I. D. 1. a. Local Board Bylaws
Each Technical College's Board of Directors shall adopt and operate pursuant to Bylaws that, in substance, conform to the following:
ARTICLE I. NAME AND MEMBERSHIPSection 1. Name. The name of this organization shall be the Board of Directors of ________________ ________________ Technical College.
Section 2. Membership. The members of the ____________Technical College Board of Directors shall be appointed by the State Board of the Department of Technical and Adult Education. The ____________Technical College Board of Directors Board shall have at least seven and not more than fifteen members. Members shall reside or be employed within the ___________Technical College's designated service area and within one of the counties they represent. One member may represent up to two contiguous counties. Overall county representation shall generally reflect the relative populations of the counties in the service area. Members shall reflect the diversity of business, industry, and economic development interests in the service area, and no more than one member shall concurrently serve on any other Board of Education. The __________Technical College Board shall include men and women and shall also reflect the racial, ethnic, cultural diversity of the State of Georgia and the __________Technical College's service area.
Section 3. Terms. Annually at its June meeting the State Board shall appoint or reappoint Board members to fill expiring terms and to serve three-year terms beginning July 1. No member may serve more than three consecutive three year term but a former member may be reappointed for a term to begin following a 3-year break in service A member whose term is scheduled to expire shall continue to occupy his or her seat on the Board until their replacement is appointed.
Section 4. Vacancies. The __________Technical College Board shall notify the State Board immediately of any vacancies that occur in unexpired terms and the State Board shall appoint a new member to serve the remainder of the term as soon as practicable.
ARTICLE II. OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES
Section 1. Officers. The officers of the Board of Directors shall be the Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson, and the Executive Secretary.
Section 2. Election and Terms of Office.
1. Chairperson and Vice Chairperson. The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall be elected by the __________ Technical College Board each year at its last regularly scheduled meeting prior to July 1 of said year and shall serve until a successor is elected and installed. No person shall hold more than one of these offices concurrently.
2. Executive Secretary. The President of the ________Technical College, who shall not be a member of the Board of Directors, shall be the Executive Secretary.
Section 3. Removal of Officers. The Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson may be removed at any time by two-thirds vote of the Board.
Section 4. Vacancies. Vacancies in the offices of Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall be filled by the ___________Technical College Board as soon as practicable.
Section 5. Duties of Chairperson. The Chairperson shall be a member of the ___________Technical College Board, shall preside at the meetings of the Board with the authority to vote, and shall appoint the members of any and all such committees as necessary for the Board to perform its assigned duties. The chairperson shall be an ex officio member of all committees with the authority to vote. The Chairperson of the Board, upon its authority and in its name, may execute all notes, bonds, deeds, contracts, and other documents requiring the seal.
Section 6. Duties of Vice Chairperson. The Vice Chairperson shall be a member of the Board and shall perform the duties and have the powers of the Chairperson during the absence or disability of the Chairperson.
Section 7. Duties of the Executive Secretary. As Executive Secretary, the President shall schedule and arrange for meetings of the Board and furnish meeting notices and materials, as needed, to members in advance of such meetings. The Executive Secretary shall normally be present at all meetings of the Board and shall provide that an accurate record be kept of the proceedings of the meetings of Board and its committees. The President shall be responsible for implementing policies of the Board and for the day-to-day operations of the Board. The Board may assign and delegate to the President such other responsibilities, powers, and duties as it may deem proper and appropriate.
ARTICLE III. MEETINGS OF THE BOARD
Section 1. Place of Meetings. Meetings shall be held at such places as determined by the Board.
Section 2. Attendance at all Meetings. Board members shall attend all meetings unless prevented from doing so by disability or other causes beyond their control.
Section 3. Regular meetings. The Board shall meet at least eight times per year, and at each meeting it shall schedule one or more future meetings at such time and place as appropriate.
Section 4. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the Chairperson. A notice of the special meeting must be made available to the public in accordance with Open and Public Meetings Law, O.C.GA. § 50-14-1. Business transacted at a special meeting shall be confined to the purposes stated in the call for the meeting and shall in all other ways be conducted in conformance with the law. When deemed necessary by the Chairperson, members may participate via telecommunications conference provided that the public has access to the said telephonic meeting.
Section 5. Committee Meetings. Committees shall meet at the direction of the Chairperson of the Board or on call of the committee chairperson.
Section 6. Quorum. At all meetings of the Board, a majority of the full membership of the Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The action of a majority of the members of the Board present at any meeting shall be the action of the Board, except as may be otherwise provided by these bylaws.
Section 7. Public Meetings and Executive Session. All meetings of the Board shall be open to the public, provided, however, upon direction of the Chairperson of the Board or of a majority of the members of the Board present at any meeting, the Board may hold executive sessions at any time. The Board may go into executive session for the purposes provided in O.C.G.A. § 50-14-4.
ARTICLE IV. OPERATION OF THE BOARD
Section 1. Rules. The rules contained in Roberts' Rules of Order (Revised) shall govern in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the bylaws or any special rule of the Board.
Section 2. Agenda. A prepared agenda with appropriate information shall be sent to each member of the Board by the Executive Secretary in advance of any regular meeting of the Board. This agenda, as approved or amended at each meeting, shall govern the order of business for the meeting. Additions, deletions, or reordering of agenda items shall be by majority vote.
Section 3. Minutes. The Executive Secretary shall have prepared minutes of the proceedings of the Board meetings. A copy of the minutes of each meeting of the Board shall be mailed to each Board member for review prior to approval at the succeeding meeting. The minutes shall not be considered official unless and until approved by the Board.
Section 4. Board Policies. The Board shall have a Policy Manual containing all policies adopted by the Board.
Section 5. Board Actions. The Board shall generally consider action on matters brought to its attention only after referring such matters to Technical College staff for appropriate analysis and recommendations. Such staff analyses shall be brief, with supporting information appended as necessary. The staff analyses shall include a statement of the issue and its implications, a description of the practical alternatives with associated advantages and disadvantages, and a recommendation. Whenever possible, such staff analyses shall accompany the agenda for the meeting at which the matter is to be considered.
Section 6. Changes in Board Policy. To allow time for study by the members of the Board, drafts of proposed new policies or changes in Board policy shall be distributed to each member of the Board no later than the regular meeting immediately preceding the regular meeting at which action is proposed to be taken.
ARTICLE V. APPEARANCE BEFORE THE BOARD
Individuals or groups wishing to appear before the Board shall make their request in writing to the President at least ten days in advance of the meeting. The Chairperson at his or her discretion may approve the request and allot a reasonable time for presentation. At any meeting, the Chairperson, without opposition, or the Board, by majority vote, may recognize unscheduled appearances before the Board by individuals or groups. The Chairperson shall limit citizens' presentations as necessary to maintain the timely conduct of business by the Board.
ARTICLE VI. METHOD OF AMENDING THE BYLAWS
Section 1. Method. These bylaws may be amended by the Board with the concurrence of the State Board. Proposed amendments shall be distributed to each member of the Board and to the Commissioner no later than the regular meeting immediately preceding the regular or special meeting at which action is proposed to be taken.
Amendments to the bylaws shall require approval by at least a two-thirds vote of the members present. The adopted amendment shall immediately be forwarded to the State Board, which shall normally consider concurrence at its next meeting. State Board action shall be by majority vote, and its action shall be immediately communicated to the Board.
Section 2. Effective Date. Amendments shall go into effect immediately upon concurrence by the State Board, unless either Board has determined otherwise.
Authority O.C.G.A. §20-4-11
Adopted: September 4, 1986
Revised: July 23, 2001
Code: 01-02-02
Approved