ARTICLE I
Powers
TEACH Blountville shall have all of the statutory powers enumerated for non-profit corporations under the laws of the state of Tennessee.
ARTICLE II
Board of Directors
Section 1. Governing Authority
The governing body of TEACH Blountville shall be known as its Board of Directors and shall have authority to do all things necessary and proper to operate and lead the organization. Additionally, the Board of Directors shall be the final authority in interpreting the Core Beliefs and other TEACH Blountville documents.
Section 2. Qualifications and Composition
Members of the board should be active members in good standing with TEACH Blountville for at least one year (except for the initial board). Each candidate for election to the Board of Directors must affirm before the board at an open meeting their concurrence with the Core Beliefs of TEACH Blountville and profess by testimony their faith in Jesus Christ, and they must sign a statement that documents both declarations. They must also have demonstrated a level of social maturity indicative of persons who can serve/lead in a Christ like manner.
The Board of Directors shall consist of five voting positionsat least 3 of which will be husband and wife couples while the other two could consist of individual members. The board will elect officers (i.e. president, vice president, treasurer and secretary) from among themselves at the first board meeting following the April annual meeting.
Section 3. Term of Service
Each member of the Board of Directors shall be elected for a term of two years commencing with the beginning of the next fiscal year after election (fiscal year is May 1st to April 30th). Terms shall be staggered so that the term of two or three members shall expire each year. The initial Board of Directors shall serve out the following terms: three members for a term of three years, and two members for a term of two years, with the commencement of each term to be effective May 1st. An alternate is elected annually and will finish out the term (not necessarily position) of the board member they replaced.
Section 4. Manner of Election
November 1st of each year the board will begin soliciting members for the Nominating Committee who should begin serving by January 1st. Annually, a Nominating Committee composed of volunteers from the membership who are not currently on the board shall submit nominations for election to the Board of Directors. Such nominations are to be submitted by February 1st prior to the commencement of the proposed term of service and should consist of the number of positions being vacated plus an alternate who will serve if a board member is not be able to fulfill their term. The Nominating Committee's term will end when the new board is approved by the membership.
Nominees shall be publicized to the membership and then appear before the Board of Directors in an open meeting prior to March 1st. After approval by the Board, election of a nominee to the Board of Directors shall be by majority vote of the members of TEACH Blountville both present at the annual meeting and by proxy. Proxies should be made available following this board meeting and prior to the annual meeting. Votes by proxy must be returned prior to or brought to the annual meeting to be counted. Annual meetings will be held in April of each year and elections to the board will be taken by secret ballot or signed proxy. Each member family will sign in at the annual meeting and any other called membership meetings and will constitute one voting party.
Section 5. Vacancies and Term Limits
A vacancy in the Board of Directors caused by death, resignation or removal of a board member shall be filled by the qualified elected alternate to serve the unexpired term of the board member who has vacated their position. If any other vacancy should occur, the board shall elect a new member to finish out the term (not necessarily position) of the board member they replaced. Alternates and new members will be assigned offices by the remaining board members. All officers can serve consecutive terms as long as they are nominated and reelected per article II section 4. Should an officer vacate their position after nominations are complete but prior to the April annual meeting, then the board will finish out the fiscal year understaffed.
Section 6. Delegation of Authority
The Board of Directors may delegate to one or more of its members or to any of its officers, agents or employees, or to any of its committees such powers and duties in writing as it may deem appropriate and proper. In the absence of such delegation, either generally or specifically, no member of the Board of Directors shall have authority to act for the Board of Directors. Each couple/member of the Board of Directors shall have status coequal with that of each other couple/member, and each couple/member present shall have the right to one vote on any and all questions coming before the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE III
Meetings
Section I. Quorum
The quorum for all TEACH Blountville membership meetings, whether annual or called, shall be 25% of the membership.
