The Association for the Gifted A Division of the Council for Exceptional Children TAG-CEC Board of Directors POLICY

HANDBOOK

Adopted by the Board: October 16, 1998

Revised: October 8, 1999 Revised: October 8, 2004 Revised: May 1, 2009 Revised: April 24, 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Parliamentary Authority........................................................................................3 General Responsibilities of Board Members ........................................................3 Job Descriptions of Board Members ....................................................................4 President ...................................................................................................4 Past President ..........................................................................................6 Vice President ..........................................................................................7 Secretary ...................................................................................................8 Treasurer ..................................................................................................9 Representatives to the CEC Assembly ...................................................10 General Board Members .........................................................................11 Journal Editor ..........................................................................................12 Newsletter Editor .....................................................................................13 Technology Coordinator ..........................................................................14 Parent Coordinator ..................................................................................15 CAN Coordinator .....................................................................................16 Standing Committees Membership Committee ..........................................................................17 Publications Committee ..........................................................................17 Governmental Relations Committee .......................................................17 Diversity, Parent, and Community Committee ........................................17 Student Committee .................................................................................18 Nominations and Elections Committee ...................................................18 Awards Committee ..................................................................................19 Finance Committee .................................................................................19 Policy Statements Affiliates ..................................................................................................20 Endorsements .........................................................................................20 Meetings and Conferences .....................................................................20 Publications .............................................................................................20 Position Statements ................................................................................20 Reimbursement .......................................................................................21 Stabilization Fund....................................................................................21

BOARD POLICY HANDBOOK

The purpose of this document is to describe the working practices for the organization and the responsibilities of the members of the Board of Directors of The Association for the gifted (TAG), a division of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). In accordance with the Bylaws of TAG, these policies provide guidance to Board members for conducting business and making decisions. Changes to the Policy Handbook will be made with a two-thirds vote of the Board.

Parliamentary Authority
All meetings will be conducted according to Roberts Rules of Order, Newly Revised, Tenth Edition (First edition 1915 by General Henry M. Robert; Newly Revised 2000 by William J. Evans, Daniel H. Honemann, Henry M. Robert, Thomas J. Balch).

http://www.robertsrules.com/ General Responsibilities of Board Members

Responsibilities of all Board Members are: 1. Attendance at the two annual meetings of the Board of Directors and the annual business meeting of the general membership. One of the meetings of the Board of Directors is usually held in the fall of the year. The other meeting and the annual business meeting are held during the annual CEC convention. 2. Notify the president in the event of an absence. Forward a copy of any reports to be read and distributed at the meeting. Missing two consecutive Board meetings is cause for dismissal from the Board. When a Board member must be absent from a scheduled meeting, he or she may assign a proxy vote to another Board member. No Board member may hold more than one proxy vote for any meeting and the president should be notified in advance of the meeting who holds the proxy. 3. Contribute to the TAG Update newsletter, as appropriate. 4. Accept ad hoc responsibilities, as appropriate.

Job Descriptions of Board Members

According to the Bylaws of the organization, the Board of Directors shall consist of the president, past president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, two Representatives to the CEC Assembly, up to five general members, journal editor, newsletter editor, technology coordinator, parent coordinator, and Children and Youth Advocacy Network (CAN) coordinator. PRESIDENT Two-Year Term 1. Schedule and preside at the meetings of the Board of Directors and the annual business meeting of the general membership. 2. Appoint all standing committee chairpersons as necessary and serve as an ex officio member of all committees. 3. Appoint the members of the nominating, membership, program, and other committees as necessary. 4. Provide information in a timely fashion to the Board of Directors concerning business and issues relevant to the organization. 5. Carry out, or cause to be carried out, any policy adopted by the organization. 6. Represent the organization as coordinator with other divisions or agencies either personally or by designating a representative. 7. Ensure that members are notified at least 30 days prior to meetings. 8. Provide an annual report to the organization and to the Council for Exceptional Children. 9. Provide a means of communication for the entire membership of the organization. 10. Provide the Council for Exceptional Children with a complete list of officers and committee chairs. 11. Provide a complete list to CEC of Representatives from the organization for the annual Representative Assembly. 12. Present a recommendation to the Board of Directors for Representatives to the CEC Assembly, technology coordinator, parent coordinator, and the Children and Youth Advocacy Network (CAN) Coordinator. These nominations are presented to the membership through the election process.

