Georgia Council of Administrators of Special Education
(G-CASE) Constitution
(By-laws to the Articles of Incorporation)
Article I – Name
Section 1. This organization's name shall be the Georgia Council of Administrators of Special Education hereinafter referred to as G-CASE.
Section 2. G-CASE shall be affiliated as a division with the Georgia Council for Exceptional Children.
Article II – Purpose
The G-CASE is organized to promote professional leadership, provide engaged membership, and promote effective leadership so that G-CASE has a unified voice promoting excellence in leaders of programs for students with disabilities.
Article III – Membership
Section 1. PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP shall be available to individuals who hold or are seeking a position in educational leadership. Professional membership entitles the member to support services targeted to all of Georgia's educational leaders through memberships in four organizations: the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders (GAEL), the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE), and the Georgia Council of Administrators of Special Education (G-CASE).
Section 2. ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP shall be available to members of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE), and the Georgia Council of Administrators of Special Education (G-CASE) who administer, direct, supervise, and/or coordinate a program, school, or classes of special education for exceptional children in one or more categories as a major responsibility and college faculty whose primary responsibility is the professional preparation of administrators of special education. Active membership entitles the member to attend all meetings of the division, to vote on all national and state questions presented to the membership, to serve as a committee chairperson, to run for national and state office, and to be a national or state award recipient.
Section 3. G-CASE MEMBERSHIP ONLY shall be available to individuals who hold or are seeking a position in special education/education leadership but have chosen not to become a member of national CEC/CASE. Active membership in G-CASE ONLY entitles the member to attend all G-CASE meetings and conferences at the G-CASE Member reduced rate, to participate in all surveys and questions presented to the G- CASE membership, to receive the G-CASE newsletters and other G-CASE resources, and to vote in G-CASE elections. Members of G-CASE ONLY are not allowed to serve on the Advisory or Executive Boards or to run for a G-CASE office. All G-CASE members are encouraged to become Active or Professional Members.
Section 4. ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP shall be available to those persons who are interested in the administration of programs or services for exceptional children, but who are not otherwise eligible for active membership. An Associate may attend all meetings of the division and receive all communications sent to the membership; however, associates are nonvoting and may neither hold elective office nor serve as committee chairpersons. The cost of an Associate Membership shall be the same as G-CASE Only Membership.
Section 5. RETIRED MEMBERSHIP shall be available to a person who has retired from his/her responsibilities and is no longer eligible for active membership but shall retain all the privileges of active membership except that of holding elected office unless the person has been elected prior to the changing of status from active to retired. The cost of a Retired membership shall be the same as G-CASE Only Membership.
Section 6. INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP shall be available to individuals who hold or are seeking a position in educational leadership. Institutional membership entitles the member to support services targeted to all of Georgia's educational leaders through memberships in both GAEL and G-CASE.
Section 7. CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP shall be available to sponsors, exhibitors, and vendors who desire to keep a presence with G-CASE and to receive G-CASE communications such as newsletters, notices of conferences, etc.
Section 8. HONORARY MEMBERSHIP shall be available as a gift to all Past-Presidents of G-CASE. No Past-President of G-CASE will need to ever pay a G-CASE Membership fee during their affiliation with G-CASE.
Section 9. TEACHER LEADER ACADEMY MEMBERSHIP shall be given complimentary to all teachers taking part in the Special Education Administrator Development Academy. This l one-year complimentary membership allows them a reduced rate at conferences and access to all G-CASE communications and webinars.
Section 6 10. The Membership Year for CEC/CASE shall be one year beginning in the month that CASE/CEC receives the individual's membership payments. The G-CASE membership year and the GAEL membership year is from July 1 through June 30.
Article IV – Fees
Section 1. The Executive Board shall recommend and communicate the amount of membership fees at a G-CASE general business meeting. The amount of G-CASE fees shall be subject to the approval of members at a general business meeting. Membership fees are due at appropriate times to maintain current membership in G-CASE.
Article V – Officers
Section 1. CONDITIONS OF OFFICE
(a) Executive and Advisory Board members must be members in good standing of G-CASE, CASE, and CEC at the time of nomination and election and remain so throughout the term of office.
(b) G-CASE shall provide for the elected officers (see Section 2, this article) as selected by systematic and democratic procedures, with appropriate authority to serve in their offices' functions as described below.
(c) Should any officer not fulfill the functions of said office, the following procedures will be implemented.
1. A petition for removal of a G-CASE officer shall be made by at least five (5) members of the G-CASE Executive Board by submitting this to the President. If the President is the subject of the petition, it should be submitted to the President-Elect. Such a petition shall indicate the problems or concerns and indicate why the person in question should be removed from office.
2. The President (or President-Elect) in conjunction with at least two (2) other members of the Executive Board shall contact the person in question and shall establish a date to review the situation with this person. On that date, the person in question will be notified in writing that they are "on probation" as an officer.