Section 2. Regular Meetings
Regular Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held at times and meeting places established by the Board of Directors and shall be held at least quarterly. All regular board meetings shall be open to members of TEACH Blountville. An annual meeting of the entire TEACH Blountville membership will be held in April of each year. Dates and times shall be posted on the TEACH Blountville website and in the newsletter by March 1st. Minutes from each meeting shall be published on the TEACH Blountville website within two (2) weeks of said meeting.
Section 3. Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be held upon three days notice to board members. The President of the Board of Directors may call such meetings on his own initiative but shall be obliged to call such meetings when requested to do so by at least two other members of the Board of Directors.
Section 4. Conduct of Meetings
Board meetings, annual meetings and all other meetings of the membership will be conducted under Roberts Rules of Order unless otherwise specified (in the by-laws or agreed upon by majority vote at the specific meeting in question). Majority vote in board meetings is defined as three (3) votes regardless of how many board members are in attendance.
ARTICLE IV
Officers
Section 1. Designation
Each couple on the Board of Directors shall function as a unit with one vote and one office per couple. Board members serving as individuals shall have one vote. The officers of the Board of Directors of TEACH Blountville shall consist of a President, a Vice President, a Secretary and a Treasurer elected by the Board of Directors each year or as needed.
Each officer shall hold office until his successor has been duly elected or until his death or he resigns or is removed from office in the manner hereinafter provided.
Section 2. Removal
Any officer may be removed only by affirmative two thirds vote of the TEACH Blountville membership.
Section 3. President
The President shall be the principle executive officer of TEACH Blountville and subject to the control of the Board of Directors, shall in general supervise and lead all of the business affairs of TEACH Blountville. The President shall, when present, preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and he/she may sign, with the Secretary or any other proper officer thereunto authorized by the Board of Directors, any deeds, mortgages, bonds, contracts, or other instruments which the Board of Directors has authorized to be executed, except in cases where the signing and execution thereof shall be expressly delegated by the Board of Directors or the by-laws to some other officer or agent of TEACH Blountville or shall be required by law to be otherwise signed or executed, and in general shall perform all duties incident to the office of President and such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors from time to time.
Section 4. Vice President
In absence of the President or in the event of his/her death, inability or refusal to act, the Vice President shall perform all the duties of the president, and when so acting, shall have all the powers or and be subject to all the restrictions upon the President. The Vice President shall perform such other duties as from time to time may be assigned to him by the President or by the Board of Directors.
Section 5. Secretary
The Secretary shall (a) keep the minutes of the proceedings of the Board of Directors, annual meetings and meetings of the membership and maintain files for historical purpose; (b) see that minutes are publicized for membership as dictated in article III section 2, and that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of these by-laws or as required by law; (c) be custodian of records; (d) in general perform all duties incident to the office of Secretary and such other duties as from time to time may be assigned to him/her by the President or by the Board of Directors; and (e) if leaving office, will provide all records in custody to the next secretary elect.
Section 6. Treasurer
The Treasurer shall (a) have charge and custody of and be responsible for all funds and securities of TEACH Blountville, (b) be able to receive and give receipt for monies due and payable to TEACH Blountville and deposit such monies in the name of TEACH Blountville in such banks, trust companies or other depositaries as shall be selected by the Board of Directors, (c) submit quarterly reports to the Board of Directors, (d) receive registration and class fees for coop and allot payments for TEACH Blountville accordingly, (e) file any tax documents with the state, and (f) in general perform all duties incident to the office of Treasurer and such other duties as from time to time may be assigned to him by the President or by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE V
Committees
TEACH Blountville may have Communications, Co-op, Membership, and Nominating Committees. Additional committees may include but are not limited to Encouragement ministry, Yearbook, and Activities. All committees will be under the authority of the Board of Directors. Chairmen for the Communications, Co-op, Membership, and Nominating Committees as well as all grade-level coordinators of Co-op are required to sign a statement declaring that they concur with the Core Beliefs of TEACH Blountville. Roles and responsibilities of each committee can be found in the addendums.
Committees may be established from time to time as appointed by the President of the Board of Directors or by action of the Board of Directors to consider and report on matters assigned.
