Constitution and Bylaws of the Illinois Subdivision of the International Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Childrenthe Illinois Subdivision for Early Childhood

CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I - NAME

Section 1. The name of this corporation shall be "The Illinois Subdivision of the International Division for Early Childhood" of The Council for Exceptional Children, (CEC) hereafter referred to as the Subdivision or IDEC.

ARTICLE II - PURPOSE/PHILOSOPHY

To promote comprehensive delivery of quality services for all young children with special needs and their families (birth-8 years) in the State of Illinois.

Section 1. To initiate and support state and federal legislation that will potentially impact early childhood programming.

Section 2. To develop and foster a reciprocal relationship between families of young children with special needs and professionals which will provide an avenue of exchange regarding perspectives, values, and information.

Section 3. To function in leadership roles in the planning and implementation of a statewide early childhood conference fostering collaborative relationships among cosponsoring entities in order to provide training and networking to individuals concerned with the development and education of all young children with special needs.

Section 4. To encourage and promote professional growth and development of all individuals concerned with the education of young children with special needs.

Section 5. To identify and promote research, best practices and evaluation of programmatic issues of concern in the education of young children with special needs.

Section 6. To aid, sponsor, promote, collaborate with and contribute to civic projects, community chests, scientific and educational research, and philanthropic or eleemosynary institutions, societies or organizations.

Section 7. To periodically grant special funds to enable the Subdivision to engage in special projects which will promote the education and welfare of young children with special needs in the State of Illinois; and to do or perform any or all projects, either alone or in cooperation with institutions, societies and organizations operated exclusively for charitable, scientific, or educational purposes.

Section 8. To receive gifts and appropriations to carry out the objectives and purposes of the corporation.

Section 9. To exercise all such power and authority as may be necessary to carry out the purposes and objectives above specified.

Section 10. However, it is expressly declared that no part of net earnings of the Subdivision shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, its member, officers, or other private persons, except that the Subdivision shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes of the Subdivision as set forth in Article I.

Section 11. No substantial part of the activities of the Subdivision shall be carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation through Subdivision paid lobbying, and the Subdivision 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.

Section 12. The Subdivision shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on by the Subdivision, as exempt from Federal income tax under section 501.

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. All members of the IDEC shall maintain unified membership in the CEC and the International Division for Early Childhood (DEC), as required by International CEC and DEC.

Section 2. Membership shall consist of student members and regular members including professionals, parents, and other interested individuals.

Section 3. The Subdivision shall maintain a minimum of 15 paid members, who shall meet the membership qualifications established by the CEC Delegate Assembly and that may have been supplemented by DEC.

Section 4. Membership in International CEC and DEC runs 12 continuous months from the date of payment of CEC/DEC dues. The period of membership for each IDEC member shall be for this same period and renewable yearly.

ARTICLE IV - ORGANIZATION

Section 1. The Illinois Subdivision for Early Childhood shall be recognized as an official subdivision of the International Division for Early Childhood of The Council for Exceptional Children and shall be affiliated with the Illinois Federation of The Council for Exceptional Children.

Section 2. The fiscal year and administrative term of office shall be July I through June 30. The policy pertaining to the membership shall be consistent with the policy of The Council for Exceptional Children.

ARTICLE V - OFFICERS

Section 1. The officers of this organization shall be President, a President-Elect who shall succeed the President, a Vice President who shall succeed the President-Elect, the immediate Past-President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.

Section 2. All officers must be members in good standing of CEC and DEC at the time of their nomination and election and remain so throughout their term of office.

Section 3. The terms of officers are as follows: President, President-Elect, immediate Past-President and Vice-President - one year; Secretary and Treasurer - two consecutive years.

Section 4. The Administrative term shall be July I through June 30.

Section 5.

If a vacancy occurs in the office of President, the President-Elect shall serve as acting President for the remainder of the term and shall commence the term as President at the expiration of said term.
If a vacancy occurs in the office President-Elect, the Vice President shall serve as acting President-Elect for the remainder of the term and shall commence the term as President-Elect at the expiration of said term.
A vacancy in any of the offices, except President and President-Elect shall be declared and filled by action of the Executive Board upon recommendation by the President, and such person(s) shall serve only until the end of the current administrative year or until replaced by a duly elected successor.

Section 6. An elective officer may succeed him/herself in the same office only once if duly elected by the established nomination and election procedures.

Section 7. Removal from office.

A petition for removal of an officer shall be signed by at least five (5) members of the Subdivision for Exceptional Children and submitted in writing to the President. If the President is the subject of the petition, it shall be presented to the President-Elect.
The President (President-Elect) shall solicit relevant evidence from all parties concerned, and call a meeting of the Executive Board to consider the matter within thirty (30) days following receipt of the petition.
(1) Removal of an officer must be by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Executive Board.
(2) If the Executive Board cannot resolve the issue by a two-thirds (2/3) vote then it will forward the petition and relevant documentation, with or without recommendations, to the general membership. A ballot is to be enclosed and members are to be asked to vote on the removal of the officer.
The ballot must be returned to the President (President-Elect) within thirty (30) days. A two-thirds majority of members voting is necessary for the removal of the officer.

