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BY-LAWS
of the
TEXAS SCHOOL COUNSELOR ASSOCIATION
2011 Revisions

ARTICLE I
Name and Purpose
Section 1. The name of the Association shall be the Texas School Counselor Association, a division of the Texas Counseling Association and a state branch of the American School Counselor Association.
Section 2.The purposes of the Association shall be:
a. To foster a close personal and professional relationship among school counselors and with counselors in other settings.
b. To advance the profession of counseling in order to maximize the educational, academic, career, and personal-social growth of each individual.
c. To participate actively in the study and improvement of guidance and counseling at the local, state, and national level.
d. To serve as a state organization concerned with the professional needs of school counselors in the state of Texas.
e. To develop, implement, and/or foster interest in career development programs.

ARTICLE II
Membership
Section 1. Types of Membership.This association shall include three types of membership:Professional, Regular, and Student. No one may be denied membership in this Association on the basis of ethnic group, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, and/or disability.
Section 2. Requirements of Membership.In order to qualify for one of the three types of membership, an individual must meet the following requirements for the membership being sought.
a. Professional Membership.A Professional Member must hold voting privileges in the Texas Counseling Association and possess a School Counselor certificate as issued by the current State of Texas authority for School Counselor certification.
b. Regular Membership.A Regular Member must be a member of the Texas Counseling Association and have an interest in school counseling.
c. Student Membership. A Student Member must hold student membership in TCA and be enrolled in a master’s or doctoral level program resulting in a degree in school counseling or school counseling management/leadership.
Section 3. Rights and Privileges.

  1. Professional and Regular Members shall be eligible to vote and initiate motions at parliamentaryproceedings.Only those holding voting membership in the American School Counselor Association shall be eligible to hold office in the association.
  2. Any person who has met the qualifications for student membership and has paid the prescribed dues shall be eligible to attend meetings of the Association, butstudent members may neither vote nor hold office.

Section 4. Dues.Dues shall be determined by a Board of Directors recommendation to the TSCA membership and be a majority vote of the membership. Any person who has met the qualifications for professional, regular, or student membership shall pay the prescribed dues.
Section 5. Severance of Membership.
a. A member may be dropped from membership for the non-payment of dues.
b. A member may be dropped from membership if their certification is revoked by the state-credentialing agency.
c. A member may be dropped from membership for any conduct that tends to injure or discredit the Association, or that is contrary to or destructive of the objectives according to the By-Laws and the Ethical Standards of ASCA.
d. It shall be the responsibility of the Board of Directors upon investigation and recommendation of the Ethics Committee to determine whether or not a member should be dropped from membership for reasons under "b" of this Section 5.

