups which is in that building as a faculty representative. Unexpired terms of faculty representatives shall be filled by appointment by the Faculty Council.
ARTICLE VIII - By-Laws
By-Laws and amendments to the By-Laws may be proposed at any regular meeting of the Faculty Council by any member of the Association. Such proposals must receive a majority vote of the Faculty Council and be distributed to the general membership at least two weeks prior to a ratification vote by the Faculty Council at the next regular meeting. A two-thirds majority of the voting members present at the Faculty Council meeting shall be necessary to ratify such a proposal and make it part of the By-Laws.
ARTICLE IX - Amendments
Section 1. An amendment to this Constitution may be proposed by any member of the Association. The Amendment shall be submitted in writing to the Recording Secretary of the Association at any regular Faculty Council meeting. Such a proposed amendment must receive a majority vote by the Faculty Council before being submitted to the general membership for ratification.
Section 2. Copies of the proposed amendment shall be distributed by the Recording Secretary of the Association to the general membership two weeks before a ratification vote is taken.
Section 3. Ballots will be distributed and collected in each building. A two-thirds majority of those voting shall be necessary for ratification.