ARTICLE VI - EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1. The President, President-Elect, Vice President, immediate Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, and chairpersons of standing committees shall constitute the Executive Board.

Section 2. One-half or more of the members of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum.

Section 3. The Executive Board shall conduct at regular intervals, activities that include both professional and business meetings.

ARTICLE VII - COMMITTEES

Section 1. Standing committees shall include:

Membership
Family Participation
Publications
Nominations and Elections
Governmental Relations
Fund Raising
Finance
Program Planning

Section 2. Ad hoc committees may be established and their functions assigned at the discretion of the President. Such establishment must clearly indicate the purpose and length of service of the committee.

ARTICLE VIII - MEETINGS

Section 1.

A minimum of one annual business meeting shall be scheduled, publicized and conducted.
One-half or more of the Executive Board and other members present and voting shall constitute a quorum

Section 2. The Executive Board shall have the authority to conduct regular meetings, conventions, or conferences in addition to the annual meeting.

ARTICLE IX - LEGISLATION

Section 1. IDEC will participate in legislating the Federation's program through official voting representation in the ICEC Delegate Assembly.

ARTICLE X - AMENDMENTS

Section 1.

This constitution may be amended by a mail or voice vote at a general meeting and must pass by a two-thirds majority of the members voting.
Proposed amendments to the constitution must be submitted to the Executive Board which shall submit these to the membership in writing 30 days in advance of the next business meeting with or without amendments and/or recommendations as to adoption or rejection. Comments may be submitted to the President who will forward them to the ad hoc by-laws committee for consideration. Proposed amendments may be voted on by mail ballot, or may be amended by a majority vote of members present at an IDEC business meeting. All amendments must be submitted to the President before being petitioned to the membership.

Section 2. The bylaws may be amended by a voice or mail vote and passed by a simple majority of those members voting, provided the membership had been notified at least 1 month prior to the meeting at which the voice vote will be taken.

ARTICLE XI - DISSOLUTION

Section 1.

In the event of dissolution of this Subdivision, the Executive Board shall, after payment of all liabilities of the Subdivision, dispose of all the assets of the Subdivision by:

Following specific procedures as determined by International DEC, or, if no such procedures are mandated,
Forwarding them to the Headquarters of The Council for Exceptional Children with a request that they be retained in a noninterest bearing account and make available should it ever be reorganized, or
Contributing them to The Foundation for Exceptional Children, a nonprofit, tax exempt public foundation which operates to advance the education of children and youth with special needs, or
Contributing them to a national or state/provincial, nonprofit organization or activity, the purpose of which is to serve the needs of children and youth with special needs.

Section 2. Under no circumstances shall any of the property or assets of the Subdivision during its existence or upon the dissolution thereof go and be distributed to any officer, member, employer, or subsidiary of this corporation.

BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Regular membership shall consist of a) professional personnel engaged in the education of young children with special needs and their families or in work that is directly related to their education; b) parents and/or family members of young children with special needs and c) other interested individuals.

Section 2. Student membership shall consist of college or university students who are not engaged in full-time employment in the education profession.

Section 3. The policy pertaining to the membership year shall be consistent with the policy of CEC, and the period of membership for each Subdivision member shall coincide with his/her CEC membership.

Section 4. All members shall be entitled to all rights and privileges of this Subdivision.

ARTICLES II - FEES

Section 1. Fees for Subdivision activities, such as newsletters, conferences, and other programs shall be determined by the Executive Board.

ARTICLE III - DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 1. The duties of officers shall be such as are implied by their respective titles and such as are specified in these bylaws.

Section 2. The President shall:

Be the chief executive officer of the Subdivision.
Call and preside at all business meetings and meetings of the Executive Board.
Recommend chairperson of committees with the exception of those committees identified as duties of other officers.
Be an ex-offcio member of all committees with the exception of the Nominations and Elections Committee.
Represent the Subdivision in coordinating efforts with other agencies and other divisions.
Give leadership to general policy making and carry out direction of the membership.
Submit an annual report to DEC and ICEC.
File any amendments to the constitution with DEC/ICEC.
Appoint the Subdivision representative to the ICEC Executive Board to represent the Subdivision at meetings of the Board and to participate in mail balloting and other activities necessary during the year in the administration of the Council's program. The representative shall make reports to the Subdivision Executive Board and at annual Subdivision business meetings.

Section 3. The President-Elect shall:

Serve in the place of the President with authority in case of absence or disability of the President.
Serve as Chairperson of the Program Planning Committee which shall develop the program and plan meetings according to the policies and directives of the Executive Board.
Serve as Chairperson of the Fund Raising Committee which shall investigate and implement fund raising activities according to the policies and direction of the Executive Board.

Section 4. The Vice President shall:

Serve in the President's place and with his/her authority in the case of absence or disability of the President and President-Elect.
Assume designated responsibilities which will provide training for advancement to the office of President-Elect and President.

Section 5. The Secretary shall keep a record of all proceedings of the annual business meeting, the meetings of the Executive Board, and such correspondence as necessary for the operation of the organization.

Section 6.