ARTICLE III
Officers of the Association
Section 1. Officers and Terms of Office.
a. The officers of the Association shall be President, President-Elect, five Vice-Presidents, Secretary,Senator, and Texas Counseling Association Director.
b. All officers of the Association shall be elected at large from among eligible members of the Association.Only those holding voting membership in ASCA and TCA are eligible to serve as an officer of the Association.
c. The term of office for all elected officers shall begin on July 1, and with the exceptions of Senator and Texas Counseling Association Director, no elected officer may serve more than one consecutive elective term in the same office.The President, President-Elect, and the Immediate Past President shall serve one-year terms.The fiveVice-Presidents and Secretary shall serve two-year terms.The Middle/Jr. High VP and Elementary VP are to be elected in even numbered years, and the Secondary VP, Counselor Educator VP,and the School Counselor Supervisory VP are to be elected in odd numbered years.The Senator and Texas Counseling Association Director shall serve three-year terms, with a maximum of two consecutive terms.
d. The President-Elect shall automatically become President of the Association one year after the commencement of the term of office as President-Elect or upon the death or resignation of the President.In the event a President-Elect should resign or be unable to complete the term, or the President's unexpired term, the Immediate Past President of the Association shall assume the position of chairman of the Board of Directors until the Board of Directors appoints a qualified member to fill any such vacancy.In the event the President should be unable to complete the term and the office of President-Elect is vacant, the immediate Past President shall assume the position of chairman of the Board of Directors until that group appoints a qualified member to preside.
e. The Immediate Past President shall serve for one year following the expiration of the term as President.
Section 2. Duties of Officers.The officers shall be responsible for those duties ordinarily connected with the office and shall constitute the Board of Directors.Both President and President-Elect shall be ex officio members of all committees.In the event of a vacancy in an office, the Board of Directors shall elect a professional member to fill the position.
a. The PRESIDENT shall (1) serve as presiding office of the Association, (2) serve as a member and chairman of the Board of Directors, (3) appoint all necessary committees, (4) perform such other duties as are incident of the office or may be properly required by vote of the Board of Directors, (5) maintain and update the TSCA Governance Manual, and (6) serve as the Association's delegate to ASCA's Delegate Assembly.
b. The PRESIDENT-ELECT shall (1) serve as a member of the Board of Directors, (2) assist the President in maintaining and updating the TSCA Governance Manual, (3) serve as the Association's delegate to ASCA's Delegate Assembly.In the event the President shall not serve a full term for any reason, the President-Elect shall succeed to the unexpired remainder thereof, and continue through the term of President for which the President-Elect was elected.In the event the President-Elect should be unable to complete the President's unexpired term, the Board of Directors shall appoint a President to serve accordingly to Article III, Section 1 (d) until the next annual election.
c. The IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT shall (1) serve as chairman of the Nominations and Elections Committee, (2) perform such other duties as delegated by the Board of Directors, and (3) be the Association's delegate to ASCA's Delegate Assembly.
d. The VICE PRESIDENTS representing the counselors at Elementary, Middle, Secondary, Counselor Educator, and the School Counselor Supervisory levels shall serve as members of the Board of Directors and represent the needs and functions of the counselors at their respective levels.Each individual serving as a Vice President must be employed at that level throughout his/her term.
e. The SECRETARY shall (1) keep the records of all the meetings of the Association, as well as the minutes of the Board of Directors, (2) assist in conducting the official correspondence of the Association, (3) issue calls and notices of meetings, and (4) perform other such duties as directed by the Board of Directors.
f. The SENATOR shall represent TSCA in the TCA Senate.The Senator shall meet with the Senate at the regular meeting during the Annual Conference of TCA and attend any special meetings which may be called.An alternate shall serve only in the absence of the Senator.TSCA Senate alternate shall be appointed by the Board of Directors.
g. The TCA DIRECTOR shall represent TSCA in the TCA Board of Directors.The TCA Director shall meet with the TCA Board of Directors at each regular and called meeting.
h. Prior to becoming President –Elect, the President-Elect-Elect will be the fourth representative to the ASCA Delegate Assembly when a fourth delegate is needed.
Section 3. Each officer shall transmit all records of the office to successor for the office no later than July 30.
Section 4. Duties of Appointed, Non-voting Officers
a. The TREASURER shall serve as an appointed position on the Board of Directors and shall review and approve for payment properly submitted vouchers.The Treasurer shall be appointedfor a three year term, and may be reappointed for an additional term.During the term a Treasurer-Elect may also be appointed to transition as the next Treasurer.A complete fiscal report shall be submitted to the Board of Directors as soon as possible after the close of the fiscal year.
b. The PARLIAMENTARIAN shall serve as an appointed position on the Board of Directors. The Parliamentarian will assist the Board on following Roberts Rules of Order.
c. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) Liaison will be an appointed position filled by an employee of TEA who works in the area of Guidance and Counseling. The Liaison will provide information about Guidance and Counseling activities at the Texas Education Agency, the State Board of Education, and the State Board for Educator Certification.
d. The Jesus Juarez Emerging Leader(s) will be selected from a list of nominees. The Emerging Leader(s) will be on the TSCA Board for one year asobserver(s). During the following year, it is expected that the Emerging Leader(s) will serve on the Board as a committee chair or elected officer.
Section 5. Nominations and Elections
a. There shall be established a Nominations and Elections Committee consisting of the Immediate Past President of the Association as chairman and other such members as the chairman shall appoint.
b. The voting membership of the Association shall be composed of professional and regular members.
c. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall conduct the nomination and election of officers as called for by these By-Laws.
d. All elected officers of the Association shall be members of ASCA and TCA.Persons nominated for the office of President-Elect, Senator, and TCA Director must have served a minimum of one year previously as a committee chairperson or officer of the Association and must hold ACA membership.
e. One Vice-President shall be elected by counselors in each of the five counseling work settings: Elementary, Middle, Secondary, Counselor Educator, and School Counselor Supervisory.Elementary and Middle School Vice-Presidents shall be elected in even-numbered years; Secondary, Counselor Educator, and School Counselor Supervisory shall be elected in odd numbered years.
f. If any officer elected should be unable to assume office by the beginning of the Association Fiscal year or to complete a term of office, the next-ranking candidate on the election return shall assume that position except that of a President-Elect who is serving the unexpired term of President (See Art.III, Sec. 1,d).The Board shall have the authority to fill any vacancy for which there are no other provisions.
g. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall submit any proposed changes regarding nominations and elections procedure to the Board of Directors at the summer Board meeting.
Section 6. Compensation of Officers.
a. None of the elected officers of the Association shall receive any compensation for their services as such to the Association.
b. Necessary expenses of officers may be paid from the funds of the Association by specific authorization of the President.

