Peel Halton Etobicoke Affiliate of TESL Ontario Operating Guidelines

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The Board is comprised of 15 Executive Members of whom 7 are Core Executive members and 8 Members-at-Large. At any time the Board will have a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 15 members.

Core Executive Committee

The Core Executive Committee comprises the positions of President, Past President, President-Elect, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary and Affiliate Representative.

Duties
The Board members select the Committee chairs for a two-year term by a simple vote.

President

• Is one of three signing officers
• Signs all correspondence
• Guides Affiliate activities
• Organizes and chairs Board meetings
• May attend Committee meetings
• Responds to all queries received through the PHE Website or delegates it to a senior Board Member
  
  

President-Elect

• Is in training for the position of the President
• May fill in during an absence of the President
  
  

Past President

• Reports and advises the Core Executive on previous Affiliate activities
• May fill in during an absence of the President
  
  

Recording Secretary

• Must have served on the Board for at least one year
• Is one of three signing officers
• Records minutes of Board meetings and electronically distributes them to all members of the Board one week after the meeting
• Prepares correspondence as required by the Board
• Maintains electronic and hard copies of all Minutes and correspondence and passes them on to his/her successor

Treasurer

• Must have served on the Board for at least one year
• Is one of three signing officers
• Manages the financial activities of the Affiliate and electronically distributes financial reports to the Board members at least one week before every meeting
• Reports the financial status of the Affiliate regularly to TESL Ontario and the Board, and annually to the membership at the Affiliate AGM
• Is responsible for pre- and on-site registration of the membership for Affiliate-organized professional development activities, and collects appropriate fees
• Maintains a list of members in attendance at TESL PHE PD events
• Creates and stores a backup of all financial statements in hard copy and electronic version and passes them on to his/her successor

Membership Secretary

• Promotes TESL membership of ESL professionals living or working in Peel, Halton and Etobicoke
• Obtains Affiliate’s mailing labels from TESL Ontario as required
• Maintains a list of Affiliate members who are interested in volunteer opportunities in the organization and forwards names to the Volunteer Committee Chair
• Chairs the Membership Committee
  
• Prepares and electronically distributes membership report one week before the Board meeting
  
• Attends TESL Ontario Affiliate Membership Secretaries’ meetings to represent the affiliate and reports to the Executive
  
  

Affiliate Representative

• Attends Affiliate Representative meetings and occasional TESL Ontario Board meetings
• Liaises between TESL Ontario and the Affiliate

• Responsible for responding to membership queries that come through the Affiliate e-mail system or directing to the appropriate Board or Committee member
• Liaises and facilitates communication amongst Affiliates
• Informs the Board of AR meeting dates
• A substitute, approved by the Board, will attend the AR meeting in the event the Affiliate Representative is unable to

Board Members

The Committee Chairs shall be from the eight (8) non-Core Executive positions and who are Members-at-Large.

Duties

Chair, Professional Development Committee

• Facilitates the planning and implementation of at least two (2) Affiliate professional development activities per year
• Manages communication with PD presenters from invitation to the day of presentation
• Co-ordinates with other Committee or Board members for event management (invitations, locale, all incidental details & arrangements)
• Requests insurance from TESL Ontario for appropriate coverage
  
• Updates the presenters on the projected final numbers for workshops three-five days before the event
  
• Coordinates the compilation of PD evaluation results with Committee members and submits a final PD Report to the Board
  

Chair, Newsletter Committee

• Facilitates the publication and distribution of at least two (2) Affiliate newsletters per year
  
• The Committee shall be comprised of the Chair and at least 2 active members
  

Chair, Annual General Meeting Organizing Committee

This position is held by either the President, Past-President, Affiliate Representative, former President or past member of one of the Executive Committees.

• Facilitates the planning and organization of the Affiliate Annual General Meeting (AGM)
• Is responsible for all publications/correspondence associated with AGM
• Proofreads and approves the printed AGM package to be printed for distribution at AGM

Members-at-Large

• All Board members will be TESL Ontario members
• Eighty percent (80%) of the Board must be TESL Certified
• May assume the responsibility for chairing a committee
• Commit to the betterment of the profession by participating at the committee level
• Represent a specific sector such as universities, colleges, elementary, secondary, adult or LINC
• Must participate on at least one (1) committee of their choice

Nominating Committee

• The Committee will consist of the President or the Past-President and one (1) additional Board member
• The Committee will post a slate of officers, as outlined in the Operating Guidelines, at the AGM

Professional Development Committee

• PD Chair in coordination with Committee members will plan and implement at least two (2) professional development events each year
• The Committee shall promote the professional development of Affiliate members and other ESL professionals, taking into account the sectors represented in its jurisdiction
• The President, Past-President or PD Committee Chair can authorize last minute changes that may arise
• It is the responsibility of the Chair to get PD event information on the Affiliate website in a timely manner by coordinating with the Website Committee Chair as soon as PD event information is finalized
• Final approval rests with the President

Newsletter Committee

• The Committee will facilitate website publication and a limited hard-copy distribution of the Newsletter to Affiliate members at least two (2) times per year
• Any member of the Executive Committee shall edit and review the completed newsletter before it is distributed
• In addition to the Chair, two (2) volunteers shall be part of the committee
• Final approval rests with the President

Membership Committee

• The Committee is the contact liaison between the Board and the TESL member.
• The Committee will be chaired by the elected Membership Secretary
  

Volunteer Committee

• Coordinates volunteer activities on behalf of the Board
• Is responsible for contacting the membership for the purpose of promoting volunteer opportunities on the Board and its committees, Affiliate events and so on
  

Website Committee

• The Chair monitors the Affiliate website and liaises with the Board members and TESL Ontario webmaster to request changes / updates / content removal at the recommendation of the Board
• Final approval for the Web site changes rests with the President

General Membership

Affiliate membership is open to persons over 18 years old, involved or interested in the teaching of English as a Second Language, and who have paid the appropriate membership and certification fees to TESL Ontario. Eighty percent (80%) of the Board must be certified.

