FACULTY SENATE BYLAWS

Article I Introduction

Chapter 1. Group Name:

This group shall be called by the following name:
“The Clovis Unified Faculty Senate”

Chapter 2. Member’s Name:

The members of this organization shall be called by the following name:
“A Clovis Unified Faculty Senator”

Article II Statements

Chapter 1. Mission:

The mission of Faculty Senate is to be an effective advocate for teachers at all levels of policy making, procedures, and expenditures, in partnership with our administrators, fellow employees, and community as a quality educational team.

Chapter 2. Beliefs:

• Clovis Unified is an excellent school district; a district in which the employees have been, and will continue to be, proud members.
• Teachers are an integral part of the Clovis Unified School District; district-wide teamwork, communication, empowerment, commitment, support, and recognition with honesty, fairness, and respect at all levels will nurture educators that feel their efforts are valued and that they make a difference.
• We represent the voice of the teaching staff individually and collectively and will serve as their advocate.
• We are valued partners in the vision and operation of the district with the school board, district administrators, principals, parents, community members, and students through support and maintenance of district beliefs and goals.

Chapter 3. Objective:

It will be the duty of each Senator to keep abreast of current concerns within their own faculty and within the district. In doing so, this organization shall represent all faculty interests on matters pertaining to the performance, growth, development, and welfare of its members.

Article III Membership

Chapter 1. Composition:

The Clovis Unified Faculty Senate shall be composed of Senators and Elected Officers. Elected Officers may also be referred to as the Executive Board, as described in Article 7, Chapter 1. Selected Senators shall also serve as Executive Committee Senators, as described in Article 7, Chapter 2.

Article IV Senators

Chapter 1. Assignment of Senators:

The Clovis Unified Faculty Senate shall be composed of the following representatives:
• One Senator from each of the elementary schools;
• One Senator from each intermediate team or cluster;
• One Senator from each high school college or cluster;
• One Senator from Gateway High School;
• One Senator from Enterprise High School;
• One Senator from Clovis Adult School;
• One Senator from CART;
• One Senator from Community Day School;
• One Senator from Sierra Outdoor School:
• One Senator each representing itinerant teachers district-wide for groups such as Music, Special Education, and others as deemed by the Executive Board, and ratified by the Senate.

Chapter 2. Elections of Senators

All Senators shall be elected by the faculty members they represent. Elections shall be held during odd numbered years. Nominations for elections of Senators must be completed during the first full week of May, and election by ballot is to be held by the end of the following week. The election shall be conducted by a fellow faculty member and all potential Faculty Senate candidates must have been employed in the district three years prior to the start of the next school year.

Chapter 3. Term of Senators

Senators will be elected for a two-year term. The term of office will begin with the next school year commencing in August. There are no term limits for Senators.

Chapter 4. Duties of Senators

Senators are expected to attend all Faculty Senate Meetings and shall accurately report findings and information to their constituents. It is the sole responsibility of the Senator to arrange for an alternate or substitute if they are unable to attend a meeting. Senators should assist teachers from their sites in finding answers to questions or reaching solutions when problems arise; contacting Officers when necessary. Senators will participate on Faculty Senate Sub-Committees, and may be asked to facilitate the gathering of data on issues of interest to the Faculty Senate or District from time to time. Senators are responsible for the administration of the annual Climate Assessment at their respective school sites.

Chapter 5. Removal from Office

Section 1. Termination for dereliction of duties

The Clovis Unified Faculty Senate, by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of all members present, or a Quorum, may suspend or expel a Senator when said Senator is absent (without a substitute) from three meetings, or has failed to serve his/her school site constituents. If the conduct is determined to be a dereliction of duties, the Executive Board's recommendation of censure will be taken to the next Faculty Senate General meeting. If deemed necessary by the Executive Board, a special general meeting may be called to take action on the Board's recommendation. The Senate will vote on whether, and what action to take. A quorum must be present.

Section 2. Termination for Unprofessional Conduct

A Senator may be expelled or suspended for unprofessional conduct. The Faculty Senate Executive Board will meet and vote on whether conduct was unprofessional. If the conduct is determined to be unprofessional, the Executive Board's recommendation of censure will be taken to the next Faculty Senate General meeting. If deemed necessary by the Executive Board, a special general meeting may be called to take action on the Board's recommendation. The Senate will vote on whether, and what action to take. A quorum must be present. The following options are available to the Senate:
• The Senate may vote to expel the censured Senator.
• The Senate may vote to suspend the Senator. The term of the suspension will not exceed two months. An alternate from the Senator's school site will substitute for the suspended Senator. The alternate will have no voting privileges during the suspension.
• The Senate may vote to give the Senator written warning of his/her conduct. The Senate will enforce expulsion or suspension upon the Senator if another action deemed unprofessional by the Executive Board takes place within three years from the vote of censure.

