By Laws

Bylaws of the Benton/Franklin School Retirees’ Association
Article I    Name
Section 1   The name of this organization shall be the Benton/Franklin School Retirees Association.
Article II   Mission
Section 1   BFSRA will provide leadership and promote action relevant to all retired and active school personnel.
Article III   Membership
Section 1   Membership shall be open to all retired and active school personnel.
Section 2   Spouses of members and spouses of deceased members may become members with dues deducted from spouse’s pension or by paying cash.
Section 3   Only members shall have the right to vote and hold office.
Section 4   Annual membership dues, as established by the vote of the Association, shall be payable on or before July 1 to June 30th. Members who belong to Washington State Retirement System may have dues withheld from their state retirement checks. Active (working) members may have their dues withheld from their checks by their school district.  
Article IV   Officers
Section 1   The elected officers shall be president, president-elect, secretary, and treasurer.
Section 2   The president shall select a three member a nominating committee which will obtain commitment from prospective candidates to run for each office. The slate of candidates shall be present at the March meeting, at which time additional nominations may be made from the floor. Election of officers shall take place at the April meeting. The officers will be installed at the May meeting.
Section 3   The term of office shall be one year from July 1- June 30.  The newly-elected president may call meetings of the officers and appoint standing committee chairpersons between the time of installation and July 1 in order to ensure a smooth transition. 
Section 4   Vacancies occurring in any office during the year shall be filled by the president with approval of the Executive Board.
Article V   Duties of Officers
Section 1   The president shall preside at meetings of the Association and Executive Board. The president shall develop and present to the Executive Board for approval, the annual budget.   The president shall authorize expenditures of Association funds, and shall appoint standing committee chairpersons and committees.  The president shall also perform any other duties usual to the office.
Section 2   The president-elect shall assume the duties of the president when the president is absent or unable to act. The president-elect shall plan and organize the year’s program, and submit a calendar, and select and nominate applicants for state awards.
Section 3   The secretary shall record the minutes of meetings of the Association and the Executive Board and perform other duties usual to the office.
Section 4   The treasurer shall maintain records of the financial transactions of the Association.  The treasurer shall receive and deposit association funds, and disburse such funds. The treasurer shall prepare financial reports that include balance sheet(s) and check register and present them to the Executive Board.  The treasurer presents books for an annual audit in June.
Section 5   The retiring president shall become the immediate past president and is a member of the Executive Board.
Article VI   Standing Committees
Section 1    The standing committees shall be Media Contact, Directory, Newsletter, Health Services, Legislative, Outreach, Membership, Sunshine, Pre-Retirement, Telephone, Scholarship, Grants, and Scholarship Fundraising.
Section 2    The Media Contact Committee shall notify all local media about the regular meeting time and place, publicize the activities of the local unit and its members, and forward to the WSSRA Journal any appropriate material.
Section 3    The Directory Committee shall be responsible for publishing an annual membership directory by collecting member information and keeping it updated.
Section 4    The Newsletter Committee shall edit and publish a newsletter each month the Association meets.
Section 5    The Health Service Committee shall provide information on medical health care. 
Section 6    The Legislative Committee shall keep members informed and make recommendations to the Association for
action on legislative issues pertaining to the interests of members.
Section 7    The Outreach Committee shall be responsible for community projects.  
Section 8    The Membership Committee shall be responsible for acquiring new members by contacting all those eligible.
Section 9    The Sunshine Committee shall keep in contact with members who are ill and send appropriate cards.
Section 10   The Pre-retirement Committee shall provide information to those who are about to retire and shall plan programs to disseminate such information.
Section 11   The Scholarship Committee shall advertise the Association’s scholarships to the area school districts universities, who place student teachers here. acquire applications, evaluate applicants, and select the finalists.
Section 12 14 The Telephone Committee shall call members prior to each general meeting to determine the number of reservations for the luncheons. The committee shall collect money for lunch.
Section 13 12 The Scholarship Fundraising Committee shall oversee items to be sold: the proceeds of the sales will go to scholarships, grants or special projects as designated by the Executive Board.
Section 14 13 The Grants Committee shall acquire applicants from active members of the Association in our local school districts, evaluate applicants, and select finalists
Section 15 the Greeter Committee shall greet members and guests at all general meetings held by the Association.
Article VII   Executive Board
Section 1   The Executive Board shall consist of elected officers, the immediate past president and the chairman of standing committees: Media Contact, Directory, Newsletter, Health and Protective Service, Legislative,   Membership, Sunshine, Pre-Retirement, Scholarship, Grants, Telephone, Greeters, and Scholarship Sales.
Section 2   State officers, members of state committees, and ex-state officers shall be ex-officio members of the Executive Board.
Section 3   The Executive Board shall approve expenditure of association funds, conduct Association business, and make recommendations to the membership. 
Article VIII    Meetings
Section 1   General membership meetings shall be held monthly from August through May with the exception of December on dates determined by the Executive Board.
Section 2   A meeting of the Executive Board shall be held monthly prior to the general membership meeting.
Section 3   Special meetings of the membership or of the Executive Board may be held on call of the president.
Article IX    Bylaws
Bylaws shall be reviewed biennially.
Article X    Parliamentary Authority
The parliamentary authority for this association shall be Roberts Rules of Order, Revised.
Article XI   Amendments
Section 1   These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members at any general meeting.
Section 2   An amendment shall be voted upon after it has been presented at an Executive Board meeting for consideration.
Revised (September, 2003)    
Addendum:  (June, 2009)   “In the unlikely event the BFSRA dissolves as an association, the funds in the treasury will go to the WSSRA Foundation.”
Revised August, 2012 by Leona Hassing, Peter Bixby, and Helen Bruggeman
Accepted February 11, 2013 by the Executive Board
Revised March, 2015 by Helen Bakshas, Helen Bruggeman, and Dottie Stevens