Nominating committees will be represented by at least five (5) families who cannot serve two consecutive years on this committee. The Chairman will be nominated by this committee and approved by the Board of Directors.
The Committee Chairmen and/or representative from each committee shall attend quarterly board meetings or submit a written report of the committee to any board member prior to each quarterly meeting.
ARTICLE VI
Members
Section 1. Members
Membership in TEACH Blountville shall be available to and is restricted to Christian homeschooling families (past, present, and future) who are educating their own children or those in their guardianship regardless of race or nationality. Families are defined as married heterosexual parents/guardians or a single heterosexual parent/guardian, their children and extended family members of the same household. All members and applicants for membership will be accepted upon payment of annual dues and receipt of the signed Membership Form. This Membership Form must always include the following declarations: 1) a statement confirming their faith in Jesus Christ and their submission to the authority of God's Word, 2) an acknowledgement that they have read the "Core Beliefs" and will not teach anything at a TEACH Blountville function that conflicts with these beliefs in any way, and 3) a release from liability.
Section 2. Rights and Privileges
Members of TEACH Blountville shall enjoy all of the rights and privileges of membership in TEACH Blountville as established by the Board of Directors and subordinate committees. Members shall be entitled to participate in all activities of TEACH Blountville subject to the authority of the Board of Directors.
Section 3. Duties and Responsibilities
By submitting an application for membership to TEACH Blountville, members agree to abide by all standards and policies of TEACH Blountville as established by the Board of Directors. Members shall refrain from engaging in any activity that may bring reproach on TEACH Blountville or parentally directed education. All TEACH Blountville members agree that while at TEACH Blountville functions they will not teach anything against the stated core beliefs.
Section 4 - Termination of Membership
Members may terminate membership in TEACH Blountville at any time by providing notice of the same to the Membership Committee. Membership of any member may be involuntarily terminated by a unanimous vote of the entire Board of Directors in accordance with our code of conduct.
ARTICLE VII
Adoption and Amendment of By-Laws, Constitution, and Addendums
With the exception of Article VIII, which is irrevocable and not subject to amendment, these by-laws shall be adopted and thereafter amended only by a majority vote of the TEACH Blountville membership. Additionally, the Constitution (including Core Beliefs) shall be adopted and thereafter amended only by a two thirds (2/3) majority vote of the TEACH Blountville membership.
Any proposed changes to the By-Laws or Constitution shall be submitted by TEACH Blountville members in writing no later than February 1st.
Addendums can be created, deleted, or modified any time by the board of directors with a majority vote of the board. Modifying or creating addendums can be delegated to a committee, but the board must approve all such actions.
ARTICLE VIII
Dissolution
In the event that TEACH Blountville should be dissolved for any reason, then, in that event, all assets of TEACH Blountville, if any, shall be transferred to another nonprofit organization. This provision of the by-laws is irrevocable and is not subject to amendment except as necessary to designate the name of the transferee qualifying under the income tax laws of the state.
TEACH Blountville Addenda
A. Code of Conduct
Anything that causes distractions in class can and will be confiscated by the teacher and returned after class or given to the parent. A third infraction of the same type may result in permanent confiscation.
Students are expected to display a good attitude, respect and courtsey to all adults, especially their own parents, at TEACH Blountville functions.
Fighting is not allowed.
Children should be supervised at all times particularly during lunch.
Conflicts should be handled in a mature, Biblical manner. Problems should be taken directly and privately to the concerned individual(s) and not become an object of gossip.
Parents and students who are part of TEACH Blountville co-op are expected to meet the requirements of each class as applicable. This includes parent participation when needed and all homework and projects.
Possession of drugs, alcohol, tobacco or weapons is prohibited at all TEACH Blountville functions. This offense will result in immediate dismissal and notification of the authorities.
B. Dress Code for All TEACH Blountville Functions and Co-op (teachers and students) (high school has a seperate dress code)
1 Peter 3:3-4- Do not let your beauty be that outward adorning of arranging the hair, of wearing gold, or of putting on fine apparel;
but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the
sight of God.
