Name
The name of the association shall be the Adult Educators’ Provincial Specialist Association (AEPSA).

Purpose
The purpose of the association shall be:
1. To promote adult education in British Columbia;

2. To define and promote professional standards and qualifications for adult educators;

3. To promote professional growth among adult educators;

4. To encourage and support research in adult education;

5. To encourage and facilitate communication among adult educators;

6. To support the production and distribution of learning resources appropriate for adult learners;

7. To advise the BCTF and the government agency responsible for adult education programs at the K-12 level;

8. To advocate on behalf of adult educators and adult learners within the BCTF and with the government agency responsible for adult education at the K-12 level;

9. To publish a newsletter in pursuit of the goals of the association.

Base of Operation
The operations of the association are to be carried on throughout the province of British Columbia but chiefly through the BCTF office located in Vancouver.

Examination of Records
Upon written request to the President of AEPSA, any member may examine the records of the association. Regular inspection and auditing of the financial records of the association will be done as a regular part of the annual audit of the BCTF. A copy of the “Receipts and Disbursements” of the association shall be published in the newsletter.

Article 1 – Membership
1. Membership year — The membership year shall be for 12 consecutive months from the date the application is processed at the BCTF.

2. Active member — an individual who is an active member of the BCTF, and who has paid the AEPSA annual fee. An active member shall be entitled to vote and hold office.

3. Associate member — an individual who is an associate member of the BCTF and who has paid the appropriate AEPSA fee. An associate member is entitled to vote and to hold office in the association for positions other than president, vice-president, and representative to an outside agency.

4. Student member — an individual who is a student in a pre-service training program for adult educators, who is not a member of the BCTF and has paid the appropriate fee. A student shall not have the right to vote or hold office in the association unless s/he has also become a BCTF associate member.

5. Retired member — an individual who is an honorary-associate member of the BCTF and who has paid the appropriate fee. A retired member shall be entitled to vote and hold office in the association for positions other than President, Vice-president, and representative to an outside agency.

6. Honorary Life Member — an individual who has been nominated by the AEPSA executive committee and elected to be an Honorary Life Member of the association by a membership vote of approval at the Annual General Meeting of the association. The Honorary Life Member’s eligibility to vote or hold office depends upon her/his BCTF membership status.

7. Subscriber — an individual who is not an active, associate, student, retired or honorary life member who subscribes to the journals and newsletters of the association. A subscriber shall not be entitled to vote or hold office. The subscription year shall be for 12 consecutive months from the date the application is processed at the BCTF.

Article 2 – Fees
1. The fees shall be set by resolution of the Annual General Meeting of the AEPSA, payable to the BCTF on the “evergreen plan.”

Article 3 – Voting
1. Only active, associate and retired members are entitled to vote at a general meeting.

2. Voting shall be by show of hands, except in the case of an election, when a secret ballot shall be used. A secret ballot may also be used at the request of one-third of the members present at any general meeting.

Article 4 – Structure
1. The association shall be divided into the following:
a. Executive Committee;
b. Chapters;
c. Membership-at-large.

Article 5 – Executive Committee
1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the elected officers of the association, the elected committee chairpersons, and the elected member(s)-at-large.

2. Executive Committee members shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting for a two-year term, commencing July 1.

2.a. In odd-numbered years elections will be held for the president, vice-president, and publications chairperson, and two members-at-large; in even-numbered years elections will be held for secretary, treasurer, professional development chair, and the other 2 members-at-large. Where a vacancy occurs, an election or appointment will be made for the remainder of the term.

3. The Executive Committee shall serve as the association’s administrative body.

4. The Executive Committee shall recommend an annual budget.

5. The Executive Committee shall recommend policies and programs to the membership at the Annual General Meeting.

6. The Executive Committee shall assume and discharge such duties and responsibilities as assigned through the constitution and by-laws or by a mandate from the general membership.

Article 6 – Officers of the Association
1. The officers shall consist of president, vice-president, past-president, secretary/treasurer (or secretary and treasurer), professional development chairperson, publications chairperson, and up to 4 members-at- large.”

2. The president and secretary/treasurer are duly appointed as signing officers for the association.

3. The member-at-large position(s) shall be open to the general membership of the association, but shall be reserved to address issues of balanced representation on the Executive Committee.

4. Committees may be struck by the Executive Committee from the members of the association. Such committees shall be responsible to the Executive Committee.

