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Campion Seventh-day Adventist Church |
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 Proposed HMS Richards Church School Constitution
Proposed HMS Richards Church School Constitution Below is the proposed HMS Richards Church School Constitution which has been developed over the past year with input from the HMS staff, the Rocky Mountain Conference, the past HMS Constitution, and sample constitutions from several other church schools. It has been carefully and prayerfully thought out.
The essential concept is to adopt a working and workable constitution which will allow for adequate guidelines on how HMS School will be managed and at the same time leave enough space for contingencies which can not all be anticipated. Any future variations from the proposed constitution would need to be voted by both the School Board and the Church Board.
You are invited to read the proposed constitution and make any observations or suggestions to the HMS School Board through Dick Stenbakken at dickardis@comcast.net who is chairman of the constitution study group. Any proposed changes in the constitution will be discussed and or made by the School Board prior to the scheduled school constituency meeting. Changes to the constitution will not be entertained from the floor at the constituency meeting. At that meeting we will vote either yes or no on the proposed constitution.
If you have comments or suggestions, send them or give them (in writing) to Dick at the above e-mail address with the following information:
Your comments/suggestions The reasons behind your comments/suggestions Your current contact data (phone and e-mail) Your name
Your information must be submitted before the 30th of November. This will give the school board time to process your submission/s and prepare a final Constitution for the constituency.
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CONSTITUTION OF HMS RICHARDS ADVENTIST SCHOOL ARTICLE I: NAME This organization shall be known as HMS Richards Adventist School. ARTICLE II: PURPOSE The purpose of this organization shall be: A. To prepare students to be productive citizens on earth and in heaven with Jesus as their forever friend. B. To provide a balanced training of the physical, intellectual, spiritual, and social powers of each pupil. C. To see that the scholastic standards and policies are maintained at the level required by the Rocky Mountain Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Board of Education. ARTICLE III: ORGANIZATION The constituency of the school shall consist of: Members in good and regular standing of the Campion Seventh-day Adventist Church and other churches as may be organized and accepted into membership as provided below: Any church which desires to become a member of this constituency shall make formal written application to the School Board. Acceptance into membership shall be only by majority vote of any regularly or specially called constituency meeting. ARTICLE IV: DUTIES OF THE CHURCH It shall be the duty of the church to support the school by the following: A. Appointing its representatives to the School Board and, the Home and School Association. B. The church is to encourage support for the school operations, including student aid. Funds so raised for basic operations as well as student aid will be administered by the HMS finance committee. That committee will also distribute student aid funds that come from the church and all other sources. The duties of the HMS Richards Student Aid committee are to: a. No later than early September, recommend to the church board the budget required for tuition assistance. b. No later than early October the church is to establish and communicate a budget to the Student Aid committee. c. The chair of the church finance committee will be part of the discussions and decisions regarding disbursement of tuition assistance/student aid. They will have both voice and vote on the use of student aid funds. Their action and attendance will be limited to this function on the Student Aid committee. d. Review and approve/reject applications for tuition assistance e. Authorize the distribution of tuition assistance funds from the church and all other sources as per approved budgets C. Assuming its financial responsibility as provided in Article IX. D. Participating in all meetings by representatives as indicated in this document... ARTICLE V: CONSTITUENCY MEETING Duties of the School Board to the church constituency shall be as follows: A. An annual constituency meeting shall be called as set and announced by the School Board. B. A quorum shall consist of a minimum of not less than 50% of school board representatives. C. Emergency or special meetings shall only be called by the School Board. D. Notification of Meetings: 1. Notice of the annual constituency meetings or special meetings shall be given to the church in time for announcement to be made on two successive Sabbaths. 2. Emergency meetings may be called provided notice is given to the church in time for announcement on at least one Sabbath. E. Constituency meetings shall be presided over by the Conference President or his designee, or the Conference Assistant to the President for Education. F. Agenda items shall be submitted in writing to the chairperson or secretary of the School Board at least one week prior to the duly called meeting. Only agenda items approved by the School Board may be considered for action. The agenda will be available at the school upon request after approval by the school board. G. The Secretary of the School Board shall be responsible for minutes of all constituency meetings and for keeping them on file. ARTICLE VI: SCHOOL BOARD Section I: The School Board shall consist of the following: A. The lead pastor B. The principal of the school. C. The treasurer D. The Superintendent of schools of the Rocky Mountain Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. E. Director of Education, Mid-America Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists as an invitee with voice but not with vote. F. The Leader of the Home and School Association: The School Board, in cooperation with the Church Board, will select the Home and School Leader. Following that person’s acceptance, the Home and School leader will work with the church and HMS boards to nominate up to 6 Home and School members. The members and Home and School Leader so nominated will be ratified by a vote of both the HMS and church boards. The Home and School group will assume responsibilities beginning the following June 1. G. Any elected board member missing three consecutive, regularly scheduled, meetings of the school board will be automatically removed from the board. The vacant board position will then be filled by the church board acting in conjunction with the School Board Chair and the school Principal. . Section II: Appointments to the School Board. A. Appointments of school board members 1. The church shall appoint its representatives to the school board in discussion with the School Board Chair and the Principal. These representatives shall be elected to a two-year term of office. Members of the School Board shall take office June 1, and shall serve for the ensuing two school years. The total number of board members (not to exceed 10) who are needed and appointed will be negotiated among the pastor, the School Board Chair, and the school Principal. 2. Elected members shall serve no more than 3 consecutive 2-year terms. With the exception of the treasurer who may be extended if approved by the School Board and ratified by the Church Board. 3. Whenever a vacancy occurs, it shall be the duty of the church to appoint a new representative to serve the remainder of the term. This is to be done as indicated in paragraph 1 immediately above. Section III: Employment by the School Board. A. Employment of relatives. No employee of the school or their immediate relative shall be eligible to hold membership on the School Board. By special vote of the School Board, relatives of School Board members may be employed. Section IV: School Board Quorum A. The quorum of the HMS Richards Adventist School shall be as follows: The quorum shall consist of a number equal to at least one-half of the elected School Board members, provided two officers of the Board are present.