No clothing containg anti-Christian or occult text or pictures are allowed.
Shorts and skirts must come to the knee. Skorts are only allowed for girls 5th grade and under.
Wear long enough shirts so that you can raise your hands over your head or bend over without exposing ANY of your belly or undergarments.
Pants should not be excessively tight.
Dress neatly and avoid extremes in make-up, hairstyle and jewelry.
Dress code interpretation subject to the discretion of the coordinator of co-op or other TEACH Blountville function.
C. Communications/E-Mail Policy
This policy is intended to cover all postings to the web site, newsletter, and the use of e-mail to a distribution list of TEACH Blountville members.
The TEACH Blountville website and newsletter are intended to be the primary methods of communication for the TEACH Blountville membership.
On the TEACH Blountville website, there will be places for announcements, calendar of events, class schedules, and helpful articles. Other forums, newsletters, may be added, and these will be moderated to ensure appropriateness.
We will use e-mail within TEACH Blountville primarily for the purpose of emergency communication of prayer needs, time and date changes for meetings (that occur between newsletters), minutes, and other objective correspondence that needs to be distributed prior to the next newsletter.
Personal/individual use of the TEACH Blountville e-mail distribution list for mass posting of forwards, advertisements, grievances of any kind and personal messages is inappropriate. All group e-mails desired to be sent to the TEACH Blountville membership list should be sent through the moderator to ensure appropriateness and privacy of members.
D. Responsibilities of Committees
These are brief expectations of the committees currently charged in the TEACH Blountville By-Laws. These descriptions are general at this time and do not limit the committees to items mentioned only.
Nominating Committee
This committee will have a minimum of two people (representing two separate families) and is charged with finding and screening nominees for the TEACH Blountville Board of Directors and will not need to operate year-round.
Duties of Nominating Committee Chair:
Once the nominating committee chair has been selected, the board will immediately notify the membership of the nominating committee chairperson.
Set up meetings.
Send an e-mail to the membership stating that the nominating committee is now accepting nominations.
Coordinate communications among all nominating committee members and the board.
Inquire that all board nominees meet criteria of Bylaws Article II Section II.
Present names of nominees to the board by February 1st for approval.
Nominating Committee duties:
Elect a chairman from among this group who meets criteria under Article V in the Bylaws and provide name to the board by November 30th of each year for approval.
Find out if current board member(s) would like to be re-nominated to continue to stay on the board.
Discuss potential nominees to replace vacating board members.
Inquire that all nominees to the board concur with the Core Beliefs of TEACH Blountville and are willing to publicly profess their faith and concurrence with these beliefs in an open meeting and by signing the Core Beliefs as stated in Bylaws Article II Section II.
Discuss with the board what positions (i.e. President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Representative, and Alternate) etc are to be vacated that year and any special recruiting needs for a new board member.
Maintain confidentiality throughout this process of nominations and content of discussions.
Communication Committee
This committee is in charge of all formal communication within TEACH Blountville, which encompasses the website, newsletters, and the e-mail tree or other forms of electronic communication (such as a yahoo group).
Additional responsibilities include:
Develop a monthly newsletter beginning as soon as practically possible
Develop and distribute a yearly TEACH Blountville handbook that would allow each member easy access to the information that will help them get the most out of their TEACH Blountville membership.
Keep website current with information (i.e. dates and information of events, contact persons, minutes, all members' up to date access, etc...)
Send out TEACH Blountville e-mails (notify of meetings, prayer requests, notices, etc...)
Present information to media on behalf of TEACH Blountville
Designate a moderator (for screening TEACH Blountville e-mails) and a host for monitoring postings on the website (could be same person)
Have a member report or present a written report at the quarterly Board meetings.
Membership Committee
This committee is responsible for all matters regarding membership. When members join, their membership fee should be forwarded to the Treasurer and their name and address information should be added to the membership directory (unless requested to be anonymous) as well as all mailing lists (including e-mail).