5. Whenever a vacancy occurs in the Executive Committee for any reason, the Executive Committee shall name a member to fill the vacancy until the next general meeting.

6. The secretary/treasurer’s responsiblities can be separated into two separate positions on the Executive, nmely Secretary and Treasurer, at the discretion of the Executive Committee.

7. All elected Executive Committee members must be members in good standing of the AEPSA.

Article 7 – Duties of the Executive Committee
1. The president shall:
a. serve as chief executive officer of the association with the powers and duties usually belonging to such a person in this position;
b. give professional leadership to the association’s planning and program;
c. call and preside at meetings of the Executive Committee;
d. preside at meetings of the general membership;
e. serve as an ex-officio member of all committees;
f. serve as primary liaison with the BCTF and various other professional organizations;
g. recommend to the Executive Committee the types of ad hoc committees and other appointive committees;
h. prepare an annual report to be distributed to the membership at the Annual General Meeting.

2. The vice-president shall:
a. serve in the place of, and with the authority of, the president in the president’s absence or in the case of the president’s disability;
b. attend all meetings of the Executive Committee and the Annual General Meeting;
c. liaise with various other professional organizations and present the official position of the Executive Committee and the association;
d. act as the association’s representative on the PSA Council;
e. maintain and coordinate a list of current members of the association;
f. carry out any other duties as assigned.

3. The past-president shall:
a. facilitate the transfer of responsibilities of the President as smoothly as possible;
b. provide advice and information to the President and the Executive Committee;
c. facilitate the development and presentation of policy and procedures to the Executive Committee for ratification;
d. conduct the elections for the Offices of the Association at the Annual General Meeting;

4. The secretary/treasurer shall:
a. take and publish minutes at Executive meetings and circulate the minutes to all Executive members;
b. take minutes of the Annual General Meeting and prepare copies of such for the next Annual General Meeting;
c. keep all minutes and correspondence for the association up-to-date and available at all meetings;
d. as directed by the president, send notices of meetings to all members concerned;
e. provide quarterly financial statements;
f. authorize, in conjunctions with the president, all expenditures of the association;
g. provide annual budget and program objectives;
h. at the end of the year, present a written statement of receipts and expenditures to the Annual General Meeting;
i. present a recommendation for fee structure to the Annual General Meeting for ratification;
j. act as a liaison with the BCTF for financial matters;
k. carry out any other duties as assigned.

5. The professional development chairperson shall:
a. promote professional development among members of the association;
b. encourage the formation of chapters;
c. assist chapters in their professional development and in-service needs;
d. design, organize, and offer in-service education;
e. develop and present policy and procedures to the Executive Committee for ratification;
f. organize and deliver the annual conference and/or other conferences;
g. carry out any other duties as assigned.

6. The publications chairperson shall:
a. edit and publish the AEPSA newsletter;
b. publish appropriate periodicals to facilitate the promotion and accomplishment of the association’s goals and purposes;
c. be the liaison person with editors and editorial boards;
d. recommend to the Executive Committee for their ratification an editor (s) of publications;
e. be responsible to the Executive Committee to see that the editorial policy of the AEPSA is carried out by the editor(s) and their board;
f. be responsible to inform editors and editorial boards of AEPSA publication guidelines and policy;
g. develop and present policy and procedures to the Executive Committee for ratification;
h. carry out any other duties as assigned.

7. The member-at-large shall:
a. represent the interests of adult educators of his/her specialty area on the Executive Committee;
b. attend all meetings of the AEPSA Executive Committee;
c. serve as Executive Representative on ad hoc committees, or as needed;
d. make recommendations to the president and to the Executive Committee;
e. carry out any other duties as assigned.

Article 8 — Standing or ad hoc committees
1. A standing or ad hoc committee may be established and its functions assigned by the Executive Committee.

2. The establishment of such a committee must clearly indicate the purpose and length of term of the committee.

3. The committee is directly responsible to the Executive Committee and will present its findings to the Executive Committee.

4. After the committee’s findings have been presented to the Executive Committee, the committee shall be dissolved.

Article 9 — Meetings
1. There shall be an Annual General Meeting of the association held at a time and place decided by the Executive Committee for the purpose of electing officers and conducting such other business as should be brought before the general membership of the association.

