BYLAWS
STEVENS POINT AREA RETIRED TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION (SPARTA)
Article I. NAME
The name of this Association shall
be the Stevens Point Area Retired Teachers’ Association (SPARTA).
Article II.
PURPOSES
The purposes of this Association
are to:
A. Promote and protect the interests, rights, and welfare of the
retired educators of the Stevens Point area in
conjunction with the Wisconsin Retired
Educators’ Association (WREA).
B. Monitor and work to improve the benefits for retired educators
and other members of the Wisconsin Retirement
System (WRS).
C. Encourage Association members to maintain membership in the
Wisconsin Retired Educators’ Association
(WREA).
D. Develop working relationships with local service organizations
whose main emphasis is on aging
groups and
with organizations sharing goals similar
to those of the Association.
E. Inform Association members about and advocate for educational
and other relevant societal issues.
F. Inform members of activities in the area provided for senior
citizens.
G. Encourage Association members to be active participants in
community affairs on an individual
basis.
Article III. MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Classes of Members
A. Regular (voting) - Any retired educator (teacher, administrator,
or school employee) who lives in the area and who
was formerly employed by any school system may
become a member of the Association. The term “school
system” means any public, private, parochial,
technical, or university system. Some regular members are accorded
special status as enumerated below:
1.
Life Members – Life members are those who pay the SPARTA life Association dues.
2.
Honored Members – Honored members are those who have reached the age of 80 and
have been a member for 15 years are given special recognition
as an honored member. Honored
members pay dues according to their membership
classification.
3. Emeritus Members – Any
Association member who is confined to home care, assisted living, or a nursing
home and is unable to
continue paying membership dues is granted Emeritus membership.
4.
Centennial – Any Association member who reaches the age of 100 is granted free
centennial membership and is given special recognition.
B. Associate (non-voting)
– Actively employed educators, spouses of regular members who are not involved
in
education, other Wisconsin Retirement System
annuitants, or friends of public education become associate
members upon payment of dues. Retired teachers, administrators, and
other school employees may not join as
associate members. Individuals who qualify for regular
membership must join as regular members. Associate
members may not hold office and may not
vote.
C. Inactive (not-voting)- Removal from Membership – Any member who
has failed to pay
Association dues by December 31 for the current
year shall be removed from the membership list.
Section 2. Dues. The fiscal year for the Association
begins September 1 and ends August 31.
The annual dues for each membership category are recommended by the
Executive Committee and approved by the general membership at the May
meeting. All dues are payable on
or before October 1 of each year.
New Association members have SPARTA dues waived for the following fiscal
year.
Article IV.
STRUCTURE
The Stevens Point Area Retired
Teachers’ Association (SPARTA) shall maintain an affiliation with the
Wisconsin Retired Educators’
Association (WREA).
Article V.
OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES
Section 1. The
officers shall consist of the President, the President-Elect, the Secretary,
the Treasurer, the Immediate Past
President, and the Database Administrator. A Secretary and a Treasurer may be elected, with the second
person listed being the back-up
officer.
A. The President shall:
1.
Call regular meetings and special meetings of the Executive Committee and of
the Association.
2.
Preside at all meetings of the Association and all meetings of the Executive
Committee and perform the duties which are usually associated with this
office.
3.
Appoint the chair of each of the committees, except the Nominating Committee,
and aid them in selecting the members of those
committees.
4.
Be an ex-officio (non-voting) member of all committees.
5.
Appoint Ad Hoc Committees as deemed necessary.
6.
Direct an annual financial review to be performed at the close of the fiscal
year.
7.
Be a member of WREA.
8.
Serve as the official spokesperson for SPARTA.
9.
Prepare a newsletter for the meetings to be distributed via email and mailings.
10.
Serve as a delegate to district meetings and state conventions.
11.
Perform any other duty as directed by the Executive Committee or the general
membership.
B. The President-elect shall:
1.
Become President when the president completes the term of office or if a
vacancy occurs.
2.
Preside at all meetings in the absence of the President.
3.
Assist the President in the execution of the duties of the Presidency, and
perform other duties as may be delegated by the
President.
4.
Act as an ex-officio (non-voting) member of the committees when the President
is unable to attend.
5.
Be a member of WREA.
6.
Act as chair of the Program Committee.
7.
Perform any other duty as directed by the Executive Committee or the general
membership.
C. The Secretary
shall:
1. Keep the minutes of the
Executive Committee meetings and the general membership meetings of the
Association and present them for approval.
2.
Preside at meetings in the absence of the President and the President-elect.
3.
Provide a copy of the minutes to the President promptly after each meeting.
4.
Complete the correspondence of the Association as necessary.
5.
Be responsible for the safe keeping of the meeting agendas, minutes, and the
newsletters of the Association.
6.
Prepare news articles as needed.
7.
