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MAIN Bylaws

Article 1 – Name, Mission and Purpose

Section 1 - Name:  The name of the organization shall be Minnesota Advocates for Immersion Network (MAIN).  It shall be a non-profit organization incorporated under the laws of the State of Minnesota.

Section 2 - Mission:  Minnesota Advocates for Immersion Network acts collaboratively to support, enhance and educate others about language immersion in schools.

Section 3 - Purpose:  MAIN is organized exclusively for charitable, scientific, literary and educational purposes. 

The purposes of this corporation are:

  • To support discussion and collaborative problem-solving of program design and implementation issues unique to language immersion programming,
  • To create opportunities for professional development, cultural exchange, educational research, and communication among immersion educators,
  • To advocate for and inform about immersion education at the district and state levels.

Article II Membership

Section 1 - Eligibility for membership: Membership shall be open to professional educators and higher education professionals with expertise and experience in immersion education, as defined below. Professional educators shall be employed with or exploring the possibility of working with any pre-school, elementary, or secondary language immersion program.  Language immersion programs are defined as those that: 

  • use a language other than English (the immersion language) to teach subject matter (e.g. math, social studies, etc.) and integrate the immersion language, culture, and content into instruction,
  • instruct through the immersion language for at least 50% of the instructional day during the pre-school and elementary years; middle and secondary continuation programs teach a minimum of two content areas using the immersion language,
  • promote additive bi- or multilingualism, i.e., enriched instruction in the immersion language sustained through the elementary years, including maintenance of the English language both in and out of school,
  • are school-based programs that are held accountable for evaluating academic achievement in the content areas,
  • employ teachers who are highly proficient in the language(s) they use for instruction, and
  • clearly separate teacher use of one language versus another for sustained periods of time. 

Section 2 - Annual dues: Programs or individuals may choose to join MAIN at one of these four membership levels. For membership, language immersion programs are defined by different physical location and student population. Programs may be whole schools or strands within English-medium school sites. Parents of member schools are automatically included in the school’s membership.

Membership fees shall be reviewed periodically and adjusted according to organizational needs.

  • Level 1 Membership: Immersion programs and schools serving more than 200 students in the Twin Cities metro area; school district offices in the Twin Cities metro area that want to register at least 4 but no more than 20 educators who work either in the district office or as dual language educators in otherwise English monolingual schools
    • Level 1A Membership: Programs serving more than 200 students in the metro area who do not meet the immersion school criteria but want the benefits of membership
  • Level 2 Membership: Immersion programs and schools serving fewer than 200 students in the Twin Cities metro area; school district offices in the Twin Cities metro area that want to register no more than 3 educators who work either in the district office or as dual language educators in otherwise English monolingual schools 
    • Level 2A Membership: Programs serving fewer than 200 students in the metro area who do not meet the immersion school criteria but want the benefits of membership 
  • Level 3 Membership:  Immersion programs outside the Twin Cities and individuals as defined in Section I
  • Level 4 Membership: Students enrolled in a degree program in education who intend to pursue a career in immersion education

The amount required for annual dues may be changed by a majority vote of the members at an annual meeting of the full membership.

Section 3 - Rights of members: Each MAIN member from a program and individual members shall be eligible to cast decision-making votes. 

Section 4 - Non-voting membership: The Board shall have the authority to establish and define non-voting categories of membership and participation.

Article III - Meetings of members

Section 1 - General membership meetings: Regular meetings shall occur at least three times per year at an announced time and place.  At the meeting, the members shall be updated on current initiatives and issues and will provide input on the general direction of MAIN for the coming year.  At the May meeting, members shall elect Board officers.

Section 2 - Special meetings: Special meetings may be called by the Senior-chair, the Vice-chair, or a simple majority of the Board of Directors.

Section 3 - Notice of meetings: Printed notice of each regular meeting shall be given to each member, by e-mail, not less than two weeks prior to the meeting.

Section 4 - Quorum: The members present at any properly announced meeting shall constitute a quorum.

Section 5 - Voting: All issues to be voted on shall be decided by a simple majority of the quorum present at the meeting in which the vote takes place.

Article IV - Board of Directors

Section 1 - Board role, size and compensation:  With input from the General Membership, The Board is responsible for:
  • Refining the organization’s mission; 
  • Refining organizational processes;
  • Refining the yearly focus of the organization;
  • Setting policy;
  • Signing appropriate contracts;
  • Providing overall leadership and strategic direction for the organization.

