ARTICLE I - NAME
Section 1
The name of the Association shall be the Gloucester County Education Association, Incorporated, hereafter referred to as the Association.
Section 2
The Association shall be incorporated as a non-profit corporation under Title 15A: 2-8 New Jersey Domestic Nonprofit Corporation Act.
Section 3
The Association shall apply for tax exempt status under Internal Revenue Code 501 c (5) and govern itself in a manner that will not jeopardize its tax exempt status. The Association may apply to NJEA to be included in a group exempt letter.
ARTICLE II - AFFILIATION
ARTICLE III - PURPOSE
- To work for the welfare of students, the advancement of public education, and the improvement of educational opportunities for all.
- To unify all employees eligible for membership so as to enable members to speak with a common voice on all matters of mutual concern and to represent individual and common interests of members.
- To promote the general welfare of members, to advance educational standards and to establish and maintain good community relations.
- To develop and promote continuing programs to secure and maintain better employment benefits, uniform personnel practices, professional preparation standards, sound retirement systems, and improvements in terms and conditions of employment.
- To complement and supplement the New Jersey Education Association and the National Education Association.
- To promote, encourage, and assist local associations in the county.
- To stimulate interest in and community support for public education within the county.
ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1
All certified professional personnel employed in the Gloucester County Public Schools and the faculty of schools of higher education in Gloucester County may become active members in the Gloucester County Education Association by the payment of annual unified dues, where applicable. Active members in good standing shall be eligible to vote, to hold office, and to participate in the activities of the association.
Section 2
All Educational Support Professionals employed in the Gloucester County Public Schools or schools of higher education in Gloucester County, may become active members in the Gloucester County Education Association by the payment of annual unified dues, where applicable. Active members in good standing shall be eligible to vote, to hold office, and to participate in the activities of the association.
Section 3
An honorary member shall be a person who has rendered meritorious service in the cause of education and who is not regularly engaged in the public schools of Gloucester County. He shall have all the privileges of an active member except the holding of office, voting, and the payment of dues.
Section 4
Rights of Membership - The application of the one-person, one-vote principle for representation on all governing bodies except that there shall be a guarantee of ethnic-minority representation proportionate to the ethnic-minority membership.
ARTICLE V - OPERATING STRUCTURE
Section 1
The officers of this association shall be the President, the 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice-President, the Secretary and the Treasurer.
Section 2 - Executive Committee:
The voting members of the Executive Committee of the Gloucester County Education Association shall consist of the elected representatives for Gloucester County. These shall be: President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, NJEA Delegate Assembly members representing Gloucester County, Alternate NJEA Delegate Assembly members, Past President, NJEA Executive Committee member, and elected Members-At-Large. Additional members shall consist of GCEA/NJEA committee chairs, but shall not be voting members.
The Executive Committee shall be the executive authority of the association. It shall execute the policies approved by the Representative Council, authorize expenditures within the limits of the budget, propose policies for the consideration of the Representative Council, and transact business of the association between meetings of the Representative Council.
Section 3 - Representative Council
The Representative Council shall be the legislative and policy forming body and transact the business of the Gloucester County Education Association at regular meetings.
The Representative Council shall consist of the GCEA Executive Committee and the local affiliate president from each member local and other members of that local in compliance with section "Arcticle IV Sections 1 & 2" above as selected by the president of that local association. NJEA committee members and GCEA committee members who are not representing their local are non-voting members. Representation will be determined on the basis of one representative for every 50 dues paying members in the GCEA or major fraction thereof in that local, total membership including active supportive staff, with every district entitled to at least one representative. In locals with more than 50 paid active-supportive memberships, at least one representative must be from active supportive staff. The ratio for representation should reflect the ratio of total membership within the local. The Local Association shall guarantee ethnic-minority representation at least proportionate to its ethnic-minority membership.
Members of the Representative Council shall be elected yearly before the first meeting of the GCEA in September.
Any member of the GCEA who is not a member of the Representative Council may attend its meetings but shall sit apart from the voting members and may receive permission to speak.
Section 4 - Alternates/Proxies
In the event of an absence of a voting member, an alternate or proxy may represent that local affiliate provided said alternate/proxy has been selected by the local affiliate president and the Gloucester County leadership has received notice of such authorization.
Section 5 - Quorum
A quorum for the Representative Council shall consist of local representatives present at a duly advertised meeting.
ARTICLE VI - MEETINGS
Section 1
The Representative Council shall meet at least five (5) times from September through June.
The Executive Committee shall meet monthly prior to each Representative Council meeting and at other times at the call of the President.
Special meetings of the Representative Council or the Executive Committee may be held upon written request of ten percent (10%) of the dues paying members.
Special meetings of the Representative Council may be called at the request of a majority of the local associations.
ARTICLE VII - AMENDMENTS
Amendments to this Constitution and By-Laws may be proposed by a majority vote of the Executive Committee or a majority vote of the Representative Council. Amendments so proposed shall be submitted to the Constitution Review Committee for review and recommendation. Amendments recommended by the committee shall be forwarded to the Executive Committee for review and then read at a Representative Council meeting, published in the minutes, and voted on at the next Representative Council meeting. Amendments will be passed by two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present and voting.
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