MACS Continuing Education & Relicensure Committee By-Laws

Purpose and Philosophy
The Minnesota Association of Charter Schools (MACS) Continuing Education & Relicensure Committee is a consortium of public charter schools established in accordance with MN Rule 8710.7300.sub.14.

The purpose of the committee is to evaluate continuing education activities and recommend renewal of five-year continuing teaching and support service licenses for those educators employed or under contract with public charter schools in Minnesota.

I. Eligible Licensed Personnel
Eligible licensed personnel under the jurisdiction of the MN Association of Charter School Continuing Education & Relicensure Committee are:

• All current licensed Minnesota public charter schools professional staff members (except individuals holding life licenses, superintendents, principals, supervisors/directors) and retired staff members (except superintendents, principals, supervisors/directors) of any public charter school;

• Individuals holding licensure in administrative and teaching areas will submit clock hours for the teaching component of licensure to the committee, and submit the administrative component to the MN Board of Administrative Licenses;

• Teachers holding a vocational license and special education license are covered by the jurisdiction of the committee; and

• Teachers who are currently non-engaged as teachers whose last employment was in a public charter school may utilize the committee, as may licensed personnel who are working as independent contracted teachers in charter schools.

II. Responsibilities of Licensee
The licensee seeking approval of continuing education and relicensure is responsible for submitting the application, appropriate verification, and documentation according to the specifications and timelines established by the policy and procedures adopted by the committee and the MN Association of Charter Schools Board of Directors.

III. Committee Duties
The duties of the MN Association of Charter Schools Continuing Education and Relicensure Committee are:

1) Establish procedures for the operations of the committee;

2) Conduct annual hearing(s) to provide teachers in the consortium with an opportunity to review proposed or revised guidelines and procedures established by the committee;

3) Provide recommendations to the Board of Teaching on the renewal of individual teaching licenses according to MN Rule 8710.7300.sub.7b;

4) Forward to the Board of Teaching information as required under MN Rule 8710.7300.sub.7c;

5) Provide assistance to teachers in interpreting state rules and guidelines in order to provide equitable implementation in public charter schools across the state; and

6) Disseminate committee information (by-laws, procedures, policies etc.) annually to eligible licensed personnel in consortium.

IV. Committee Membership
The MN Association of Charter Schools Continuing Education & Relicensure Committee is composed of seven (7) individuals:

• Five (5) persons licensed by the MN Board of Teachers who hold at least a baccalaureate degree, and teach in a MACS member school. No more than one licensed teacher may serve from an individual school.

• One licensed person who holds an administrator's license, representing the practicing elementary and secondary administrators of public charter schools.

• One individual who is not an employee of a charter school.
  
  

V. Responsibilities of Committee Members
The MN Association of Charter Schools Continuing Education & Relicensure Committee member responsibilities are:

• To attend all meetings of the committee;

• To participate in the work of the committee; and, as appropriate,

• To serve as an officer of the committee.
  
  

VI. Officer Duties
Chairperson:
The Chairperson shall have the following duties:

1) Call and Conduct Meetings;

2) Prepare Agendas in Consultation with MN Association of Charter School staff;

3) Sign Renewal Applications;

4) Provide Leadership and Orient new committee members; and

5) Serve as Liaison with the staff of the MN Association of Charter Schools, consortium schools and other organizations and agencies.

Secretary:
The Secretary shall have the following duties:

1) Ensure that all proper records and files of the committee are kept; and

2) Take minutes of committee meeting actions.

VII. Terms of Committee Membership
Committee members shall be elected to staggered two year terms. In the even numbered years, the following positions shall be elected:

• Two licensed teachers

• One licensed administrator

• One Community Member who is not an employee of a charter school

In odd numbered years, the following positions shall be elected:

• Three licensed teachers

The terms of committee members shall begin on August 1st and go through July 31st. Individuals may serve two consecutive terms without a break in service.

VIII. Election Procedures
The election of licensed committee members shall be held annually in May. The community member shall be elected by the committee at its first meeting after August 1st.

Teacher Representatives:

• Annually, by March 1st, the MN Association of Charter Schools will issue a solicitation for nominations for the appropriate seats on the committee.

• Nominations shall be by self-nomination, although the committee has the responsibility to encourage and recruit individuals for nomination.

• All nominees who meet the legal requirements for election and fulfill the requirements for nomination shall appear on the ballot.

• The election shall be by secret ballot and may be conducted by paper or electronic ballot.

