North Dakota Council of Educational Leaders -

By-Laws

NORTH DAKOTA ASSOCIATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS

ARTICLE I - Name

The name of this organization shall be the North Dakota Association of Secondary School Principals, an affiliate of the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

The registered office of this organization shall be at 121 E Rosser Avenue, Bismarck, North Dakota, 58501, and the organization may have offices at such other places as the Board of Directors shall from time to time determine. 

ARTICLE II - Purposes

This Association shall be committed to the improvement of secondary education and includes junior and senior high schools, colleges, and universities.  In pursuing this commitment, this Association shall be involved in activities such as providing information and leadership, encouraging research and service, promoting high professional standards, focusing attention on local, state and national educational problems, and working with other professional organizations interested in the solution of problems of education at the local, state, and national levels for the welfare of secondary schools and the youth they serve. 

ARTICLE III - Membership

SECTION 1.     The membership of this Association shall consist of the following classes, and shall be conditional upon membership in the North                                     Dakota Council of Educational Leaders: Active, Associate, Retired, Honorary, and Life.

A.     Active membership shall be open to any person who is a certified administrator and acts in an executive capacity in any secondary school upon payment of annual, unified dues.

 

B.      Associate membership is open to any person who is a member of secondary education or an educational administration department of any institution of higher learning, or who is a member of the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, upon payment of annual, unified dues.  Associate members shall enjoy all the privileges of active membership except voting and holding office.

 

C.      Retired membership is open to any active member who has retired and who has been a member of the association for minimum of ten years, upon payment of annual dues as determined by the Board of Directors.

 

D.      Honorary memberships may be granted to anyone outside the association by a unanimous vote of the Board of Directors, but such honorary members shall not have the right to vote or hold office.

 

E.      Life memberships may be granted to individuals who have distinguished themselves as secondary school principals. The candidate shall have been retired for at least two years, shall have been an active member of NDASSP for at least 10 years, and shall have made significant contributions as a member of the association, the Board of Directors, or in some official capacity within the NDASSP.

SECTION 2.     There shall be annual dues for each class as established by the by-laws.

 

SECTION 3.     Only active members shall have the privilege of holding office and voting in this association.

 

SECTION 4.     The Board of Directors shall have power to pass upon the qualifications of all applicants for membership. 

ARTICLE IV - Board of Directors

SECTION 1.     The affairs, proposals, and items of business of this association shall be considered by the Board of Directors and recommendations shall be made to the membership.  Other duties shall consist of, but not limited to:

A.      Assisting the president in arranging for an annual meeting and in other matters where his/her decision will affect the policy and welfare of this Association.

 

B.      Review and evaluate the work of the various committees and inform this Association of these reviews and evaluations.

 

C.      Approve an annual budget and render a report to this Association.

 

D.      Review from time to time the provisions of the Constitution and appoint committees when deemed necessary to recommend changes.

 

E.      Perform such other duties as may be necessary for the efficient functioning and administration of this Association.

SECTION 2.     Voting members of the Board of Directors shall be the six regional directors, the president, the president-elect, the secretary, the past president, and the state coordinator.

SECTION 3.     By virtue of their office, the following shall be members of the Board with no voting privileges: the NDHSAA representative, the national director, the NDCEL representatives, the honor society and student council representatives, and national committee members.

SECTION 4.     In the event there is a vacancy on the Board of Directors, the remaining directors shall fill the vacancy from the membership for the unexpired term.

SECTION 5.     Members of the Board of Directors shall retain active membership in the association and must abide in the region from which the member was elected.

SECTION 6.     Regional directors shall be one member from each of the six regions of the state:  region 1, region 2, region 3, region 4, region 5,                        region 6.  Each member shall be elected by the members of the respective region.  Each director shall serve a term of three years with regional terms overlapping.  The boundaries of these regions shall be as follows:

                           Region 1 - west of Highway 83 and north of the Missouri River;

                           Region 2 - north of Highway 200 and between Highways 83 and 281;

                           Region 3 - north of Highway 200 and between Highway 281 and the Red River;

                           Region 4 - south and west of the Missouri River;

                           Region 5 - south of Highway 200 and between the Missouri River and Highway 281;

                           Region 6 - south of Highway 200 and between Highway 281 and the Red River.

It is understood that towns on the regional boundaries would have preferences as to which region to participate in, and these preferences will be honored as long as they remain consistent.  Where no preferences have been indicated, the side of the highway on which the school is located shall be the determining factor.

SECTION 7.     The Board of Directors shall meet at the annual meeting, at the fall conference, at the summer conference, and otherwise as needed. 

