Name:Rural Schools Association

Mission:The Rural Schools Association, a statewide organization, represents the interests of, initiates research for, and provides service and information to the rural and small school districts of New York State.

Membership:Program membership is available to:

*Education Law, Article 24, Section 1203 (1990) definitions: "Rural Area" shall mean any county with less than two hundred thousand population, or any town which has a population of less than one hundred fifty persons per square mile. "Small" is defined, herein, as any district of 2500 pupils or less.

Fiscal Year:For organizational purposes, the fiscal year shall extend from July 1 inclusive to June 30.

Dues:Dues shall be assessed annually in an amount to be determined by the Board of Directors.

Governance:The organization (RSA) shall be governed by a Board of Directors representing the ten zones within New York State (refer to attachment - Zone Map), at-large appointments, and the supporting organizations. A term of office shall become effective at the conclusion of the RSA Annual Meeting in July and continue for a period of three (3) years ending at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting in July of the third year. No two Directors in any zone will serve the same term. The Chair is herein empowered to implement this provision by, when necessary, designating the length of term to which a Director is to be elected prior to the election.

The boundary lines of the ten RSA Zones will be coterminous with BOCES boundaries. In the event BOCES boundary lines are adjusted, appropriate RSA Zone lines will be adjusted, when necessary, by action of the Board of Directors. If a Director's position on the Board is affected by the boundary change, the affected Director will continue as a Director until a new Board member is elected.

The number of Directors per zone will be determined by the number of member districts within that zone as of January 1, of that year, in accordance with the following table:

In addition, the Board of Directors may appoint a total of five (5) At-Large Directors to serve for individual three (3) year terms.

Area or regional organizations whose membership is based upon the association of the governing boards of public schools and BOCES, and whose operation is supported by dues/fees collected from public schools and BOCES, which elect to join RSA, are to be represented by the zone in which they are headquartered, shall be counted as `member districts' when determining zone representation on the RSA Board of Directors, and shall be afforded all rights and privileges consistent with full membership.

Supporting Organizations may appoint Directors as follows:

Election Procedure:Upon a vacancy on the Board of Directors, the Chair of the Board of Directors shall appoint an Elections Committee from the zone affected to administer the election of the new Director(s). It will be the duty of the Elections Committee, consisting of the District Superintendents, to announce vacancies to all member districts of the zone and to seek petitions for candidates. It is desirable that two or more candidates seek each directorship in order to stimulate interest. The Elections Committee shall seek out candidates from among the membership when necessary, and shall seek a strong commitment from each candidate. The Elections Committee shall then conduct the election among all member districts of the zone with each member district allowed one vote per vacancy. The election process shall be completed within sixty (60) days of a vacancy in order to maintain the strength of the Board of Directors.

Eligibility of Zone Director:Any individual who is a superintendent or board member of a member district or member BOCES is eligible to seek the position of Director. Any change in Bylaws will not effect incumbents . In any zone entitled to two or more Directors, at least one Director must be a lay person and one must be a superintendent. Any Director who misses three consecutive Board of Directors meetings without excuse shall automatically cease to be a Director of the RSA. The Chair, acting for the Board of Directors, shall have the authority to excuse a Director's absence. A special election shall be held within sixty (60) days of such a vacancy to fill any unexpired term following the prescribed election procedure.

In the event that a Director, elected while a member of a school district or BOCES board, ceases to be a board member, but maintains his/her residency within the school district or BOCES region, he/she may complete the term of office to which he/she was elected.

In the event that a Director, elected while the superintendent of a school district or BOCES, ceases, for reasons other than retirement, to be a superintendent within the Zone from which he/she was elected, his/her term as a Director shall terminate effective on the date of separation from employment. Directors, elected while superintendents, may, upon their retirement, complete their term, provided residency within the Zone is maintained.

The eligibility and term of office of Directors representing supporting organizations will be determined by the appointing organization.

The eligibility of the At-Large Directors shall be at the discretion of the Board of Directors at the time of appointment.

Board of Directors Meetings:The July meeting shall serve as the Annual Meeting of the Rural Schools Association. The Board of Directors shall meet on at least three (3) dates in addition to the Annual Meeting, with specific time and place to be at the discretion of the Executive Committee. Furthermore, the Chair is authorized to call Special Meetings, as may be necessary.