ARTICLE VII: OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES Section I: School Board Officers A. Chairperson B. Secretary/Vice-Chair. The Principal of the school shall be Secretary of the Board. C. Treasurer Section II: Committees The School Board shall appoint the following committees as needed for the administration of the school. All chairpersons and members of these committees shall be elected by the school board except that the school board treasurer shall serve as chairperson of the finance committee. The school board may appoint such additional members and ex-officio members to the following committees as it deems appropriate in addition to the mandatory members thereof. Other committees may be added or deleted as the board finds necessary. A. Executive Committee 1. School Board Chairperson 2. Lead Pastor 3. Treasurer 4. Principal B. Budget Planning & Finance 1. School Treasurer - Chair 2. School Board Chairperson 3. Lead Pastor 4. Principal
C. Personnel Committee 1. Rocky Mountain Conference Superintendent of Schools - Chair 2. School Board Chairperson 3. Lead Pastor 4. Principal
Section III: Ex-Officio members of all committees A. Lead Pastor B. Chairperson C. Vice-Chairperson/Secretary/Principal D. Treasurer ARTICLE VIII: DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS All officers shall hold office until their successors are duly elected and assume their responsibilities. Their duties shall be as follow: A. Chairperson 1. To call all meetings of the School Board and chair them. 2. To perform such duties as would naturally be the responsibility of the chairperson of the Board. 3. To direct the School Board in planning for and operating the school at its highest efficiency. Inasmuch as the Chair’s power is delegated and not inherent, they shall have no authority to act except as voted by the Board. B. Vice-Chairperson/Secretary/Principal 1. To call board meetings and/or act in the place of the chairman's absence. 2. To perform such other duties as the Board shall direct. 3. To keep the minutes and other records of the Board and of the constituency meetings. a. The secretary shall submit copies of the minutes to the Board members. b. When School Board action requires constituent churches' approval, the secretary shall supply the local church secretary with written minutes of the Board's action at least one day before the scheduled church business meeting. 4. To carry on the necessary correspondence of the Board. D. Treasurer 1. To collect and deposit all school monies. 2. To disburse funds as directed by the Board. 3. To present a monthly financial statement to the Board. 4. To send, or cause to be sent, school charges and invoices to parents or guardians. ARTICLE IX: DUTIES OF THE SCHOOL BOARD It shall be the duty of the School Board: A. To organize itself by July 1 by electing its officers and appointing the standing committees. The Superintendent of Schools of the Rocky Mountain Conference or the designated representative, or, in their absence, the vice-chairperson shall preside as chairperson of the school board until the new chairperson has been elected. B. To hold regular board meetings. C. To fill officer vacancies when they occur. D. To counsel with the conference officials in procuring and maintaining an adequate teaching staff. This will be done in part by periodic checks which will be made by the Personnel Committee of the teaching staff and final recommendations for the coming year be rendered to the School Board not later than February 1 of each year. E. To operate the school in harmony with the principles and policies of this constitution and the policies of the Rocky Mountain Conference and Mid-America Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventist. F. To provide the equipment and conditions essential for the general welfare and efficient operation of the school at a high scholastic level. G. To call annual and special constituency meetings. H. To arrange for the agenda and business to be considered at the constituency meetings. I. To prepare and submit a financial budget as and when it is required by the Conference. J. To attend to any and all other matters which would naturally come under the responsibility and jurisdiction of the School Board. K. To determine eligibility of students. L. Major disciplinary problems are to be brought to the attention of the School Board for appropriate action. ARTICLE X: AMENDMENTS Amendments shall be made as follows: A. Written notice must be published at least two weeks in advance of the constituency meeting. This written notice shall be published by the School Board in the church bulletin and shall state that amendments to the school constitution are being considered. This notice will indicate where constituents can go to see or request a copy of the proposed amendments (e. g. posted in the foyer, available from the pastor or a school board member, posted on a website, etc.). B. Amendments must be approved by a three-fourths majority of the attending qualified members in attendance at an officially called constituency meeting. ARTICLE XI: NON DISCRIMINATION POLICY It is the policy of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in all its church operated schools on elementary, secondary, and higher educational levels in the United States, to admit students of any race or religion to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at its schools, and to make no discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex, or ethnic origin in administration of educational policies, applications for admission, scholarship programs, and athletic or extra-curricu1ar programs.
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