3. At the time of the meeting, an outline should be developed listing the necessary corrective actions the person in question must take to fulfill the duties of his/her elected position.
4. If the corrective action is successful, the matter will be dropped, the probation will be ended by written notification, and the person will remain in office.
5. If, after the time of probation, the person is not fulfilling the duties, the President (or President-Elect) will present this matter, in writing, to the Executive Board.
6. The Executive Board will present written notice of removal or recall to the person in question. The person will have thirty (30) days to submit to the President (or President-Elect) a written notice of appeal.
7. Upon receipt of the appeal, the President (or President-Elect) will turn the written appeal over to an Appeal Board. The Appeal Board shall be appointed by the President (or President-Elect) and be composed of five (5) persons who are official members of the G-CASE organization.
8. The five (5) members of the Appeal Board shall be called together by the President (or President-Elect). Meeting expenses will be covered by the G-CASE.
9. At the meeting of the Appeal Board, the Executive Board may be present, but will not be able to vote on the appeal. A majority vote of the Appeal Board will be necessary to overturn the Executive Board's decision to remove the elected G-CASE officer in question, effective upon written notification to that officer.
10. The officer whose appeal has been considered shall be provided the Appeal Board Decision in writing within fifteen (15) days.
Section 2. The Officers of G-CASE shall be as follows: President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Representative to the Georgia CEC, and Immediate Past President.
Section 3. The President, President-Elect, Vice President, and Immediate Past President shall serve a one (1) year term. The Vice President shall move to the position of President-Elect for one (1) year before moving to the position of President. The Secretary, Treasurer, and Representative to the Georgia CEC shall each serve a two (2) year term. The Vice President shall be elected each year. The Treasurer shall be elected in even-numbered years, and the Secretary and Representative to the Georgia CEC shall be elected in odd-numbered years. All elected officers shall officially begin their duties at the G-CASE Executive Board meeting held at the Summer GAEL Conference and will be publicly recognized at the following G-CASE Fall Conference.
Section 4. In case of a vacancy occurring in the office of President, the President-Elect shall assume the office of President. In case of vacancy in the office of President-Elect, or in the event that he/she succeeds the President for any reason, the office of President-Elect shall be filled by Presidential appointment with the approval of the Executive Board and shall remain vacant until the next business meeting of G-CASE at which time a vote will be taken to move the Vice President to the position of President-Elect and a replacement for the position of Vice President shall be nominated. A special election will be held to vote on the nomination to replace the Vice President.
Section 5. In case of a vacancy occurring in the office of Secretary, Treasurer, or Representative to the Georgia CEC, the President, with the approval of the Executive Board, shall appoint a temporary replacement to serve until the next opportunity for election of a replacement to complete the unexpired term.
Section 6. PRESIDENT. The President shall preside at all general business meetings of G-CASE and meetings of the Executive Board. He/She shall appoint all standing and special committee chairpersons (except those specifically provided for in this Constitution) subject to the approval of the Executive Board and shall be an ex officio member of all committees, with the exception of the Nominations and Elections Committee, and may participate in any meeting of the committees at his/her discretion. This officer shall act for G-CASE between meetings, clearing whenever necessary, important actions with the Executive Board. The President or such alternate as he/she may designate shall represent G-CASE at meetings of other groups where G-CASE representation is desired or required. The President shall appoint a parliamentarian to serve at all Executive Board and General Business meetings of G-CASE.
Section 7. PRESIDENT-ELECT. The President-Elect shall serve in the event of resignation or absence of the President. He/She will have such other responsibilities as designated by the President. He/She shall accede to the office of President from the position of President-Elect. The President-Elect shall be an ex officio member of all committees and may participate in any meeting of any committee, at his/her discretion.
Section 8. VICE PRESIDENT The Vice President shall be a position of learning the total organization in order to move into the President position in two years. The Vice President will accede to the office of President-Elect from the position of Vice President.
Section 9. SECRETARY. The Secretary shall keep accurate minutes of all the meetings of the Executive Board, and all General Business Meetings. He/She shall carry on correspondence as necessary in regard to matters as delegated by the President.
Section 10. TREASURER. The Treasurer shall be responsible for overseeing the development of the G-CASE budget by the Executive Director each year and submitting it at the annual business meeting following approval by the Executive Board. He/she shall monitor and assure that an accurate record of receipts and expenditures is maintained by the Executive Director. He/she shall present a report at each meeting. The G-CASE financial record shall be audited annually by the auditing agency specially chosen for this purpose.
Section 11. REPRESENTATIVE TO THE GEORGIA CEC. The Representative to the Georgia CEC shall provide oversight in the area of scholarships. He/She shall represent G-CASE at all required meetings called by the Georgia Council for Exceptional Children. The Representative to the Georgia CEC shall have the authority to appoint an ad hoc scholarship committee to assist in selecting scholarship recipients.
