board policy handbook

7/29/2019 Board Policy Handbook

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The Association for the GiftedA Division of the

Council for Exceptional Children

TAG-CEC

Board of Directors

POLICY HANDBOOK

Adopted by the Board: October 16, 1998Revised: October 8, 1999Revised: October 8, 2004

Revised: May 1, 2009Revised: April 24, 2011


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Parliamentary Authority ........................................................................................ 3

General Responsibilities of Board Members ........................................................ 3

Job Descriptions of Board Members .................................................................... 4

President ................................................................................................... 4

Past President .......................................................................................... 6

Vice President .......................................................................................... 7

Secretary ................................................................................................... 8

Treasurer .................................................................................................. 9

Representatives to the CEC Assembly ................................................... 10

General Board Members ......................................................................... 11

Journal Editor .......................................................................................... 12

Newsletter Editor ..................................................................................... 13

Technology Coordinator .......................................................................... 14

Parent Coordinator .................................................................................. 15

CAN Coordinator ..................................................................................... 16

Standing Committees

Membership Committee .......................................................................... 17

Publications Committee .......................................................................... 17

Governmental Relations Committee ....................................................... 17Diversity, Parent, and Community Committee ........................................ 17

Student Committee ................................................................................. 18

Nominations and Elections Committee ................................................... 18

Awards Committee .................................................................................. 19

Finance Committee ................................................................................. 19

Policy Statements

Affiliates .................................................................................................. 20

Endorsements ......................................................................................... 20

Meetings and Conferences ..................................................................... 20Publications ............................................................................................. 20

Position Statements ................................................................................ 20

Reimbursement ....................................................................................... 21

Stabilization Fund .................................................................................... 21


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BOARD POLICY HANDBOOK

The purpose of this document is to describe the working practices for theorganization and the responsibilities of the members of the Board of Directors ofThe Association for the gifted (TAG), a division of the Council for Exceptional

Children (CEC). In accordance with the Bylaws of TAG, these policies provideguidance to Board members for conducting business and making decisions.

Changes to the Policy Handbook will be made with a two-thirds vote of theBoard.

Parliamentary Authority

All meetings will be conducted according to Roberts Rules of Order, NewlyRevised, Tenth Edition (First edition 1915 by General Henry M. Robert; NewlyRevised 2000 by William J. Evans, Daniel H. Honemann, Henry M. Robert,Thomas J. Balch).

http://www.robertsrules.com/

General Responsibilities of Board Members

Responsibilities of all Board Members are:

1. Attendance at the two annual meetings of the Board of Directors and theannual business meeting of the general membership. One of the meetings ofthe Board of Directors is usually held in the fall of the year. The other

meeting and the annual business meeting are held during the annual CECconvention.

2. Notify the president in the event of an absence. Forward a copy of anyreports to be read and distributed at the meeting. Missing two consecutiveBoard meetings is cause for dismissal from the Board.

When a Board member must be absent from a scheduled meeting, he or shemay assign a proxy vote to another Board member. No Board member mayhold more than one proxy vote for any meeting and the president should benotified in advance of the meeting who holds the proxy.

3. Contribute to the TAG Update newsletter, as appropriate.

4. Accept ad hoc responsibilities, as appropriate.


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Job Descriptions of Board Members

According to the Bylaws of the organization, the Board of Directors shall consistof the president, past president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, twoRepresentatives to the CEC Assembly, up to five general members, journal

editor, newsletter editor, technology coordinator, parent coordinator, andChildren and Youth Advocacy Network (CAN) coordinator.

PRESIDENT Two -Year Term

1. Schedule and preside at the meetings of the Board of Directors and theannual business meeting of the general membership.

2. Appoint all standing committee chairpersons as necessary and serve as anex officio member of all committees.

3. Appoint the members of the nominating, membership, program, and othercommittees as necessary.

4. Provide information in a timely fashion to the Board of Directors concerningbusiness and issues relevant to the organization.

5. Carry out, or cause to be carried out, any policy adopted by the organization.

6. Represent the organization as coordinator with other divisions or agencieseither personally or by designating a representative.

7. Ensure that members are notified at least 30 days prior to meetings.

8. Provide an annual report to the organization and to the Council forExceptional Children.

9. Provide a means of communication for the entire membership of theorganization.

10. Provide the Council for Exceptional Children with a complete list of officersand committee chairs.

11. Provide a complete list to CEC of Representatives from the organization forthe annual Representative Assembly.

12. Present a recommendation to the Board of Directors for Representatives tothe CEC Assembly, technology coordinator, parent coordinator, and theChildren and Youth Advocacy Network (CAN) Coordinator. Thesenominations are presented to the membership through the election process.