Membership Fees

Annual fees are payable to TESL Ontario according to their fee schedule.

Conduct of Business

• The Annual General Meeting for the Affiliate shall be held no later than December 31 of each year
• Board Meetings shall be held at least 7 times in a year
• The President shall prepare an agenda of all meetings, or in her/his absence, the Past President
• The meeting shall be conducted in a democratic fashion and the Secretary shall keep adequate notes of the meetings
• Committee meetings shall be held informally at a frequency and timing to suit their purpose.  The Chairs of the various Committees shall facilitate communication between their Committee and the Board
• Each Committee member shall be a TESL member within ten (10) days of his or her election and throughout his or her term of office
• Member(s) representing the Board at any external meeting(s) will keep the Board informed and submit a complete report upon return

Quorum

• Quorum at the Affiliate meetings shall be one-third of paid members.  The acceptance of motions shall be by a simple majority.
• Quorum at the Board level shall be two-thirds of the Board members
• A member unable to attend a Board meeting will communicate directly with the President by e-mail or telephone prior to the meeting.
• If any member of the Board is absent for three (3) consecutive scheduled meetings, he/she will automatically be withdrawn from the Board.

Business Year

• The official fiscal year commences on April 1 of any year and ends on March 31 of the following year to coincide with the TESL Ontario financial year-end
• For the purpose of reporting to the general PHE membership at the AGM, the reporting period will be July 1 – June 30.

Spending Guidelines

• All expenditures require Board approval prior to reimbursement
• Under certain situations the President may commit spending up to $300 without prior approval of the Board
• Receipts with proper documentation must be submitted to the Treasurer for reimbursement

Terms of Office

• Affiliate Board members shall be TESL members within ten (10) days of their election and throughout their term of office
• Past-President, President and President-Elect: All three (3) positions must be contested for election in the same year and their terms of office are fixed at two (2) years
• President-Elect is nominated at a meeting prior to the AGM event. If more than one member is nominated, President-Elect is elected through a secret ballot
• The President shall be an active member of the P/H/E TESL Board for at least three (3) years prior to his/her election
• Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Membership Secretary: All three (3) positions must serve a fixed two (2)-year term with the option to renew for another two (2) years, to a maximum of four (4) years consecutive service in the position
• Members-at-Large: Members-at-Large must serve a fixed term of two (2) years with the option to renew with no maximum number of years in the position
• Affiliate Representative: The position of Affiliate Representative may be filled by anyone on the Board who has minimum four (4) years of service of which two (2) years must have been served as a member of the Core Executive. The Affiliate Representative is nominated by the members of the Board and is voted on by a secret vote prior to the last Board meeting before the AGM
• If the Affiliate Representative resigns before completing his/her term, the Past-President will assume the Affiliate Representative position on an interim basis, but for not longer than a year. If the Past-President is not available, or unwilling to do so, the President may nominate another member of the Executive with a minimum of two years’ experience on the Board to the position until the time of the next election
• Where possible, we will strive to include on the Board representatives from all geographic areas
• The Board will also strive to include all interest areas represented by the Affiliate
• Board members leaving must present or e-mail a letter of resignation to the President. Said letter shall be archived by the Recording Secretary.

Signing Authority

• The President and the Secretary have the joint authority to sign all legal documents pertaining to the Affiliate
• Any two (2) of the President, Treasurer or Recording Secretary shall sign disbursement cheques of the Affiliate
• Signing officers shall be changed within six (6) weeks of the Annual General Meeting

Recruitment

• The Board may recruit for Member(s)-at-Large at any time of the year
• Only members paid in full shall be eligible to apply to the Affiliate Board for a position of Member-at-Large
• A potential candidate for the position of Member-at-Large shall submit a resume with a cover letter and have an interview with the President, President-Elect or Past President.
• The President will invite new member(s) to join the Executive Board upon the Board’s acceptance of the recommendations from the President, President-Elect or Past President
• No more than two members from any one organization can be members of the Executive Board

Eligibility

• To contest the position of the President-Elect, a member must have at least one (1) year of experience on the Board
• To contest a Core Executive position, a member must have been a member of the Affiliate for at least one (1) year
• Any member, paid in full, may apply to be on the Board.
• Any member, paid in full, may apply to be a Committee member, who may assist the Chair(s) of the various Committees in meeting the Board’s mandate
• The Chairs of the various Committees shall be members of the Executive Board
• Executive or Committee Board Members whose names were previously withdrawn may reapply at the following Annual General Meeting

Nominations for Awards (10 Year Pin and the Creativity Award)

• Forms for nominations (with eligibility criteria) for the 10 Year Pin and the Creativity Award shall be posted on the Affiliate website no later than thirty days prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting
• The call for nominations to the general membership shall be issued through a mass e-mail
• In addition, the Nominating Committee may actively canvass for nominations any time of the year leading up to the next Annual General Meeting
• Acceptance of nominations shall close 3 days before the Annual General Meeting

Silver Pin Recommendations to TESL Ontario

Can be made by any member of the Executive Board. Recommendation of a TESL member from the PHE Affiliate will be subject to a vote and final approval of a majority of the Board members.