Section 12. IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT. In the event the Immediate Past President cannot serve his/her term, the President shall appoint the next most recent Past President whose services are available. The Immediate Past President shall provide oversight of and chair the ad hoc Nominations and Elections Committee and the Awards Committee (i.e., Lillie Moncus Award for Special Education Administrator of the Year, Outstanding New Director of the Year, Friend of G-CASE, etc.), which will also be comprised of the President-Elect and the Vice-President.
Article VI – Meetings
The G-CASE membership shall meet at least bi-annually at two G-CASE General Business meetings – one at the Fall Conference and one at the Spring Conference. Changes in the time and place of the meetings shall be made upon the recommendation of the Executive Board who may also call additional membership meetings as deemed necessary.
Article VII – Executive Board
Section 1. The Executive Board shall be composed of the elected officers of G-CASE and the appointed chairpersons of standing committees. One or more representatives from the Georgia Department of Education may serve as a liaison to the Executive Board.
Section 2. The Executive Board shall meet prior to the General Business meetings of G-CASE and at such times as deemed necessary. It shall serve as an advisor to the President and shall approve the appointment of the chairs of the standing committees. It shall act upon matters of business that may arise between meetings of G-CASE.
Section 3. Members of the Advisory Board shall be recommended for appointment by each district. Each GLRS will appoint a member from their district to the Advisory Board. Members of the Advisory Board may be reappointed. The Advisory Board shall meet twice annually with the Executive Board. They shall be active members of G-CASE and CEC/CASE and will serve as mentors to SELDA participants.
Section 4. The G-CASE Executive Board shall be responsible for the recruitment, selection, and annual performance evaluation of the position of Executive Director for G-CASE. The responsibilities of the G-CASE Executive Director shall include implementing the strategic plan at the direction of the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall set the salary, benefits, and other compensation by policy.
Section 5. The G-CASE Executive Board shall pre-approve any expenditures made by authorized persons and/or the Executive Director including purchases of materials, equipment, supplies, or contract services whose total costs exceed $2,500.
Section 6. The G-CASE Executive Board approval process will require a quorum of the Executive Board as defined by a majority of the Executive Board voting members including only one vote for each standing committee and will include conference call and email/electronic voting processes.
Article VIII – Committees
Section 1. The standing committees shall be as follows: Legislation, Communication, Strategic Planning, Membership/Recruitment, Professional Learning, Research and Innovation, and Policy and Procedures.
Section 2. The standing committee chairpersons and other special committee chairpersons shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Board unless otherwise specified in this document. The chairpersons, with the approval of the President, shall select committee members. When voting is conducted by the Executive Board, and a committee has co-chairs, there shall be one vote per committee. Each member of the Advisory Board shall serve on at least one standing committee.
Section 3. The Nominations and Elections Special Committee shall be chaired by the Immediate Past-President. The Chair shall have the Call for Nominations published along with the eligibility criteria and the duties of each office to be elected in the G-CASE Newsletter, on the web site and emailed to all active members. The Chair shall forward a list of nominees and vita information for each nominee to all committee members. Committee members may add nominees. The Chair shall have this slate published in the G-CASE Newsletter and/or on the web site and emailed to all active members at least 30 calendar days prior to the election. The election shall take place by electronic or written ballot to all active G-CASE members at least 30 calendar days prior to the Spring General Business meeting. The Nominations and Elections Committee will carry out the election, will certify all voting members, and will tabulate the results with results reported to the membership in a timely manner.
Article IX – Parliamentary Authority
The rules contained in Roberts' Parliamentary Law and the latest edition of Roberts' Rules of Order Revised shall govern the Georgia Council of Administrators of Special Education in all cases to which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with the articles of this Constitution. (Parliamentary procedures will be suspended during G-CASE Work Sessions.)
Article X – Dissolution
Upon dissolution of G-CASE, the Executive Board shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all liabilities, dispose of all the assets exclusively for the purposes of G-CASE in such manner, or to such organizations such as the Council for Administrators of Special Education; the Georgia Council for Exceptional Children; and/or the Georgia Administrators of Educational Leadership, the purposes of which are to serve the needs of exceptional children. Under no circumstances shall any of the property or assets be distributed to any officer, member, employee, or subsidiary of G-CASE.
Article XI – Amendments
The Constitution may be amended by a majority vote of the active members present at a business meeting (face-to-face or digitally) provided the membership has been notified at least thirty (30) calendar days prior to the business meeting of intention for revisions.
Amended March 23, 2011
Amended November 8, 2012
Amended March 18, 2014
Amended March 18, 2019
Amended December 18, 2020
(30 calendar days from G-CASE Business Meeting held November 18, 2020)