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13. Represent the organization at Interdivisional Caucus (IDC) meetings eitherpersonally or by designating a representative.

14. Work with the treasurer to prepare a budget.

15. Arrange for an award of appreciation for the past president to be presented atthe general business meeting of the membership.

16. Serve on the nominating committee.

17. Serve on the publication committee.


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PAST PRESIDENT Two-Year Term

1. Serve as chair of the nominating committee. Notify all persons who werenominated and relay to them the results of the election.

2. Serve as chair of the awards committee.

3. Serve as a member of the finance committee.

4. Continue work on projects and initiatives started during term of office aspresident.

5. Attend the Interdivisional Caucus (IDC) meetings, if possible.

6. Prepare a report to be presented at each Board meeting

7. Assist the president and perform such duties as may be assigned to theoffice.


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VICE PRESIDENT Two Year-Term

1. Preside at meetings of the Board of Directors in the absence of the president.

2. Plan the organizations portion of the program for the annual CEC

convention, including:

a. Serve on the CEC Program Advisory Committee (PAC);b. Attend two PAC meetings annually (one during the annual convention and

one during the summer);c. Receive program proposals (May) and arrange for the review to select

appropriate convention sessions for the organization;d. Work with PAC to ensure that the CEC convention incorporates multiple

sessions of interest to the membership of the organization;e. Prepare a draft of the complete program for the approval of the Board.

3. Assist in planning Board meetings, Symposium, and the annual businessmeeting (arrange for rooms through CEC and for food, when appropriate).

4. Assist in the preparation of the budget.

5. Serve on the nominating committee.


7. Prepare a report to be presented at each Board meeting.

8. Assist the president and perform other duties as may be assigned to theoffice.


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SECRETARYTwo-Year Term

1. Keep a careful record of the proceedings of each meeting.

2. Distribute the minutes of each meeting, including reports, no later than six

weeks following the meeting. Follow-up actions are to be highlighted.

3. Carry on the correspondence of the organization as requested by thepresident and the Board.

4. Collect and organize annually for the Archives the following materials:

a. committee reports,b. reports to CEC,c. issues of TAG UPDATE,d. minutes of Board meetings and the annual business meeting,

e. recipients of awards, and af. list of Board members.

5. Update Policy Handbook following Board action and distribute copies toBoard members.

6. Transfer all records to the new secretary 30 days after the beginning of theterm.


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TREASURERThree-Year Term

1. Serve as chairperson of the finance committee to prepare a proposed budgetfor submission to the Board.

2. Open and maintain a checking account and any other accounts as directedby the Board. All accounts must have two signatories, the treasurer and thepresident or another Board member.

3. Receive all funds belonging to the organization that do not automatically gothrough the accounting office of CEC.

4. Receive monthly dues checks from CEC.

5. Check the monthly statements from CEC carefully and debit the expendituresagainst the appropriate line item.

6. Pay out funds on order of the Board.

7. Maintain an accounting of all receipts and expenditures.

8. Present an up-to-date account of all funds for the secretary's report and forthe approval of the Board at each meeting and as may be directed by theBoard.

9. Prepare a report at the end of the fiscal year (January 1-December 31) to bedistributed at the Board meeting held during the CEC conference in the

spring.

10. Hire a certified public accountant with expertise in 501(c)(3) tax law who willfile the necessary annual tax return forms with the IRS. The tax return mustbe filed by the 15

thday of the 5

thmonth after the end of the fiscal year.

11. Arrange for an independent agency, or request that the president appoint anad hoc committee of the board, to review the books prior to turning them overto a new treasurer.

12. Transfer the checking account funds to the new treasurer within 45 days ofthe new term.

13. Prepare a complete accounting for the incoming treasurer within 90 days.


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REPRESENTATIVES (2) TO THE CEC ASSEMBLYTerm of Office Two

Years

1. Represent the Board and the organization at meetings of the Council forExceptional Children.

2. Serve as a Representative from the organization to the annual CECRepresentative Assembly.

3. Attend the annual Representative Assembly meetings during the annual CECconvention and immediately following the convention.