2. Special meetings may be called by the president with the consent of the Executive Committee.

3. The members of the association present in person shall constitute a quorum at the Annual General Meeting or at any special meeting of the general membership of the association.

4. A simple majority of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum at regular or special meetings of the committee.

5. At the Annual General Meeting, voting for positions on the Executive Committee shall be by secret ballot.

6. The BCTF’s Simplified Rules of Order shall govern the procedure of all meetings.

7. The Executive Committee, at its discretion, may submit any questions affecting the interests of the association to the membership by mail.

8. A vote by mail on a question put to the membership by the Executive Committee, shall carry the same authority as putting the question to a general meeting of the association.

9. Regular meetings of the chapter presidents or their designates shall be held with the Executive Committee.

Article 10 — Elections
1. Prior to each Annual General Meeting the immediate past-president, after advertising among the regular membership, shall present a list of names of regular members who have given their permission for their names to stand for office.

2. The past president shall be responsible for conducting the election of officers. This shall cover:
a. making certain that only eligible members stand for election;
b. ensuring that the elections for Members-at-Large take place after those of the other officers of the association so that representation can be accurately determined;
c. arranging for the assistance of two scrutineers;
d. counting and tabulating all of the votes cast;
e. introducing all candidates for office;
f. destroying the ballots at the end of the election of officers.

Article 11 — Local Chapters
1. The purpose of a chapter is to promote adult education within the school districts included in the chapter and to cooperate in the promotion of general and joint enterprises with the AEPSA and other adult education groups, and the BCTF and other local bodies.

2. Any district adult educators’ association may, at its request, be designated a chapter of the AEPSA provided a majority of the AEPSA active members employed within the district involved in voting on the issue is in favour of such action; provided however, that the total number of persons voting shall be not less than 50% of the total number of AEPSA active members employed within the area involved, and provided further that there is no conflict in principle between the constitution and by-laws of the association involved and the constitution and by-laws of the AEPSA. Furthermore, copies of the chapter constitution and by-laws, and subsequent amendments to them, must be filed with the AEPSA and approved by the Executive Committee.

3. The constitution and by-laws shall provide appropriate rules governing the holding of meetings, the constitution of quorum, the conduct of nominations and elections, the establishment of committees, the setting of fees, and the procedure for their own amendment. Such documents shall also define the membership of any chapter, its name and objects, and its elected and appointed offices.

4. No more than one chapter of the AEPSA shall exist in any school district.

5. A chapter may admit members who are nonmembers of the AEPSA.

6. Each district chapter shall be the final authority within the AEPSA in respect to all programs and policies that concern only the district for which the chapter is responsible, provided they are not inconsistent with any programs and policies established by the AEPSA, or by the BCTF.

7. Any chapter may establish committees that parallel provincial committees to carry out overall programs within its own area and to maintain liaison between its members and the provincial committee.

8. No chapter shall incur expense on behalf of the association except as authorized, nor shall any chapter commit the association by any declaration of policy.

9. Any chapter may withdraw from chapter status provided the issue has been submitted to vote of the chapter membership and is favoured by a majority of the members voting; provided further that notice of withdrawal is sent to the president of the AEPSA.

10. A chapter may be dissolved by the AEPSA and shall be dissolved if it becomes inactive or fails to comply with the provisions of the by-laws after due notice has been given by the association.

11. All chapters must file with the AEPSA a list of the members of its Executive Committee on a yearly basis.

Article 12 — Representation outside the BCTF
1. As a recognized provincial specialists association, this association shall conform to the constitution and by-laws and to the policies of the BCTF.

2. In accordance with policy 33.06 of the Members’ Guide to the BCTF, representations may not be made by the association to any authority or agency outside the BCTF on any matter that is properly the concern of the BCTF, without due consent.

Article 13 — Amendments
1. The constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the regular members present at the Annual General Meeting, provided that notice of such amendment has been submitted in writing to the membership-at-large at least one month prior to the Annual General Meeting.

2. By-laws of the association may be modified by the Executive Committee.

3. Any proposed amendment to the articles of the constitution and the by-laws of the association shall be submitted to the Executive Committee for review.

4. Amendments to the constitution shall not become effective until they have been approved by the BCTF Executive Committee.

5. A copy of the constitution and by-laws of the association shall be filed with the BCTF.

6. In the event of the dissolution of the AEPSA, any funds remaining will revert to the BCTF.