Notice of Meetings:Notice of the annual, regular, or any special meeting of members shall be given in the manner required by law and by mailing a copy of the notice of such meeting not less than twenty (20) days prior to the date designated for said meeting. Each voting member shall receive said notification at his/her address recorded with the Rural Schools Association office. Board members wishing to change their mailing address shall cause this change to be made by filing a request with the Rural Schools Association office secretary.

Committees:The Chair of RSA shall be an ex officio member of all standing and ad hoc committees. The following committees and RSA representatives to committees shall be appointed by the Chair of the Board of Directors with approval from the Board:

Executive Committee will be composed of the Chair, the Vice Chair, the Chair of RSA standing committees, and such other Directors as the Chair of the Board of Directors shall appoint. The membership of the Executive Committee must represent at least three members of boards of education, three school administrators, and three members from supporting organizations. A Director may represent more than one category. The RSA Executive Director shall serve as an ex officio member. The RSA Executive Committee will provide assistance in conducting regional and local meetings called to consider the interests of RSA members. The Executive Committee is empowered to act on behalf of the Board of Directors between meetings of the Board on administrative matters requiring timely action.

Standing Committees as follows: Legislative ; Member Service ; Research, Grants, & Member Surveys ; Policy and Long-Range Planning ; Annual Conference . With the exception of the Annual Conference Committee, each committee shall have a Chair and Vice-Chair appointed from the Board of Directors. In addition, the Deputy Executive Director shall serve as an ex officio member of the Legislative Committee to assist the Chair as needed. Standing committees shall be composed of lay members and school administrators. They shall represent a broad geographical area. Non-directors may be appointed by the RSA Chair to committees for additional expertise. When possible, committee meetings will be held in conjunction with regularly scheduled meetings of the Board of Directors.

Ad Hoc Committees will be appointed as necessary to consider specific Board-directed assignments.

"Commissioner's Advisory Council of School Board Members" : Representatives to the Commissioner's Advisory Council of School Board Members will include the RSA Chair or his/her designee and additional Directors who are school board members as invited by the NY State Commissioner of Education. Representatives may serve up to three (3) consecutive years, and terms shall be adjusted to afford experienced representation.

Officers:At the Annual Meeting, the Board of Directors shall elect a Chair and Vice-Chair from its membership, to assume office at the end of the Annual Meeting. The Chair shall be a lay person. (See below for definition) Both officials shall serve in similar capacities on the Executive Committee. If the Chair is unable to complete the term of office, the Vice Chair shall act as the Chair. The Chair and Vice Chair of all other committees shall be appointed by the Chair of the Board of Directors. The Immediate-Past Chair of RSA will serve on the Board of Directors, with voting privileges, for two years, following his or her term as Chair.

"Lay person": (Minutes 4/16/99) by formal resolution "lay person" excludes any director employed in a professional capacity by a school district, BOCES, or the State Education Department and any of the Cornell representatives to the board.

Former Chairs and Vice Chairs of the Board of Directors will be invited to attend and encouraged to participate in all activities of the Rural Schools Association as non-voting members.

Quorum:At Board of Directors meetings, a quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the Directors, or representation from three-fourths of:

At the Executive Committee meetings, a majority of the Directors belonging to that Committee shall constitute a quorum.

Executive Director & Deputy Executive Director: The Board of Directors shall appoint an Executive Director and may appoint a Deputy Executive Director to provide administrative leadership for RSA. Qualifications and responsibilities of these positions shall be designated by the Board of Directors. The Executive Director shall also serve as the secretary-treasurer of the RSA.

Former Executive Directors will be invited and encouraged to attend all activities of the Rural Schools Association.

Office Location:The RSA Office shall be located within the Department of Education New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kennedy Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. Administrative supervision of the RSA Office and staff shall be provided by the Chair of the Department of Education.

Parliamentary Authority: "For the deliberations of the RSA Board of Directors shall be" Robert's Rules of Order, Revised.

Amendments of Bylaws:These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Board of Directors, at a special meeting called for that purpose, or by mailed ballots by the Directors. Of the total number of Directors, a two-thirds vote in favor will be required for an amendment to be approved. The proposed amendment must be sent to the Directors at least two (2) weeks prior to the meeting at which it is to be considered.