• Home
  • Public Home
  • Member Home
• Leadership
  • Board
  • Uniserv
  • RA
  • Past Leadership
  • Position Descriptions
  • Elected Positions
• Committees
  • Grievance
  • Instructional
  • Profesional
• Contact Us
  • Contact Info
  • Email LSEA
• Member Tools
  • Member Login
  • Login Help
  • Password Reset
• Documents
  • Constitution
  • Bylaws
• Links
  • Curriculum & Union Resources
  • LSEA Email (https)
  • LSEA Email

 

Lansing Schools Education Association

Constitution

This document is also available in Adobe PDF Format

Lansing Schools Education Association, Incorporated, MEA/NEA

ARTICLE I - NAME AND AFFILIATIONS

Section 1. This non-profit corporation shall be known as the Lansing Schools Education Association, Incorporation, MEA/NEA, and shall hereafter in the Constitution be referred to as LSEA.

Section 2. The LSEA shall be considered a district affiliate of the Michigan Education Association (MEA) and an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA).

ARTICLE II - OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the LSEA shall be:

1. To promote the welfare of school children.

2. To speak with a common voice on matters pertaining to the improvement of the teaching profession.

3. To represent individual and common interest of the membership to the Board of Education and any other legal authorities.

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. The LSEA shall include three types of membership: (a) active, (b) Associate, and (c) student.

Section 2. The membership shall be defined according to the Bylaws.

Section 3. Membership in the LSEA shall be on a continuing basis.

Section 4. All active members shall be members of the United Profession: LSEA, MEA, and NEA.

Section 5. LSEA membership fees for all classifications shall be established by the Representative Assembly.

Section 6. The Executive Board of Directors shall establish administrative regulations governing membership classification.

Section 7. The rights of popular initiative shall be vested in the membership of the Association. Initiative petitions shall be signed by at least ten (10) percent of the members of the Association, provided that no more than fifty (50) percent of the signatures are members in the same building, unit or grade level and shall set forth in full the proposed measure and any existing measure which would be modified by the proposed change. The Representative Assembly must, within thirty (30) school days after receiving the petitions, approve the measure or schedule an election of the membership on the measure. If an election is scheduled, a majority of the members voting on the initiated proposal shall be required for its adoption, which shall take effect ten (10) calendar days after the election, unless otherwise stated in the proposal.

Section 8. The membership of the Association shall have the right of appellate referendum. Petitions to require a vote by the membership upon any resolution of the Representative Assembly or the Board of Directors must be signed by at least ten (10) pecent of the members of the Association, provided that no more than fifty (50) percent of the signatures are members in the same building, unit, or grade level. The Representative Assembly must schedule an election within thirty (30) school days after receiving the petitions. A majority of the members voting on the resolution shall be required for its adoption, which shall take effect ten (10) calendar days after the election, unless otherwise stated in the resolution.

ARTICLE IV-OFFICERS

Section 1. General-The officers shall be a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and such others as identified by the Executive Board of Directors and approved by the Representative Assembly.

Secion 2. Terms of office shall be for three (3) years. No person may serve more than three (3) consecutive terms for President.

Section 3. The President and Vice President shall assume office on August 1 beginning 1997. The Secretary and Treasurer shall assume office on August 1 beginning 1998. The Secretary and Treasurer shall not be elected in the same year as the President and Vice President. The Officers shall assume office on August 1 of the same year they are elected.

ARTICLE V-EXECUTIVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1.
a. The Executive Board of Directors shall consist of the officers, five (5) elementary members, and five (5) secondary members.

b. All officers and board members shall be elected at large, except when vacancies in unexpired terms occur and other provisions of this Constitution or Bylaws provide for filling vacancy by the Representative Assembly.

c. There shall be at least two (2) minority persons on the Board of Directors at all times. If the number of minority persons elected to the Board of Directors is fewer than two (2) an election shall be held in accordance with the LSEA Bylaws (VI.B.3).

Section 2. Terms of office shall be for three (3) years.

Section 3. Board of Directors members shall assume office August 1.

ARTICLE VI-BOARD OF REFERENCE

Section 1. Board of Reference

a. The Board of Reference shall be the judicial body of the LSEA and shall be composed of five (5) judges appointed by the President, with the approval of the Representative Assembly.

b. No judge shall serve on a body investigating a case brought before the Board of Reference.

Section 2. Meetings- The Board of Reference shall hold its first meeting within one (1) month of the adoption of this Constitution and within one (1) month of the opening of school years thereafter.

