Article 1. Name

The name of the corporation shall be the Capital Area's National Association for Bilingual Education Affiliate (CANABE), herein referred to as CANABE or the Association. CANABE is an affiliate of the National Association for Bilingual Education. The association's executive committee shall be known as the Executive Board.

Article 2. Mission Statement

The Capital Area's National Association for Bilingual Education Affiliate is dedicated to supporting bilingual educators in their work and in their professional growth throughout the Greater Washington Metropolitan Area. We believe that bilingual education benefits all students, those who are learning English as well as those who are learning other languages. We recognize the importance of many different kinds of educators in the lives of Greater Washington Metropolitan Area's students, parents, extended family members, teachers, administrators, and paraeducators. CANABE embraces the rich cultural and linguistic diversity within our state and promotes its inclusion in the education of all students. The Association promotes educational excellence and equity through activities including advocacy, professional development, materials development, and research.  | Back to Top |

Article 3. Purpose and Objectives

The Purposes of the Capital Area's National Association for Bilingual Education Affiliate (CANABE) are:

1. To ensure that all students who are English Language Learners (ELL) attain English proficiency, develop high levels of academic attainment in English, and meet the same challenging academic content and student achievement standards as all children.
2. To establish national contacts through affiliation with the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE).
3. To provide opportunities to study and discuss issues concerning bilingual education.
4. Educational. CANABE educational purposes include:
   1. Recognizing, promoting and publicizing excellence in bilingual education;
   2. Promoting efforts to assure the provision of equal educational opportunity to all Americans;
   3. Promoting the provision of bilingual/bicultural education services to children, youth and adults;
   4. Promoting public understanding & appreciation of the linguistic and cultural needs of children, youth & adult speakers of languages other than English;
   5. To help improve and support heritage language instruction through dual language programs and the teaching of English to speakers of other languages;
   6. Coordinating and promoting the development of standards of professional competence in bilingual education;
   7. Conducting educational workshops and conferences relating to bilingual education;
   8. Promoting excellence in bilingual/bicultural education by encouraging relevant research and publications.
5. Prohibition. No substantial part of the activities of the corporation shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the corporation shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing of distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.
6. CANABE is organized exclusively for educational purposes, including, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
7. Compliance with IRS. Notwithstanding any other provision of these Bylaws, CANABE shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on by section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section  f any future federal tax code, or by a corporation, contributions to which are deductible under section 170 (c) (2) of  the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.  | Back to Top |
   

Article 4. Membership

1. Membership: Membership in any of the categories described in the constitution shall be available to individuals interested in multilingual/multicultural education upon payment of the annual dues and completion of a membership application. Annual membership shall extend for a period of twelve months from the date of processing of dues (except for specified categories of membership).
2. Membership categories: Membership categories are: Active members, Associate members, Honorary members, Institutional members, and Charter Organizations. The benefits, including the right to receive CANABE publications and vote for officers and for other General Membership issues, are the same for each membership category except Institutional and Charter.
   1. Active Members include: teacher, college instructor, administrator, consultant, and other.
   2. Associate Members include: community person, paraeducator, retired persons, and full time college student.
   3. Honorary Members include all former CANABE presidents. Honorary members are not required to submit annual membership applications or pay dues.
   4. Institutional Members have all rights of membership except voting. Schools, libraries, commercial vendors, and governmental entities are encouraged to join CANABE in order to stay current with education issues of concern.
   5. Charter Organization Members are included as part of the Executive Board to ensure participation from all parts of the state. Charter Organizations shall be named in the Bylaws. Each Charter Organization that is approved in the Bylaws is represented on the Executive Board by one individual. The individual who represents the Charter Organization on the CANABE Board must be a current member of CANABE. To be considered for Charter status, an organization must have Bylaws consistent with the purposes of CANABE. To add or remove an organization from this status requires amendment of the CANABE Bylaws.
3. Dues: The dues for each category shall be specified each year by the Executive Board and indicated in the membership application. | Back to Top |