Make changes to membership form annually as needed and submit to the Board for approval
Process membership forms in a timely manner
Design and distribute membership cards to TEACH Blountville members
Send membership forms to those who request them along with our Core Beliefs and/or inform of appropriate web site links to this information
Receive completed membership applications, review information, alert the Board of any received applications that did not meet TEACH Blountville criteria , send membership money to the Treasurer, and submit names of members to the Communication Committee to be added for website access, e-mail updates and newsletter notification and/or reception
Work with Communication Committee to ensure TEACH Blountville contact information is readily available to the homeschooling community through avenues such as TCHomeschool Digest, area book sales, etc.
Have a member report or present a written report at the quarterly board meetings.
Encouragement Committee
This committee will be in charge of monthly Moms encouragement meetings as well as developing a process to welcome new members.
Coordinate prayer and practical help for families in our group who are dealing with sickness or other difficulties
Notify Communication Committee with any information that needs to be posted to the website, put on the e-mail tree, or otherwise publicized.
Schedule regular (monthly) Mom's Night Outs and Dads Night Outs
Future possibilities could include:
Develop and facilitate a prayer ministry
Coordinate meals to sick moms or families with new babies
Organize classes or seminars for new or burned out Homeschoolers on various topics such as organization tips, local Homeschool registration, testing questions and options, curriculum options, how to TEACH Blountville with younger children in the home, etc.
Co-op Committee
This committee is charged with operating the TEACH Blountville co-op which includes securing a meeting site, determining fees, setting the calendar and class schedule, and organizing TEACH Blountvilleers, volunteers, classrooms, and curricula.
Acquire co-op space (review group votes, costs, cleaning, and other factors)
Send important information to Communication Committee for distribution as appropriate
Grade level coordinators are to make sure their class spaces, TEACH Blountvilleers and curriculum are appropriate, and that classroom assistants are present or accounted for each week
Yearbook Committee
Organize a yearbook staff
Coordinate portrait sessions
Arrange for photographer
Obtain candid pictures
Secure ads
Design and distribute a yearbook annually
Activities Committee-
This committee is charged with planning (or delegating) field trips and regular activities.
Encourage (at least) monthly field trips for elementary, middle and high school ages
Encourage participation in clubs such as: Cub Scouts, Daughters of the King, Drama, Chess, Band, Orchestra, Chorus, etc...
Notify Communication Committee with any information that needs to be posted to the website, put on the e-mail tree, or otherwise publicized
Have a representative report or present a written report at the quarterly board meetings.
Future responsibilities could include:
Plan various other activities such as a field day, whole family activities, Couples night out, talent show, academic fairs (or at least TEACH Blountville participation in area academic fairs)
E. Student Representatives
There will be two student representatives chosen each year to share requests, accomplishments, and general status of the student population, as well as provide feedback on certain questions to Board members when requested.
Qualifications - The student representatives will be professing Christian male or female high school age students (16-18). These students should also be mature and in good standing with the adults and fellow students of TEACH Blountville.
Selection High school level teachers will make nominations for the student representatives to the high school director by March. Among those whose parents give permission, the high school director and current Board members will choose one girl and one boy representative. This should be done at a quarterly Board meeting prior to August. New student representatives will be announced each August at the back-to-school picnic and their terms will commence immediately, ending the terms of previous representatives.
Duties Student representatives will attempt to attend quarterly board meetings or submit a written report of any previously unreported activities, requests, etc., for a meeting they are unable to attend. Though at times there will be nothing to report, student representatives should realize that part of their duty is to provide feedback from the students perspective about any issues to which the Board inquires. Though they will not be voting members of the Board, their presence is nevertheless an important responsibility. It is intended that student representatives, as well as all other students who attend Board meetings for TEACH Blountville, will obtain valuable experience that will be beneficial to them in adulthood.
Replacement If a student representative moves or is otherwise unable to complete the term, the high school director and Board members have the option to allow this position to remain vacant until the following year or select another qualified student from the original nomination list. Board members have the option to remove a student from this position or to ask student representatives to leave meetings early if deemed necessary.