Perform any other duty as directed by the Executive Committee or the general
membership.
D. The Treasurer
shall:
1.
Have charge of the funds of the Association.
2.
Keep an accurate record of receipts and expenditures of the Association.
3.
Prepare the annual financial report.
4.
Prepare a budget under the direction of the Executive Committee
5. Present a
treasurer’s report at meetings.
6.
Disburse funds as authorized the Executive Committee, the general membership, or the budget.
7.
Perform any other duty as directed by the Executive Committee or the general
membership.
E. The Immediate Past President shall:
1.
Serve as a mentor for the President and President-elect.
2.
Act as a member of the Executive Committee.
3.
Monitor the need for bylaw changes, receive recommendations from members, and, when
necessary, request that the President
appoint a Bylaws Committee, with the Immediate Past President serving as chair.
4.
Serve as Parliamentarian at Association meetings.
5.
Perform any other duty as directed by the Executive Committee or the general
membership.
F. The Database Administrator shall:
1.
In cooperation with the Membership chair, maintain an up-to-date list of
membership data and furnish copies to
officers upon request.
2.
Produce the Association Directory to be distributed in January.
3.
Maintain membership records.
Section 2. The
officers shall serve a term of two years.
They shall be elected at the September meeting of years ending in even numbers and shall take office on the November
1 following the election. Officers
may be re-elected for successive terms.
Section 3. Removal
from office: An Association officer may be removed by the Executive Committee
after due notice and hearing. A
removal requires a two-thirds roll call vote of the Executive Committee at a
duly convened or special meeting.
Section 4. If
a vacancy occurs in the office of President, the remainder of the vacated term
shall be filled
by the President-Elect. Vacancies in any other office shall be
filled by special election.
Article VI.
ORGANIZATION
Section 1. The
Executive Committee shall:
A. Consist of Association officers and the chairs of the Membership,
Legislative, Public Education
Outreach, and Book Committees. Other Association
members may attend.
B. Meet at the call of the President or at the request of a
majority of the Committee. The first meeting of the year
shall be held as soon as feasible after the
September meeting.
C. Prepare an annual budget for the presentation at the September
meeting. The budget shall include
the
amount of Association dues for the next year and
mileage rate at which expenses of Association members are
to be reimbursed.
D. Arrange for the election of a Nominating Committee at the
November meeting of years ending in uneven numbers.
The members of the Nominating Committee shall
select a member to serve as chair.
Section 2. Standing
Committees
A. The Membership Committee shall:
1.
Recruit and maintain membership.
The chair shall collect dues paid by members and turn the amount collected over to the Treasurer.
2.
Assist WREA in providing educational resources for pre and post retirees.
3.
Contact retired educators in the area and extend to them an invitation to join
the Association.
4.
Contact all members whose dues are not paid by the November meeting.
5.
Coordinate with the Database Administrator, keep a list of members and their contact
information, submit a copy to the Wisconsin Retired Educators’
Association (WREA) membership chair, and send notifications of any deaths or contact information changes to the
WREA membership chair.
B. The Legislative Committee shall:
1.
Research legislative issues.
2.
Keep informed on state and national legislation of importance to retired
educators.
3.
Initiate contact with our assembly representatives, state senators, and
congressmen regarding legislation of interest to educators.
4.
When needed, attend selected sessions called by the WREA president or the WREA
legislative chair on proposed bills of interest to educators and
keep members of the Association informed on their progress.
5.
Help to organize email alerts to members encouraging contact with legislators
when necessary.
6.
Review educational issues and studies and support legislation that promotes
quality public education.
7.
Monitor and advocate for a strong Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS).
C. The Public Education Outreach Committee shall:
1.
Inform members on issues proposed by area School Boards.
2.
Keep members apprised of area School Board candidates.
3.
Encourage members to become liaisons to area schools under SPARTA’S “Adopt a
School” program.
4. Assemble and review the end of
year reports with the Grant and Scholarship and Endowment Committees for
submission to WREA.
5.
Sub-Committees under the Public Education Outreach Committee
a. The Grant Committee shall:
1) Solicit
and prioritize applications for grants.
2) Recommend the
dollar amount to be awarded.
3) Recommend
grant recipients.
4) Prepare and
submit an end of the year report to the Executive Committee for the WREA annual report.
b. The
Scholarship and Endowment Committee shall:
1) Solicit
and select scholarship recipients.
2) Serve as
liaison between SPARTA and the Community Foundation where the endowment fund is held.
3) Prepare and
submit an end of the year report to the Executive Committee for the WREA annual report.
D. The Book Committee shall:
1.
Receive, sort, and maintain book donations for bi-annual book sales.
2.
Organize workers for set-up, working at sales, and clean-up.
3.
Plan, organize, and advertise the book sales.
4.