ARTICLE V - Officers

SECTION 1.     The elective officers of this Association shall be the president, president-elect, secretary, and state coordinator, and shall be elected at the annual meeting.  These officers shall also constitute the executive committee of the Board of Directors.

 

SECTION 2.     The president and president-elect shall hold office for one year, or until a successor has been duly elected and properly qualified, and shall not be eligible for re-election to the same office.

 

SECTION 3.     The secretary and state coordinator shall hold office for three years and will be eligible for two successive terms.

 

SECTION 4.     Should the president be unable to complete his term for any reason whatsoever, the president-elect shall serve out the unexpired term and also serve the term for which he/she was elected.

 

SECTION 5.     Only active members are eligible to serve as officers of this Association.

 

SECTION 6.     The duties of the officers shall be those customarily pertaining to their respective offices and shall be those assigned to them by the                                 Board of Directors.

 

SECTION 7.      In the event of a vacancy in an elective officer position in the North Dakota Association of Secondary School Principals, a nominating committee consisting of the current President and the immediate two Past Presidents continuing their membership in the NDASSP shall submit the name or names of candidates for the vacant office to the Board of Directors of the NDASSP.  The Board shall, upon a majority vote of those present, fill the office.  The person selected by the Board will hold the office for the duration of the unexpired term. 

ARTICLE VI - Other Elective Positions

 

SECTION 1.     The following positions shall be elected by the membership at the annual meeting:

A.      National director and national committee members whose terms and duties shall be prescribed by the NASSP.

 

B.      NDHSAA representative(s), whose terms and duties shall be determined by the NDHSAA rules and regulations.

 

C.      NDCEL representatives, whose terms shall be three years, limited to two terms, and who may not hold any other NDASSP office.

 

D.      State honor society and student council representatives, whose terms shall be three years and may succeed themselves.

SECTION 2.     Only active members shall be eligible to be elected for the positions identified in Article VI. 

ARTICLE VII - Committees

SECTION 1.     Standing committees shall be established by the Board of Directors or by a majority vote of the membership present at the annual meeting or special meeting called for that purpose.  The president is empowered to appoint members and assign the chairman of the committee subject to approval by the Board of Directors or by a majority of the members present at such meeting.

 

SECTION 2.     Ad hoc committees shall be formed by the president when it is deemed to be in the best interest of the Association.  The Board of                                   Directors shall approve such ad hoc committees at their regular meeting. 

ARTICLE VIII - Nominations and Elections

SECTION 1.     The Board of Directors shall select three members to constitute the nominating committee for the elective offices of this Association.

A.      The nominating committee shall be appointed at the summer conferences.

 

B.      Nominations must be forwarded to the president prior to the fall meeting for announcement to the membership at that meeting.

 

C.      Additional nominations may be made from the floor of said meeting.

 

D.      There shall be no mail ballot nor voting by proxy for election of association officers.

SECTION 2.     The officers and other elective positions shall be elected by the membership of the Association at the annual business meeting and shall take office July 1 immediately following the election.

SECTION 3.     The regional directors shall be elected by the membership in their respective regions. 

ARTICLE IX - Meetings

SECTION 1.     The NDASSP shall hold an annual convention and annual meeting during January or February at a time and place designated by the                             Board of Directors.

SECTION 2.     A fall conference and business meeting shall be held by the NDASSP in conjunction with the annual conference of the North Dakota                               Council of Educational Leaders.

SECTION 3.     A summer conference shall be held by the NDASSP at a time and place designated by the Board of Directors.

SECTION 4.     Special Meeting: Special meetings of the members may be called by the president or by the Board of Directors or by 25 members representing 25 school districts in the State of North Dakota.  In all such cases, the secretary shall send out written notice of such special meeting to the members not less than ten days nor more than fifty days prior to said meeting stating the time, place, and express purpose of the said special meeting.  The agenda of the special meeting shall be limited to the express purpose for which the meeting was called.  Special meetings may not be called for the purpose of amending the by-laws.

 

SECTION 5.     Quorum:  A quorum for meetings of the members shall be 25 members present in person or by mail ballot, or members from at least 25 different school districts in North Dakota present in person.

 

SECTION 6.     Voting:  Each member shall have one vote.  There shall be no voting by proxy. 

ARTICLE X - Fiscal Year and Financial Report

SECTION 1.     The fiscal year of the organization shall end on June 30 of each year, and a financial report, to include an audit of the past year and the budget projections for the current year, shall be submitted to the membership at the fall meeting. 