Article 5. Organization

1. Executive Board
   The elected officers of the Association shall consist of President, President Elect, Past President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Parent Representative. The Executive Director and representatives of the Charter Organizations are appointed members of the Executive Board. It is the responsibility of all officers to be familiar with the Bylaws.
2. Nominations and Elections
   1. Nominations. Any CANABE member may nominate officers. The nominating committee will compile all nominations and prepare a ballot for the election. Officers will be elected by ballot at the annual Association Conference.
   2. Voting. The election of officers will take place during the annual conference.
   3. Tenure of Office. The tenure of office of the Executive Board officers shall be two years from June 1 (immediately following election) to May 31 of each subsequent election year.
   4. Announcement. Newly elected CANABE officers will be announced at the General Session of the Conference following the election.
   5. Vacancies. A vacancy in any office shall be filled by presidential appointment, except President and President Elect, who shall be appointed by vote of the Board from among the elected officers (in which case the president shall appoint the new vacancy created). If the Past President needs to be replaced, the new position will be termed "Member-at-Large". A vacancy shall also occur when any elected Board member has two unexcused absences from Board meetings.
3. President
   1. The president shall preside at all meetings, appoint the chairman of each standing committees, and conduct the business of the organization. The president shall represent the Association to its members and the public. The President shall network and maintain communications with NABE. Upon completion of the term, the president will serve on the board as past-president to ensure continuity in the organization.
   2. The President, upon recommendation of the Executive Board, shall annually appoint the Executive Director.
   3. The President shall work with the Board to set all Executive Board meetings for the year. Changes to the meeting schedule shall be announced at least two weeks in advance.
   4. The President shall represent CANABE as the NABE delegate assembly or designate a representative.
4. President Elect
   The President Elect shall serve on the Board for familiarization of all the duties of the President. The President Elect shall assume the presidency on the first day of August or upon the termination of the office of the current president.
5. Vice-President
   The vice-president shall preside in the absence of the president and assist the president in the execution of business.
6. Secretary
   
   1. The secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings conducted by the board.
   2. The secretary shall submit the minutes to the president for review and dissemination within 15 days following the meeting.
   3. At the end of the secretary's term, a compilation of the year's minutes will be submitted to the Executive Director to be archived.
7. Treasurer
   
   1. The treasurer shall be the fiscal agent of the organization. The treasurer shall open and maintain accounts in the name of the organization and deposit all money received. The treasurer shall keep an accurate record of all income, investments, and expenditures. Receipts and invoices of al transactions will be kept to document the organization's activities.
   2. The treasurer shall prepare financial statements to present at all Executive Board meetings and a fiscal report to present to members at the annual business meeting.
   3. The Treasurer shall prepare and submit in a timely fashion the following reports: Federal Income Tax returns and the State Corporation Commission Report.
   4. At the end of the fiscal year, the treasurer shall prepare a complete financial statement showing all income received, and all disbursements made by the organizations. Copies of same shall be provided to the incoming officers as well as to state and federal officials that may require it.
8. Parent Representative
   The Parent Representative shall represent parent concerns to the executive committee. It is therefore required that the Parent Representative have a child or grandchild in a bilingual program. The Parent Representative should be up to date on parent concerns, contact local parent advisory committees for their involvement in the annual conference and/or parent institutes throughout the state; organize training sessions at the annual conference with these issues in mind; conduct broader community advocacy activities; and report to the Board on parent issues.
9. Past President
   The Past President will serve on the Board as an advisor to ensure continuity, and may be assigned appropriate duties. | Back to Top |
   