Chapter 6. Vacancies of Office:

Sites will hold special elections for Senate positions vacated outside of the Senators prescribed term in Article IV, Chapters 2 & 3 within one month of the vacancy.

Article V Officers

Chapter 1. Names of Officers:

The elected officers of the Clovis Unified Faculty Senate shall be called by the following names:
• President of the Clovis Unified Faculty Senate;
• Vice-President of the Clovis Unified Faculty Senate;
• Secretary of the Clovis Unified Faculty Senate,
• Communication Officer(s) of the Clovis Unified Faculty Senate.
• Parliamentarian of the Clovis Unified Faculty Senate.

Chapter 2. Election of Officers:

All Executive Board officers shall be elected for a two-year term by a majority of the Senate and shall be members of the Senate. Elections for Executive Board Officers will be held during even numbered years. Nominations for officers will be accepted in March. All nominees must be current members of the Senate. Elections will be held in April.

Chapter 3. Term of Office:

The term for the Executive Board shall run for a period of two years after the executive board election and beginning July 1. All officers shall be permanent teachers of the district.

Chapter 4. Duties of Officers:

The officers of the Clovis Unified Faculty Senate Executive Board and Executive Committee shall perform the duties prescribed by the bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Senate. The officers shall meet and confer on a regular basis as a group, and with the District Administration.

Section 1. President:

The President shall preside over all general, Executive Board, and Executive Committee meetings of the Senate, The President will visit all school sites during their term. The President will attend all District level meetings and share any information with the Executive Board and the corresponding committee's chairperson. The President shall make the initial attempt to intercede in any teacher's job concerns. The President will work closely with the District's Administration to promote a productive working relationship. The President may sign all letters, reports, and other communications of the Senate. The President shall conduct all meetings guided by Robert’s Rules of Order. The President shall attend all school board meetings or assign a member of the Executive Committee to attend in his/her absence.

Section 2. Vice President:

The Vice-President shall assist the President in his/her duties, and shall preside over the Senate whenever the President is unable; chair one of the standing committees, and shall perform such other duties as assigned by the President of the Senate. The Vice-President shall ensure that all the Articles of the Faculty Senate Bylaws are in compliance.

Section 3. Secretary:

The Secretary shall keep the Minutes of the Senate and shall transmit them to the Executive Board and other such persons as the Senate deems necessary, at least seven days prior to the ensuing meeting. The Secretary shall also be custodian of records, registrar of addresses and telephone numbers of each Representative: and shall perform duties from time to time as requested by the President of the Senate.

Section 4. Communication Officer(s):

The Communication Officer(s) shall ensure that monthly communiqués be sent to all faculty members. They shall also be editor(s) of any newsletter or website, and are responsible for their editorship. The Communication Officer(s) will post all meeting dates on the Senate's website.

Section 5. Parliamentarian

The Parliamentarian shall ensure that Faculty Senate meetings are conducted in a timely and efficient manner, guided by Robert's Rules of Order. The Parliamentarian will also serve as Sergeant-at-Arms. The Parliamentarian may excuse a Senator from a meeting for any unprofessional conduct.

Chapter 5. Removal of Officers:

Any elected officer may be removed by a two-thirds vote of all members of the Senate, whenever, in the judgment of the Senate, the best interest of the Senate would be served thereby. All officers are subject to the Professional Conduct clause. Appeals will be addressed to the Appeals Committee.

Chapter 6. Vacancies of Office:

During any given term, a vacancy in any office for any reason shall be filled by a Senator who has served as a Clovis Unified Faculty Senator during that school year, and is elected by a majority of the Senate.

Article VI Meetings

Chapter 1 General Meetings:

The President of the Clovis Unified Faculty Senate shall set the date of the first meeting for the school year, and shall publish it in the first agenda, to be received at least seven days prior to the meeting. All general meetings shall be held on Mondays at 4:15P.M. unless so changed by agreement of the Executive Board. The dates and site of the meetings shall be distributed before the first meeting.

Section 1. Voting Privileges:

Each Senator shall be entitled to cast one vote on each item submitted to the Clovis Unified Faculty Senate. Executive Board Officers shall not be entitled to cast a vote on items submitted to the Clovis Unified Faculty Senate.

All Senators and Executive Board Officers will be entitled to cast a ballot for elections of Officers.

Chapter 2 Area Meetings

Each Area shall have at least one meeting per semester. All Senators of each Area will meet with their Area Superintendents and discuss any concerns or ideas. Minutes will be kept for these meetings and distributed to the Executive Board, committee chairpersons, and the teachers of that Area. The Executive Committee Senator from each Area will be designated as the Secretary for these meetings.

Chapter 3: Instructional Level Meetings

These meetings will be divided into 2 levels: elementary K-6, and secondary 7-12. The meetings will be held to allow Senators to discuss issues related to their grade levels. The meeting will be facilitated by the Faculty Senate Executive Board. One meeting will be scheduled each semester.