The Treasurer shall:

Make an annual report of the financial status of the Subdivision to the Executive Board and at the annual business meeting.
Prepare and submit an annual budget for approval by the Executive Board and at the annual business meeting.
Serve as chair of the finance committee, which develops the budget.

IDEC Treasurer shall be responsible for Subdivision banking and all phases of bookkeeping.
Books shall be subject to an internal treasury review by an auditing committee, not to include the Treasurer, at the end of the Treasurer's term. The auditing committee shall consist of not less than 3 IDEC members in good standing, appointed by the retiring President, who in turn shall turn them over to the incoming Treasurer. In the case that the auditing committee shall find it necessary, a certified public accountant's services may be used, with approval of the Executive Board. The auditing committee should state on record that the Treasurer's report accuracy has been documented.
The Treasurer and the President shall be listed on the IDEC checking and/or savings account and both shall have check writing privileges.
The Treasurer shall function as a member of the budget committee of the statewide Early Childhood Conference.

ARTICLE IV - COMMITTEES

Section 1. The President, with the approval of the Executive Board shall appoint the chairperson of the following standing committees: membership, family participation, publications, governmental relations, and Statewide Early Childhood Conference. The immediate Past-President shall serve as chairperson of the Nominations and Elections Committee.

Section 2. With the exception of the Nominations and Elections Committee, committee members shall be appointed by the chairperson subject to approval by the President. The Nominations and Elections Committee members shall be appointed by the chairperson subject to approval by the Executive Board.

Section 3. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall have two (2) members in addition to the chairperson, representing a broad geographical and professional selection. The chairperson and members shall serve one (1) year terms.

Section 4. All standing committees reporting at the annual meeting shall first report to the Executive board.

Section 5.

The Nominations and Elections Committee's Procedure shall be:

Determine and announce to general membership the date for the annual election of officers.
Solicit recommendations for nominations from the entire membership prior to the election date.
Nominate two candidates, if possible, for Vice President annually; for Secretary on odd numbered years; for Treasurer on even numbered years.
In case of vacancies in the offices of President-Elect and Vice President, nominate candidates for President and President-Elect.

Other nominations may be added by any group of eight (8) members in good standing signing a nomination petition. Petitions shall be completed and forwarded to the president six (6) weeks prior to the election date.
The nominations committee shall make up the ballot and prepare for mailing to all members.
Information, including those names of members selected by the nominations committee and those selected by petitions shall be announced to the entire membership by the mail ballot.
Results of the election shall be announced by written notification to members.

Section 6. The Membership Committee shall:

Maintain an active record of members and to provide all officers and committee chairpersons with such a list upon request.
Maintain an active program for the recruitment of new members.
Support Council Headquarters and the International CEC in their follow-up of membership renewals.
Keep a written record of the activities conducted to maintain and increase membership.

Section 7.

The Publications Committee shall (1) continuously review the publications structure of the Subdivision and recommend policies and procedures related to its growth and development, (2) assess the composition of the membership for consideration in determining the scope of the publication program, and (3) recommend to the Executive Board publications to be issued.
The publications Committee shall include the Newsletter Editor.

Section 8. The chairperson of the Governmental Relations Committee shall serve as the Subdivision's representative to the ICEC Governmental Relations Committee.

The Governmental Relations Committee shall:

Develop a legislative education program under the direction of the Executive Board.
Disseminate information pertinent to national and state legislative programs.

Section 9. The chairperson of the Family Participation Committee shall be an appointed parent representative when possible.

The Family Participation Committee shall:

oversee and coordinate periodic mailings and updates on current issues of interest to parents;
assist in coordinating a parent strand at any Subdivision Conference offering.
assist the IDEC Newsletter Editor in soliciting family focused articles for the newsletter's family column;
work in conjunction with the governmental relations committee to impact on legislative issues.

Section 10. Responsibilities of the Statewide Early Childhood Conference Chairperson.

The chair will implement procedures developed for planning and implementation of the statewide conference.
The chair will provide linkage between the IDEC Board and the conference planning committee.
The chair will report an overview of the conference to the IDEC Board at the first Board meeting after the conference.

ARTICLE V - EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1. The Executive Board shall:

Conduct all appropriate executive business of the Subdivision.
Recommend policies and programs for the Subdivision.
Advise on the annual Subdivision budget.
Decide on the publications that should be issued.
Formulate such administrative policies and assume such other responsibilities as are appropriate.
Establish fees for Subdivision activities, such as newsletters, conferences, and other programs.

ARTICLE VI - ANNUAL MEETING

Section 1. The annual meeting shall consist of a business meeting and such other activities as appropriate.

Section 2. The annual business meeting shall consist of:

Report of Subdivision activities and other matters of concern by the president.
Minutes of previous meetings.
Report by the Treasurer.
Approval of budget and program for the coming year.
Report of all committees.
Report of CEC, DEC, and ICEC activities that concern the Subdivision.
Such other matters as are of interest and concern to the Subdivision.

ARTICLE VII - PARLIAMENTARY RULES

Section 1. The rules of parliamentary practice composed in Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern the proceedings of this Subdivision subject to the special rules which have been or may be adopted.

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