Account for daily sales receipts, give a report of total sales to the
Treasurer, and then coordinate with the Treasurer for the
deposit of the funds.
E. The Program Committee shall:
1.
Plan the meeting programs for the coming year under the leadership of the
President-elect.
2.
Contact presenters prior to the meeting and arrange for audio-visual and other
needs.
3.
Introduce the speaker at the meeting.
4.
Write a follow-up thank you letter.
5.
Determine stipend recipient and arrange for payment.
F. The Health Committee shall:
1.
Promote educational and service programs centered on preventive health care and
related programs.
2.
Keep the membership informed of WREA health programs.
3.
Arrange for periodic sessions for assistance in the preparation of Advanced
Directives.
G. The Social Committee shall:
1. Select places for general membership
meetings, take reservations, select menus, and receive payments.
2.
Act as greeters at all general membership meetings and make those persons in
attendance feel welcome.
3.
Have nametags available at meetings.
4.
Plan and organize social events for the Association.
H. The Sunshine Committee shall:
1.
Phone, send a card, or visit ill Association members.
2.
Send a sympathy card to the family in the event of the death of an Association
member.
3.
Inform the Secretary of actions taken.
I. The Historical
Committee shall:
1.
Store and maintain the history of the Association, photographing events, and clipping
relevant newspaper articles for the record
books.
2.
Display archival materials at general membership meetings.
3.
Coordinate with the Portage County Historical Society to obtain volunteers to
teach early 19th century lessons at the Hie Corners School.
Section 3.
Ad Hoc Committees: The President may appoint other committees for special
projects such as the Nominating Committee and the Retirement Planning
Committee. Such ad hoc committees
shall be dissolved upon completion
of their projects.
A. The Nominating Committee shall:
1.
In January of years ending in even numbers, begin recruiting candidates for
office.
2.
In May of years ending in even numbers, present a slate of candidates for
office for the following year.
3.
Oversee the election of officers at the September meeting and assist the Immediate
Past President in the installation of the
new officers.
B. The Retirement Planning Committee shall:
1.
In odd-numbered years, organize
and publicize a retirement program for active educators and others in the community included in
the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS).
2.
Encourage membership in WREA.
Article VII. GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS
Section 1. There shall be six regular general
membership meetings per year.
Section 2. Regular general membership meetings
shall be held on the second Mondays of September, November,
January, March, May and July at a
place acceptable to the members.
Section 3. Should a general membership meeting
not be held as scheduled, it may be rescheduled if feasible.
Section 4. A special general membership meeting
of the Association will be held at the request of one-fourth of the average number of members attending regular
meetings during the preceding twelve months. Such a request
shall be accompanied by a signed
petition of voting members.
Article VIII.
DUES
Section 1. Annual
dues shall be fixed at the May meeting.
Section 2.
Association dues are waived for
new members for the first year.
Section 3. Members paying their dues after May
31 shall have them credited as paid for the following year.
Article IX.
FINANCES
Section 1. The fiscal year of the Association
shall be from September 1 through the following August 31.
Section 2. An annual budget shall be prepared
by the Executive Committee for presentation at the September meeting.
Section 3. Members shall be reimbursed for
expenses they incur in carrying out Association business within the framework of the annual budget. Such expenses shall be documented in a
manner acceptable to the Treasurer.
Section 4. Donations or contributions by the
Association in amounts not to exceed $100.00 may be approved by the President.
Section 5. Donations or contributions by the
Association of more than $100.00 shall be referred to a meeting of the general
membership.
Section 6. Donations to the Association shall
be reviewed by the Executive Committee.
Article X. PARLIMENTARY PROCEDURE
Section 1. At regularly scheduled meetings of
the Association, those members present shall constitute a quorum.
Section 2. Robert’s
Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall be the authority on all questions of
procedure not stated in these bylaws.
Article XI. AMENDMENTS
These bylaws may be amended by a
vote of two-thirds of the members present at any regularly scheduled general membership meeting, provided
notice was given of the proposed changes at a previous meeting. Amended bylaws become effective upon adoption.
Article XII.
DISSOLUTION
In the event of circumstances
which cause the dissolution of the Stevens Point Area Retired Teachers’
Association (SPARTA), all funds
and other assets of the Association shall be transferred to any successor
organization or disbursed to such
not-for-profit educational or charitable agency or institution as the Stevens
Point Area Retired Teachers’
Association (SPARTA) Executive Committee shall designate.
Constitution and Bylaws adopted
January 19, 1970.
Amended January 10, 1972; November
11, 1985; March 11, 1991; March 8, 2004; May 11, 2015.
Revised and adopted May 14, 2018
for implementation beginning September 1, 2018.
Ad Hoc Bylaws Committee 2017-2018
Elbert
Rackow
Dave
Blado
Sherrilee
Wallerman
Joyce
Chekouras
Jan
Langton
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