ARTICLE XI - Executive Director

SECTION 1.     The Executive Director of the North Dakota Council of Educational Leaders shall serve as the Executive Director of the NDASSP.

 

SECTION 2.     In the event that the NDASSP is no longer affiliated with the NDCEL, the Board of Directors may employ an Executive Director to conduct such business and perform such duties as determined and outlined by the Board of Directors.

 

SECTION 3.     In the event an Executive Director is employed, the Board of Directors shall fix the salary and expenses of the Executive Director and shall review his/her duties and contract annually.

 

SECTION 4.     In the event an Executive Director is employed, he/she shall hire such office personnel as are needed and approved by the Board of                               Directors.

 ARTICLE XII - Amendments

This constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority of members present and voting at the annual meeting.  A proposed amendment must be submitted in writing at the preceding annual meeting or must be submitted in printed form to all members of this Association thirty days before the annual meeting.  In case the latter method is used, such amendment must receive the approval of the Board of Directors before it can be printed and sent to the members of this Association.

ARTICLE XIII - Ratification

This constitution as rewritten and revised on June 30, 1988, shall go into effect and supersede all previous documents upon adoption by the membership of the North Dakota Association of Secondary School Principals.

Revised 10-88

Revised 2-96

Early History of NDASSP

Submitted by Les Nyhus, Sec./Treas., NDASSP/Jan. 1982

In doing the research for this short history of NDASSP, the earliest minutes and information found dated back to 1951. This alone is basic proof that the organization is thirty plus years old now, just how much older than thirty is unknown to this writer.

The dues structure of the organization from 1951 through 1963 is unheard of today - $1.00 per member per year. Membership ranged in the 30 - 40 area. Topics of discussion centered around Student Council, National Honor Society, attendance, class rings, and grading - topics still under consideration today. A suggestion of NDASSP uniting with the North Dakota Association of School Administrators was made in 1958, but no action was taken at that time.

An increase in dues to the staggering amount of $5.00 per year marked the years from 1964 through 1969, and membership rose to the 50 - 60 range. Vocational education entered the scene in 1965 and made an important impression on the members of NDASSP. The principal"s credential, salary surveys, representation from NDASSP, the North Dakota High School Activities Association, and the formation of the Southwest Region of NDASSP highlighted this era.

Beginning in 1969, a total of 80 members paid dues in the amount of $10.00. Emphasis on vocational education, the realization that drug, alcohol, and tobacco abuse was rapidly becoming a problem of major proportions, and a second suggested Congress of School Administrators were important topics to the membership. Please bear in mind that topics mentioned previously as well as later in this article, plus many more not mentioned, continued to hold the interest of all.

The decade beginning in July 1971 marked a drastic upsurge for members of NDASSP. An agreement was signed with the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals, whereby NDASSP purchased services from MASSP. The services included some time of the MASSP Executive Director, his office personnel and equipment, and the experience and expertise of a veteran organization. The members of NDASSP gained much during this period.

Membership in 1971 reached the amazing figure of 107 men and women who had paid $50.00 state dues. By June 1980, the last year of the NDASSP/MASSP affiliation, the total members had increased to 182 principals who had paid annual dues in the amount of $110.00. The old saying that membership is the lifeblood of an organization was proven once again. Increasing numbers of principals paid steadily increasing dues to assure a vibrant, healthy organization.

During the decade of the 1970"s, the activities and concerns of NDASSP grew dramatically. The affiliation with the Minnesota group brought new life to the North Dakota association in many forms. Educational legislation, membership, retirement, insurance - liability and auto, more active involvement in NASSP, including annual attendance at Region IV and national meetings, communications-including the bulletin, "Lariat", regional representation from six North Dakota regions, regional seminars plus fall, mid-winter, and summer conferences and workshops are just a few of the many topics of interest and activity.

During the year of 1975, a large step was taken by members of NDASSP. It was the ratification of the new constitution of the umbrella organization to be known as the North Dakota Council of School Administrators. NDASSP worked diligently toward the formation of NDCSA and, to this day, continue in the same path. 1980 was the first year in the operation of NDCSA and was definitely a success thanks to all affiliated organizations.

This short history of the North Dakota Association of Secondary School Principals is by no means complete. Many of the topics, discussions, and accomplishments of the organization have been omitted due to space and time.

Those principals who worked so energetically over the years toward the success of NDASSP are to be commended to the highest degree as well as those principals who support the organization through membership and involvement. The current membership (January 1982) stands at 195 individuals working together for the continued growth of NDASSP.