13. Represent the organization at Interdivisional Caucus (IDC) meetings either personally or by designating a representative. 14. Work with the treasurer to prepare a budget. 15. Arrange for an award of appreciation for the past president to be presented at the general business meeting of the membership. 16. Serve on the nominating committee. 17. Serve on the publication committee.

PAST PRESIDENT Two-Year Term 1. Serve as chair of the nominating committee. Notify all persons who were nominated and relay to them the results of the election. 2. Serve as chair of the awards committee. 3. Serve as a member of the finance committee. 4. Continue work on projects and initiatives started during term of office as president. 5. Attend the Interdivisional Caucus (IDC) meetings, if possible. 6. Prepare a report to be presented at each Board meeting 7. Assist the president and perform such duties as may be assigned to the office.

VICE PRESIDENT Two Year-Term 1. Preside at meetings of the Board of Directors in the absence of the president. 2. Plan the organizations portion of the program for the annual CEC convention, including: a. Serve on the CEC Program Advisory Committee (PAC); b. Attend two PAC meetings annually (one during the annual convention and one during the summer); c. Receive program proposals (May) and arrange for the review to select appropriate convention sessions for the organization; d. Work with PAC to ensure that the CEC convention incorporates multiple sessions of interest to the membership of the organization; e. Prepare a draft of the complete program for the approval of the Board. 3. Assist in planning Board meetings, Symposium, and the annual business meeting (arrange for rooms through CEC and for food, when appropriate). 4. Assist in the preparation of the budget. 5. Serve on the nominating committee. 6. Attend the Interdivisional Caucus (IDC) meetings, if possible. 7. Prepare a report to be presented at each Board meeting. 8. Assist the president and perform other duties as may be assigned to the office.

SECRETARY Two-Year Term 1. Keep a careful record of the proceedings of each meeting. 2. Distribute the minutes of each meeting, including reports, no later than six weeks following the meeting. Follow-up actions are to be highlighted. 3. Carry on the correspondence of the organization as requested by the president and the Board. 4. Collect and organize annually for the Archives the following materials: a. b. c. d. e. f. committee reports, reports to CEC, issues of TAG UPDATE, minutes of Board meetings and the annual business meeting, recipients of awards, and a list of Board members.

5. Update Policy Handbook following Board action and distribute copies to Board members. 6. Transfer all records to the new secretary 30 days after the beginning of the term.

TREASURER Three-Year Term 1. Serve as chairperson of the finance committee to prepare a proposed budget for submission to the Board. 2. Open and maintain a checking account and any other accounts as directed by the Board. All accounts must have two signatories, the treasurer and the president or another Board member. 3. Receive all funds belonging to the organization that do not automatically go through the accounting office of CEC. 4. Receive monthly dues checks from CEC. 5. Check the monthly statements from CEC carefully and debit the expenditures against the appropriate line item. 6. Pay out funds on order of the Board. 7. Maintain an accounting of all receipts and expenditures. 8. Present an up-to-date account of all funds for the secretary's report and for the approval of the Board at each meeting and as may be directed by the Board. 9. Prepare a report at the end of the fiscal year (January 1-December 31) to be distributed at the Board meeting held during the CEC conference in the spring. 10. Hire a certified public accountant with expertise in 501(c)(3) tax law who will file the necessary annual tax return forms with the IRS. The tax return must be filed by the 15th day of the 5th month after the end of the fiscal year. 11. Arrange for an independent agency, or request that the president appoint an ad hoc committee of the board, to review the books prior to turning them over to a new treasurer. 12. Transfer the checking account funds to the new treasurer within 45 days of the new term. 13. Prepare a complete accounting for the incoming treasurer within 90 days.

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REPRESENTATIVES (2) TO THE CEC ASSEMBLY Term of Office Two Years 1. Represent the Board and the organization at meetings of the Council for Exceptional Children. 2. Serve as a Representative from the organization to the annual CEC Representative Assembly. 3. Attend the annual Representative Assembly meetings during the annual CEC convention and immediately following the convention. 4. Attend the Interdivisional Caucus (IDC) meetings, if possible. 5. Prepare reports for the organization on relevant CEC business and issues.