• The MN Association of Charter Schools staff will send ballots and voting instructions to each consortium member school relicensure representative or directly to each licensed teacher.

• The election process shall be no less than five working days and no more than ten working days.

• If balloting is conducted through the school relicensure representative using paper ballots, the coordinator shall be responsible for ensuring distribution and return of the ballots within the time presented in the election instructions.

• If balloting is conducted electronically, individual teachers shall submit their ballot directly to the MN Association of Charter Schools office.

Administrative Representative:

• In the year that the Administrative Representative is elected, the MN Association of Charter Schools will issue a solicitation for licensed administrative nominees by April 1st.

• Nominations shall be by self-nomination, although the committee has the responsibility to encourage and recruit individuals for nomination.

• All nominees who meet the legal requirements for election and fulfill the requirements for nomination shall appear on the ballot.

• The election shall be by secret ballot and may be conducted by paper or electronic ballet.

• The MN Association of Charter Schools staff will send ballots and voting instructions to each consortium member school relicensure representative or directly to each licensed administrator.

• The election process shall be no less than five working days and no more than ten working days.

• If balloting is conducted using paper ballots, it will be mailed directly to licensed administrators, who will return ballots within the time presented in the election instructions.

• If balloting is conducted electronically, individual administrators shall submit their ballots directly to the MN Association of Charter Schools office.

Community Member:

• In the year that the Community Member is elected, the MN Association of Charter Schools office will issue a solicitation for community members by April 1st.

• The committee shall have primary responsibility for identifying and recruiting community for membership.

• The Community Member will be elected at the first meeting of the MACS Board of Directors after July 1st.

Documentation and Reporting of Election:

• Paper ballots and hard copies of electronic ballots shall be kept on file at the MN Association of Charter Schools office for three years.

• The MACS staff shall count the ballots and submit the results to the committee. The committee shall certify the election results at the first meeting after the official voting period.

• The election results shall be published within three working days of the certification of the election.
  

IX. Attendance
If a member misses two or more meetings per year, the committee has the right to declare, upon written notification to the individual, that the seat is vacant and proceed to fill the vacancy.

X. Vacancies
When a vacancy occurs partway through a term, the committee will appoint an eligible replacement after official notification of the vacancy has been posted on the MN Association of Charter Schools website and after there has been a fifteen (15) calendar day period for self-nomination. If there are no nominations through the process, the committee shall recruit and elect an individual to fill the balance of the term.

Any individual appointed to fill a vacancy may serve two full consecutive terms after the end of the term to which they were appointed.

XI. Committee Meetings
Annual Organization Meeting:

• The first meeting of the committee after August 1st shall be the organizational meeting. This meeting must be held no later than September 30th.

• The agenda for the annual organizational meeting shall include:
  • The election of the Community Member in appropriate years
  • An orientation of the By-laws, Policies, and Procedures
  • The election of a Chair and Secretary
  • Established meeting dates for academic year
  Regular Meetings:

• The committee shall meet as often as needed to conduct its duties. The dates of these meetings shall be communicated to public charter schools and be published on the MN Association of Charter Schools website.

Quorum:

• For the committee to transact any business, a quorum must be present. A quorum shall be four members. A simple majority of members present is sufficient to take action.
  
  

XII. Appeal Procedures
If the MACS Relicensure Committee does not grant the requested number of clock hours, the applicant may appeal by written request to the MACS Relicensure Committee within one month after notification of the decision of the MACS Relicensure Committee. Failure to file a written request with the MACS Relicensure Committee within one month constitutes a waiver of the individual's right to appeal. MACS Relicensure Committee denial of an appeal may be appealed to the Board of Teaching within 30 days after the date that a denial is reaffirmed. For local appeal no special form is required.

In cases where the applicant has not been granted the required number of clock hours for relicensure, the MACS Relicensure Committee shall not endorse the application for renewal of the continuing license.

Note: In the event that the clock hours under appeal result in loss of licensure, it shall be the responsibility of the appellant to inform the Board of Teaching of their situation so that the Manager of Licensing can extend the previous license pending resolution of the appeal. The manager of licensing shall extend the previous continuing license until all avenues of administrative appeal have been exhausted.

XIII. Amendments to Bylaws
The committee shall annually review the By-laws and make recommendations for changes to the MN Association of Charter Schools Board of Directors. The MN Association of Charter Schools Board of Directors shall consider any By-law changes submitted by the Committee at the next meeting after submission of recommendations.

Adoption Date: October 6th, 2006
Adopted By: MN Association of Charter Schools