5. Prepare reports for the organization on relevant CEC business and issues.


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GENERAL BOARD MEMBERS Three-Year Term

1. Represent the membership in the decision-making process of the Board.

2. Provide leadership roles as designated by the Board or the president, such

as membership chair or publications chair.



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JOURNAL EDITORFour-Year Term

1. Respond to all inquiries related to the Journal.

2. Administer the publication of JEG.

a. Communicate with the publisher, including, but not limited to, copy workfor every issue, subscriptions, mailing issues, permissions, and budgets.

b. Develop a long-range plan for special issues.c. Create new departments or columns.d. Solicit manuscripts.e. Process manuscripts through the following steps:

receive manuscript

select review panel

evaluate manuscriptinterpret reviewers comments

decide on disposition of the manuscript

write letter to author(s)

evaluate resubmissions

accept manuscript, as appropriate

report to reviewers

work with author to ready the manuscript (copy editing, references,figures and tables, reread manuscript)

assemble issue (order of articles, departments, reviews)

reread galleys

send galleys to author for final checkcomplete final check

f. Coordinate and process special issues using a process similar to that ofother issues with the addition of forming review panels.

g. Coordinate with department editors.h. Update composition of the review panel.i. Evaluate and update procedures for publishing JEG.

3. Supervise editorial assistant and any other staff.

4. Propose policy for the Journal and implement policy adopted by the Board.

5. Work with the treasurer to prepare the budget.



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NEWSLETTER EDITORThree-Year Term

1. Plan, supervise and issue newsletters to the general membership as perpublication schedule.

2. Propose policy for the newsletter to the Board.

3. Work with the treasurer to prepare the budget.

4. Serve on Publications Committee.



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TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR Two-Year Term

1. Maintain and update the website for the organization.

2. Provide information to the Board related to technology opportunities.

3. Prepare a report on the status of the website to be presented at each Boardmeeting.


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PARENT COORDINATORTwo-Year Term

1. Serve as Chair of Diversity, Community, and Parent Committee.2. Respond to requests for information.

3. Promote advocacy for education of children and youth with gifts, talents,and/or high potential.

4. Serve as chair of the diversity, parent and community committee.

5. Represent TAG at Multicultural Summit or other diversity events.



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CHILDREN AND YOUTH ADVOCACY NETWORK (CAN) COORDINATOR

Two-Year Term

1. Represent the organization at the annual CEC CAN workshop.

2. Serve as a communication link between the CEC Public Policy Unit, theBoard members, and TAG members.

3. Disseminate pertinent federal legislative information to the CAN network andthe organization.

4. Carry out other advocacy duties as assigned by the president.



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Standing Committees

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

The purpose of the Membership Committee is to recruit and retain members.The Chairperson will assume the following responsibilities:

1. Monitor membership patterns to retain current members and encourage newmembership.

2. Prepare a report to be presented at each Board meeting.3. Coordinate correspondence with new and lapsed members.4. Collaborate with the Board on the provision of services to continuing

members.5. Arrange for the availability and staffing of the membership table at the annual

CEC convention.6. Serve as the contact for CEC Membership Services.7. Prepare a report to be presented at each Board meeting.

PUBL ICATIONS COMMITTEE

The purpose of the Publications Committee is to oversee all publications of theorganization, including the journal, the newsletter, and other publications asapproved by the Board. Additionally, the committee will work with CEC to ensurethat publications related to gifted education are appropriate. The membership ofthe committee includes the journal editor, newsletter editor, a general Boardmember, and the president. The president with the consent of the Board mayappoint other members.

The publication committee will recommend to the Nominations and ElectionsCommittee to present to the Board the nominees for journal editor andnewsletter editor. These nominations will be presented to the membership of theorganization for ratification.

GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE

The purpose of the Governmental Relations Committee is to support advocacywork for children and youth who have gifts, talents, and/or high potential. TheCAN Coordinator will serve as the Chairperson for the committee.

DIVERSITY, PARENT AND COMMUNITY COMMITTEE

The purpose of the Diversity, Parent and Community Committee is to engageparents and other members of the community in advocating for students withgifts and talents and their families, including those from diverse backgrounds.


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STUDENT COMMITTEE

The purpose of the Student Committee is to recruit and retain student members.The Chairperson will coordinate activities with the Chairperson of theMembership Committee. Chair of this committee is not a voting member of theBoard, but is encouraged to attend Board meetings.

NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS COMMITTEE

The purpose of the Nominations and Elections Committee is to conduct theelections for offices of the organization. The past president serves as theChairperson of this committee. Other members are the president, vicepresident, and other members as appointed by the president with the consent ofthe Board. The Chairperson will assume the following responsibilities:

1. Solicit nominations for Board positions.

2. Ensure that the nominees are members in good standing in the Council forExceptional Children and the organization at the time of nomination andelection, and understand that they must remain so throughout the duration oftheir term in office.

3. Present a slate of candidates for the offices of vice president, secretary,treasurer, and the general Board members. The president will appoint withthe consent of the Board a nominee for the offices of technology coordinator,parent coordinator, and CAN coordinator. The publication committee willrecommend to the Board the nominees for the offices of journal editor andnewsletter editor. These appointments must be included for ratification by

ballot as part of the elections process.

The president will appoint with the consent of the Board two Representativesto the CEC Representative Assembly from among the general Boardmembers. They will serve staggered terms.

4. Submit the slate of nominations to the Board for its consent.

5. Ensure that the slate of nominees is submitted to the membership by mail orelectronic ballot.

6. Arrange for the receipt and tabulation of votes by an independent agency asapproved by the Board.

7. Determine the outcome of a tie by a vote of the Board.

8. Notify all candidates of the election results.


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AWARDS COMMITTEE

The purpose of the Awards Committee is to acknowledge and publicly recognizethose individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of giftededucation and the organization. A list of all previous award recipients will bemaintained by the chairperson. The past president will serve as chairperson of

this committee.

FINANCE COMMITTEE

The purpose of the Finance Committee is to monitor the financial health of theorganization. The Treasurer will serve as the Chairperson of this committee.The president with the consent of the Board will appoint the members of thecommittee.


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Policy Statements

AFFILIATES

Organizations concerned with promoting the welfare and education of childrenand youth with gifts, talents, and/or high potential may affiliate with The

Association for the Gifted. Chapters, branches, or federations of CEC or local,state, provincial, or other organizations may apply by submission of a letter ofapplication for affiliation, accompanied by a copy of their bylaws and/orconstitution, to the Board. Acceptance of an affiliate shall be by a simplemajority vote of the Board. Following notification of affiliate status, the affiliatewill submit an annual update of names and addresses of its officers to thepresident of TAG.

ENDORSEMENTS

The Association for the Gifted may endorse any product, individual, or institution

(public or private, educational, or corporate) that supports it mission. Theendorsement will be determined by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors.

MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES

The Board of Directors may sponsor topical conferences, symposia, or regionalmeetings.

PUBLICATION

The organization will publish a scholarly journal, a newsletter, and other

publications as approved by the Board.

The official journal of the organization will be The Journal for the Education ofthe Giftedand will be published quarterly. The publication shall include originalresearch, theoretical position papers, description of innovative programming,reviews of literature, and historical articles.

The official newsletter of the organization will be the TAG Update and will bepublished a minimum of four times a year. Its purpose is to keep themembership informed.

POSITION STATEMENTS

Other publications may be initiated by the Publications Committee and publishedwith the approval of the Board.


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REIMBURSEMENT POLICY

Guidelines for Reimbursement of Board of Directors and CommitteeChairpersons:

1. Expenses of the president for the Board meetings will be paid, provided thefunds are not available from another source. Reimbursement may notexceed the amount budgeted and original receipts must be submitted to thetreasurer in a timely manner.

2. Expenses associated with the work of a committee or an office will be paid,provided the funds are not available from another source. Reimbursementmay not exceed the amount budgeted and original receipts must besubmitted to the treasurer in a timely manner.

3. Board members are expected to fund their expenses from other sources toattend the meeting(s) of the Board of Directors. If other sources are notavailable, and after the expenses for the meetings are paid, individual Boardmembers may request that their travel and lodging expenses be reimbursed.Reimbursement may not exceed the amount budgeted for the Board meetingand original receipts must be submitted to the treasurer within 30 days. If thereimbursement requests exceed the funds available, the reimbursements willbe prorated.

STAB ILIZATION FUND

A stabilization fund has been established to insure that the organization hasfunds in reserve equal to a years operating budget. Should the organizationever become so financially needy that the stabilization fund has to be used, thepriority for expending these funds is first, the funding of the publication of the

journal; second, the publication of the newsletter; and third, the cost of theoperation of the Board. When the stabilization fund is equal to a years operatingbudget, any interest earned shall fund projects as determined by the Board.

board policy handbook

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