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GENERAL BOARD MEMBERS Three-Year Term 1. Represent the membership in the decision-making process of the Board. 2. Provide leadership roles as designated by the Board or the president, such as membership chair or publications chair. 3. Prepare a report to be presented at each Board meeting.

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JOURNAL EDITOR Four-Year Term 1. Respond to all inquiries related to the Journal. 2. Administer the publication of JEG. a. Communicate with the publisher, including, but not limited to, copy work for every issue, subscriptions, mailing issues, permissions, and budgets. b. Develop a long-range plan for special issues. c. Create new departments or columns. d. Solicit manuscripts. e. Process manuscripts through the following steps: receive manuscript select review panel evaluate manuscript interpret reviewers comments decide on disposition of the manuscript write letter to author(s) evaluate resubmissions accept manuscript, as appropriate report to reviewers work with author to ready the manuscript (copy editing, references, figures and tables, reread manuscript) assemble issue (order of articles, departments, reviews) reread galleys send galleys to author for final check complete final check f. Coordinate and process special issues using a process similar to that of other issues with the addition of forming review panels. g. Coordinate with department editors. h. Update composition of the review panel. i. Evaluate and update procedures for publishing JEG. 3. Supervise editorial assistant and any other staff. 4. Propose policy for the Journal and implement policy adopted by the Board. 5. Work with the treasurer to prepare the budget. 6. Prepare a report to be presented at each Board meeting.

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NEWSLETTER EDITOR Three-Year Term 1. Plan, supervise and issue newsletters to the general membership as per publication schedule. 2. Propose policy for the newsletter to the Board. 3. Work with the treasurer to prepare the budget. 4. Serve on Publications Committee. 5. Prepare a report to be presented at each Board meeting.

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TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR Two-Year Term 1. Maintain and update the website for the organization. 2. Provide information to the Board related to technology opportunities. 3. Prepare a report on the status of the website to be presented at each Board meeting.

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PARENT COORDINATOR Two-Year Term 1. Serve as Chair of Diversity, Community, and Parent Committee. 2. Respond to requests for information. 3. Promote advocacy for education of children and youth with gifts, talents, and/or high potential. 4. Serve as chair of the diversity, parent and community committee. 5. Represent TAG at Multicultural Summit or other diversity events. 6. Prepare a report to be presented at each Board meeting.

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CHILDREN AND YOUTH ADVOCACY NETWORK (CAN) COORDINATOR Two-Year Term 1. Represent the organization at the annual CEC CAN workshop. 2. Serve as a communication link between the CEC Public Policy Unit, the Board members, and TAG members. 3. Disseminate pertinent federal legislative information to the CAN network and the organization. 4. Carry out other advocacy duties as assigned by the president. 5. Prepare a report to be presented at each Board meeting.

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Standing Committees
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE The purpose of the Membership Committee is to recruit and retain members. The Chairperson will assume the following responsibilities: 1. Monitor membership patterns to retain current members and encourage new membership. 2. Prepare a report to be presented at each Board meeting. 3. Coordinate correspondence with new and lapsed members. 4. Collaborate with the Board on the provision of services to continuing members. 5. Arrange for the availability and staffing of the membership table at the annual CEC convention. 6. Serve as the contact for CEC Membership Services. 7. Prepare a report to be presented at each Board meeting.

PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE The purpose of the Publications Committee is to oversee all publications of the organization, including the journal, the newsletter, and other publications as approved by the Board. Additionally, the committee will work with CEC to ensure that publications related to gifted education are appropriate. The membership of the committee includes the journal editor, newsletter editor, a general Board member, and the president. The president with the consent of the Board may appoint other members. The publication committee will recommend to the Nominations and Elections Committee to present to the Board the nominees for journal editor and newsletter editor. These nominations will be presented to the membership of the organization for ratification.

GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE The purpose of the Governmental Relations Committee is to support advocacy work for children and youth who have gifts, talents, and/or high potential. The CAN Coordinator will serve as the Chairperson for the committee.

DIVERSITY, PARENT AND COMMUNITY COMMITTEE The purpose of the Diversity, Parent and Community Committee is to engage parents and other members of the community in advocating for students with gifts and talents and their families, including those from diverse backgrounds.

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STUDENT COMMITTEE The purpose of the Student Committee is to recruit and retain student members. The Chairperson will coordinate activities with the Chairperson of the Membership Committee. Chair of this committee is not a voting member of the Board, but is encouraged to attend Board meetings.

NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS COMMITTEE The purpose of the Nominations and Elections Committee is to conduct the elections for offices of the organization. The past president serves as the Chairperson of this committee. Other members are the president, vice president, and other members as appointed by the president with the consent of the Board. The Chairperson will assume the following responsibilities: 1. Solicit nominations for Board positions. 2. Ensure that the nominees are members in good standing in the Council for Exceptional Children and the organization at the time of nomination and election, and understand that they must remain so throughout the duration of their term in office. 3. Present a slate of candidates for the offices of vice president, secretary, treasurer, and the general Board members. The president will appoint with the consent of the Board a nominee for the offices of technology coordinator, parent coordinator, and CAN coordinator. The publication committee will recommend to the Board the nominees for the offices of journal editor and newsletter editor. These appointments must be included for ratification by ballot as part of the elections process. The president will appoint with the consent of the Board two Representatives to the CEC Representative Assembly from among the general Board members. They will serve staggered terms. 4. Submit the slate of nominations to the Board for its consent. 5. Ensure that the slate of nominees is submitted to the membership by mail or electronic ballot. 6. Arrange for the receipt and tabulation of votes by an independent agency as approved by the Board. 7. Determine the outcome of a tie by a vote of the Board. 8. Notify all candidates of the election results.

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AWARDS COMMITTEE The purpose of the Awards Committee is to acknowledge and publicly recognize those individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of gifted education and the organization. A list of all previous award recipients will be maintained by the chairperson. The past president will serve as chairperson of this committee.

FINANCE COMMITTEE The purpose of the Finance Committee is to monitor the financial health of the organization. The Treasurer will serve as the Chairperson of this committee. The president with the consent of the Board will appoint the members of the committee.

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Policy Statements
AFFILIATES Organizations concerned with promoting the welfare and education of children and youth with gifts, talents, and/or high potential may affiliate with The Association for the Gifted. Chapters, branches, or federations of CEC or local, state, provincial, or other organizations may apply by submission of a letter of application for affiliation, accompanied by a copy of their bylaws and/or constitution, to the Board. Acceptance of an affiliate shall be by a simple majority vote of the Board. Following notification of affiliate status, the affiliate will submit an annual update of names and addresses of its officers to the president of TAG.

ENDORSEMENTS The Association for the Gifted may endorse any product, individual, or institution (public or private, educational, or corporate) that supports it mission. The endorsement will be determined by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors.

MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES The Board of Directors may sponsor topical conferences, symposia, or regional meetings.

PUBLICATION The organization will publish a scholarly journal, a newsletter, and other publications as approved by the Board. The official journal of the organization will be The Journal for the Education of the Gifted and will be published quarterly. The publication shall include original research, theoretical position papers, description of innovative programming, reviews of literature, and historical articles. The official newsletter of the organization will be the TAG Update and will be published a minimum of four times a year. Its purpose is to keep the membership informed.

POSITION STATEMENTS Other publications may be initiated by the Publications Committee and published with the approval of the Board.

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REIMBURSEMENT POLICY Guidelines for Reimbursement of Board of Directors and Committee Chairpersons: 1. Expenses of the president for the Board meetings will be paid, provided the funds are not available from another source. Reimbursement may not exceed the amount budgeted and original receipts must be submitted to the treasurer in a timely manner.
2.

Expenses associated with the work of a committee or an office will be paid, provided the funds are not available from another source. Reimbursement may not exceed the amount budgeted and original receipts must be submitted to the treasurer in a timely manner. Board members are expected to fund their expenses from other sources to attend the meeting(s) of the Board of Directors. If other sources are not available, and after the expenses for the meetings are paid, individual Board members may request that their travel and lodging expenses be reimbursed. Reimbursement may not exceed the amount budgeted for the Board meeting and original receipts must be submitted to the treasurer within 30 days. If the reimbursement requests exceed the funds available, the reimbursements will be prorated.

3.

STABILIZATION FUND A stabilization fund has been established to insure that the organization has funds in reserve equal to a years operating budget. Should the organization ever become so financially needy that the stabilization fund has to be used, the priority for expending these funds is first, the funding of the publication of the journal; second, the publication of the newsletter; and third, the cost of the operation of the Board. When the stabilization fund is equal to a years operating budget, any interest earned shall fund projects as determined by the Board.

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