ARTICLE IV
Board of Directors
Section 1. Functions.The Board of Directors shall be the agency through which the general administrative and executive functions of the Association shall be carried out.The President of the Association shall be chairman of the Board of Directors.
Section 2. Membership.The Board of Directors shall be composed of the officers of the Association and shall be selected in a manner specified in the By-Laws of this Association.
Section 3. Powers.The Board of Directors shall conduct and manage the business of the Association between the official meetings.
Section 4. Meetings.The Board of Directors shall meet at the time and place of the annual Professional Growth Conference of the Texas Counseling Association, as well as in the summer and at such other times as may be designated by either the President or five members of the Board of Directors.
Section 5. A majority of the members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum.In the intervals between meetings of the Association, the Board of Directors shall take such actions as are necessary for the conduct of the Association's affairs, except that no action shall be taken which is contrary to an action taken by the Association at the official meeting.The Board of Directors shall report at each annual Professional Growth Conference on all actions taken during the intervals.

ARTICLE V
Official Meeting
Section 1. The Official Meeting of the Association shall be held at the Texas Counseling Association Professional Growth Conference.

ARTICLE VI
Committees
Section 1. TSCA committees shall be appointed by the President and approved by the TSCA Board to accomplish specific activities of the Association within a specific time frame.
Section 2. Standing Committees. The standing committees shall be:

  1. By-Laws and Ethics. The By-Laws and Ethics Committee shall annually review the TSCA By-Laws in order to align with both the ASCA By-Laws and the TCA By-Laws. The TSCA By-Laws and Ethics Committee shall assist the membership in understanding ethical practices.
  2. Nominations and Elections. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall develop election policies for approval by the TSCA Board and conduct elections in accordance with the approved policies.

Section 3. Necessary expenses of committee chairmen may be paid from the funds of the Association by specific authorization of the President.

ARTICLE VII
Delegates to ASCA Assembly
Section 1. The President, President-Elect, and Past President shall be TSCA's elected representatives to the ASCA Delegate Assembly. Should TSCA need an additional representative, the President-Elect-Elect shall be the fourth representative. Should the Association need additional representatives, the election of such persons shall be made by the Board of Directors acting upon the recommendation of the President.

ARTICLE VIII
Property of the Association
Section 1. In the event the Association is to be dissolved, none of the property owned by the Association shall be distributed to any of the members, and all of the property shall be transferred to such organizations as the Board of Directors shall determine to have purposes and activities most nearly like those of the Association.

ARTICLE IX
By-Laws
Section 1. No proposition to amend the By-Laws shall be acted upon unless written notice thereof is submitted to the membership at least fifteen (15) days prior to the same being submitted for action.
Section 2. A copy of said proposal shall be given to the Secretary at least thirty (30) days prior to the votingfor said amendment(s).
Section 3. Proposed changes can be voted on at the official association meeting, or by e-mail, or by a mail ballot distributed to all TSCA members.
Section 4. Adoption and Amendment.By-Laws shall be adopted or amended by a majority of those members voting.