Article 6. Standing Committees

1. The Standing Committee shall be the Executive Board. Other committees are Nominations/Elections, Scholarships, Teacher Excellence, Educational Assistant, Administrator of the year, Training Grants, History, and Conference Committees.
2. Executive Board
   1. The Executive Board votes on all association business in accordance with its mission as stated in the original articles of incorporation.
   2. The Executive Board is composed of nine voting members. To conduct association business, a quorum needs to be present. Voting members are the following: Past President, President (chair), President Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Parent Representative. The Executive Director can be counted to form a quorum, and can vote to break a tie.
   3. Each member of the Executive Board must be an active member of both the state and national organizations. Former Presidents are honorary members and ex-officio officers. They hold honorary membership in the organization and are welcome at all meetings, but do not vote. All standing committee business must be submitted to the Executive Committee for final approval.
3. Nominations/Elections Committee
   The Nominations/Elections Committee shall be composed of three members appointed by the President with approval by the Board. They shall follow established procedures.
4. Scholarship Awards Committee
   This award encourages individuals to complete ESL/ESOL teacher certification. The committee consists of an appointed chair and a selected bilingual education faculty member from each university in the state with a bilingual education teacher education program.
5. Teacher Education Committee
   The committee is composed of a chair and 2 members. The duties of the committee are to review applications for institutes in accordance with established guidelines. The committee will submit recommendations for approval of expenditures to the Executive Board.
6. Conference Committees
   Special committees are to be formed each year to facilitate the activities of the Conference; they are: school exhibits, commercial exhibitors, program, registration/membership, entertainment, A-V, Spelling Bee. | Back to Top |

Article 7. Meetings

1. Meetings
   1. The time, number and place of the meetings shall be established in the minutes of the executive board and announced at least 30 days in advance to those invited.
   2. Executive Board meetings shall be held at least 4 times annually or as often as determined by the president or by one third of the board members. A simple majority shall constitute a quorum for Executive Board.
   3. General Membership. The Executive Board shall convene at least two general membership meetings during a membership year, the programs of which shall include business sessions as well as sessions on topics of professional interest. A quorum for general business meetings shall consist of all those members present at the meeting. The majority of the Executive Board must also be present.
   4. Special Meetings. Work sessions, committee meetings, and other meetings with no policy or fiscal decisions on the agenda do not require the specified advance notice.
2. Quorum
   1. Executive Board meetings: a majority constitutes a quorum.
   2. General Membership meetings: One-tenth of the total membership shall constitute a quorum.
   3. The lack of a quorum prevents policy and fiscal decisions from being acted upon, but other agenda items may be considered.
3. Standing Authority
   The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order (most recent edition) Standard Code of Parliamentary shall govern the Association in all cases in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws.
4. Open Meetings
   All meetings of the Executive Board shall be open to the public.
5. National Conference Delegate
   When the President cannot attend, the president will appoint a delegate to the NABE Conference. | Back to Top |
   

Article 8: By-Laws

1. These By-Laws shall be in effect after they are approved by a majority of the membership at a business meeting.
2. Proposed amendments to these By-laws shall be made at either a regular or special meeting called for the purpose, or through formal correspondence. Whether in a meeting or done through correspondence, a simple majority vote of the members present or of tallied votes in on or before the specified deadline is required to approve and [sic] proposed amendment.
3. Proposed amendments to these By-Laws, upon endorsement of the Executive Board, must be received by all members at least ten (10) days prior to the scheduled membership meeting at which they are to be considered for adoption, or at least 20 days prior to the scheduled tabulation date of membership votes in the case of ratification or approval by correspondence.
4. Unless otherwise specified, amendments to these By-laws will take effect upon official approval by the membership.  | Back to Top |

Article 9: Site of Association

The CANABE's site shall be determined by the president.  | Back to Top |

______________________________________________________________________

We, the undersigned, approve these by-laws:

  • Jorge P. Osterling, President
  • Kristin Percy Calaff, Treasurer
  • Sandra Ledoux, Secretary
  • Monica Maccera Filppu, Secretary

January 15, 2004, Oyster Elementary School, Washington, DC   | Back to Top |