Article VII Committees

Chapter 1. Executive Board

The Faculty Senate Executive Board shall be made up of the Faculty Senate President, Vice-President, Secretary, Communication Officer(s), and the Parliamentarian. The duties of the Executive Board are to: review issues/concerns brought before them; set the agenda for each general meeting; oversee all Faculty Senate committees; collect information from all committees; set dates for the general meeting; investigate issues of dereliction of duty, unprofessional conduct, and attendance; and provide information to the Senate.

Chapter 2. Executive Committee

The Faculty Senate Executive Committee shall be made up of the Faculty Senate President, Vice-President, Secretary, Communication Officer(s), Parliamentarian, Executive Committee Senators, and the chairperson from each of the standing committees. An advisory panel may include past presidents and vice presidents, and the chairperson from each special committee. This committee will meet and confer over the issues/concerns brought before the committees. Further duties of the Executive Committee will be set by the Executive Board as needed. This committee will meet as needed.

Section 1. Executive Committee Senators

All Executive Committee Senators shall be nominated by the Faculty Senate Executive Board. Nominations may take place at any time and will be approved with a ratification vote of two-thirds of the Senate. Executive Committee Senators shall be current Senators. One Executive Committee Senator representing each of the following areas: Clovis High Area, Clovis West Area, Buchanan Area, Clovis East Area and Clovis North Area.

Chapter 3. Standing Committees:

The Senate shall establish or maintain the following sub-committees each year as advisory to Clovis Unified District Committees:
Section 1 Budget Standards Committee:
The Faculty Senate Budget Standards Committee shall be composed of the Senate President and interested Senate members. Its purpose shall be to address and communicate all concerns/issues/recommendations relating to district budget, salary and finance to the appropriate administrator.
Section 2 Health Benefits Committee:
The Faculty Senate Health Benefits Committee shall be composed of the Senate Vice-President or other appointed Executive Committee Member as decided upon by the Executive Board, and shall include members from each educational level. Its purpose shall be to address and communicate all concerns/issues relating to health benefits to the appropriate administrator and to study/recommend additions, deletions and modifications to the benefits package.

Section 3 Calendar Committee:
The Faculty Senate Calendar Committee shall be composed of an appointed Executive Committee Member as decided upon by the Executive Board and interested members of the Faculty Senate. It is the purpose of this committee to research and report any findings to implement an exceptional school calendar.
Section 4 Technology Committee:
The Faculty Senate Technology Committee shall be composed of an appointed Executive Committee Member and other interested members of the Faculty Senate. Its purpose shall be to discuss and evaluate any programs developed by the District's Technology Department when they affect teachers.
Section 5 Co-Curricular Committee:
The Faculty Senate Co-Curricular Committee shall be composed of an appointed Executive Committee Member as decided upon by the Executive Board and at least one member from each educational level (elementary, intermediate, secondary) The purpose of the committee shall be to address and communicate all co-curricular concerns/issues to the appropriate administrator and to study/recommend additions, deletions and modifications to the co-curricular package. At least two members from this committee will sit on the Elementary Athletic Steering Committee EASC.

Section 6 Human Resources Committee
The Faculty Senate Human Resources Committee shall be composed of an appointed Executive committee Member as decided upon by the Executive Board and interested members of the Faculty Senate. The purpose of this committee shall be to address and communicate Human Resources concerns such as salary placement and payroll concerns, substitute availability, absence and leave issues, and employee evaluations and tenure.
Section 7 Facilities Committee:
The Faculty Senate Facilities Committee shall be composed of an appointed Executive committee Member as decided upon by the Executive Board and interested members of the Faculty Senate. The purpose of this committee shall be to address and communicate concerns regarding school/work site safety including usage of cameras/video surveillance equipment, procurement and maintenance of furniture, portable classroom issues, site maintenance/improvement projects, and access to school sites.
Section 8 Curriculum Committee:
The Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee shall be composed of an appointed Executive committee Member as decided upon by the Executive Board and interested members of the Faculty Senate. The purpose of this committee shall be to address and communicate concerns regarding textbook adoption and usage, implementation of state standards and mandates, staff development opportunities and distribution/procurement of instructional materials.

Chapter 4. Establishment of Committees:
The Executive Committee may establish any committee which it deems necessary to carry on the work of the Senate. Ad-hoc committees will be formed as needed.

Article VIII Amendments of the Bylaws
Chapter 1. Amendments:
Any amendments to these Bylaws shall be written and presented to the Senators one meeting prior to any action being taken.
Chapter 2. Adoption of Amendments:
Any amendment to these Bylaws must be approved by two-thirds of the Senators at any regular meeting of the Senate.

Chapter 3. Authority of Bylaws:

These Bylaws shall supersede any and all previous rules enacted by the Senate.