Section 3. Parliamentarian-The Parliamentarian shall be chosen by the President of LSEA. The Parliamentarian may assist in conducting meetings of the Board of Reference and the LSEA Representative Assembly.

ARTICLE VII-DEPARTMENTS

a. The following departments are hereby established: The Department of Membership, the Department of Communications and Public Relations, the Department of Instruction and Professional Development, the Department of Professional Negotiations, the Department of Contract Maintenance, and the Department of Human Relations.

b. Committees shall be established within these departments as deemed necessary by the Department Directors and/or as recommended and approved by the President and Executive Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VIII-REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY

Section 1. General-The members of the Representative Assembly shall be the legislative body of the LSEA. It shall be composed of the Association Representatives, the officers of the LSEA, Delegates to the Representative Assembly of the MEA, Delegates to the Representative Assembly of the NEA, Delegates to the Regional Council of Region VIII, and all department directors.

ARTICLE XI-ELECTIONS

Section 1. General

a. An Annual Election shall take place between February 1 to April 1.

b. Only active members shall have the right to vote.

c. Officers shall be elected from the active membership at large according to rules herein established and procedures established by the Elections Committee.

d. Candidates for President and Vice President shall be listed on the ballot as President/Vice President slates but opportunity for the voter to cast mixed slate ballots shall be provided. The President Elect and Vice President Elect shall become ex-officio members of the Board of Directors following certification of election results and shall take office on the first day of August following election.

e. The Secretary and the Treasurer shall not be elected in the same year as the President and Vice President and shall take office on August 1 following election.

f. Board of Directors members shall take office on August 1 following election.

g. Delegates to the various organizations with which the LSEA is affiliated shall be selected in a manner consistent with the procedures of the LSEA/MEA/NEA and relevant law.

Section 2. Special

a. A Special Election shall take place within six (6) weeks after the Representative Assembly at which nominations for a vacancy in the office of President and/or Vice President are received. (As referred to in Bylaws V.B.5.)

b. The office holders shall be elected from the active membership at large according to the rules herein established and procedures established by the Nominations and Elections Committee to the Board of Directors.

c. The Officers shall take office immediately after the election is reported by the Nominations and Elections Committee to the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE X-PROFESSIONAL NEGOTIATIONS

Section 1. General-The LSEA shall negotiate under terms set forth by the Michigan Public Employment Act of 1964, P.A. 379, or as subsequently revised, according to procedures established by the LSEA Executive Board of Directors.

Section 2. Ratification

a. Upon completion of negotiations for the Proposed Master Agreement, the LSEA Executive Board of Directors and the Professional Negotiations Team shall hold open hearing(s) to inform all members of the terms of the Proposed Master Agreement.

b. The Proposed Master Agreement shall be considered ratified by the LSEA when approved by a simple majority vote of the membership of the LSEA voting in said election by secret ballot. Voting on the Proposed Master Agreement shall not take place until the membership has had individual copies of the Proposed Agreement available to them for at least three (3) days.

ARTICLE XI-CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

a. The Representatvie Assembly may approve amendments to this Constitution by a 2/3rds vote of those elected to the body.

b. Proposed amendments to the Constitution shall be presented at one meeting of the Representative Assembly and acted on at the next meeting.

c. Proposed amendments approved by the Representative Assembly shall be submitted in writing to the LSEA membership at least ten (10) days before they are to be voted on by secret ballot of the active membership.

d. When proposed amendments are passed by 2/3rds majority of the valid votes cast, they shall be declared in effect immediately as a part of this Constitution.

ARTICLE XII-AUTHORITY AND ORDER OF BUSINESS

Section 1. Robert's Rules of Order Revised shall be the parliamentary authority of the LSEA and the guide for the order of business.

Section 2. Any part of this Constitution/Bylaws which is in conflict with the MEA and/or NEA Constitution/Bylaws will be declared null and void.

ARTICLE XIII-EFFECTIVE DATE

This Constitution shall become effective thirty (30) days after it ratification.

ARTICLE XIV-MEMBERSHIP AND FISCAL YEAR

Section 1. The membership year shall be September 1 through August 31.

Section 2. The fiscal year shall be September 1 through August 31.

As Ratified by the LSEA Membership March 9, 1989.

Proposed Amendments-December 14, 1992; Revised 1-5-93

As Ratified by the LSEA Membership 1993 Spring Election, March 16, 1993

Proposed Amendments-August 19, 2002

As Ratified by the LSEA Membership September 12, 2002

---