The Board shall have 9 to 15 members. The organization will attempt to find members who represent all of the languages taught in Minnesota immersion schools; elementary and secondary programs; urban, suburban, exurban, and rural districts; 1-way, 2-way, and Indigenous programs; and other constituencies as deemed relevant by the Board of Directors.  Board members include four officers (Senior-chair, Vice-chair, Secretary and Treasurer), one representative from each of the four committees and a MAIN parent member representative.

The Board receives no compensation.

Section 2 - Officers and Duties:  There shall be four officers of the Board, consisting of a Senior-chair, Vice-chair, Secretary and Treasurer.  All officers shall serve two-year terms, but are eligible for re-election up to three consecutive terms.  However, this term limit can be overridden by a simple majority of those present at an announced general membership meeting.
 
The Senior Chair, Vice-chair, and immediate past Senior-chair shall serve as the leadership team for the organization. Their duties are as follows:
  • The Senior-chair shall convene regularly scheduled Board meetings, preside at each meeting, and distribute meeting agendas.
  • The Vice-chair shall preside at meetings in the absence of the chair.   The Vice-chair shall chair committees on special subjects as designated by the Board.
  • The immediate past Senior-chair shall serve in an advisory capacity to the leadership team.
  • The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping records of Board actions, including overseeing the taking of minutes at all Board meetings, sending out meeting announcements, distributing copies of minutes to each Board member, maintaining the membership contact information, and assuring that corporate records are maintained.
  • The Treasurer shall make a report at each Board meeting.  The treasurer shall oversee annual membership dues, assist in the preparation of the budget and IRS documents, and make financial information available to Board members.
  • The Parent Liaison will represent the parent perspective.  The parent liaison or his/her designee will facilitate the Parent forum at MAIN General Meetings.
Section 3 - Board elections and appointments:  Officers shall be elected or re-elected by a simple majority of the voting members present at the May general meeting. Board members are elected on alternate years (year one: Senior-chair, Treasurer; year two: Vice-chair, Secretary). Committee representatives will be appointed by committees on alternate years (year one: Personnel; Program Design and Development; Communication, Culture and Community; year two: Teaching and Learning; Language Immersion Advocacy). Parent members will appoint a representative.  Terms will start on July 1 and end of June 30 of the appropriate year. 

Section 4 – Board meetings and notice:  The Board shall meet at least four times per year, at an agreed upon time and place.  An official Board meeting requires that each Board member have written notice at least two weeks in advance.  The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the proceedings of the Board in all cases to which they are applicable.  Special meetings may be called by the Senior-chair, the Vice-chair, or a simple majority of the Board of Directors.

Section 5 - Quorum: For business transactions to take place and motions to pass, a quorum must be attended by at least 50 percent of the voting Board members.

Section 6 - Vacancies:  When a vacancy on the Board exists mid-term, the secretary must receive nominations for new members from the membership-at-large two weeks in advance of a Board meeting.  These nominations shall be sent out to the membership to be voted upon electronically.  These vacancies will be filled only to the end of the particular Board member’s term. 

Section 7- Resignation, termination, and absences:  Resignation from the Board must be in writing and received by the secretary.  A Board member shall be terminated from the Board due to excess absences (after two unexcused absences from Board meetings in a year).  A Board member may be removed for other reasons by a three-fourths vote of the remaining directors. 

Section 8 - Special meetings: Special meetings of the Board shall be called upon the request of the Senior-chair, the Vice-chair, or one-third of the Board members.  The secretary shall send out notices of special meetings to each Board member at least two weeks in advance.

Article V - Committees

Section 1 - Committee formation:  The Board may create ad hoc committees as needed.  The Board shall appoint chairs of ad hoc committees.  These committee chairs may recruit volunteers to assist in the work of each committee.  The corporation shall have the following standing committees:  Teaching and Learning; Personnel, Program Design, and Development; Language Immersion Advocacy; and Communication, Culture, and Community.

Section 2 - Committee membership:  Each committee will include a chairperson and a representative to the Board (who may or may not be the committee chair).

Section 3 - Committee responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Teaching and Learning Committee:  The Teaching and Learning Committee is responsible for professional development, curriculum and instruction initiatives (e.g. teacher exchange of teaching practices, developing writing skills in immersion, instructional technology and language acquisition) and assessment initiatives.
  • Personnel, Program Design and Development Committee: The Personnel, Program Design and Development Committee is responsible for initiatives regarding teacher and paraprofessional recruitment and staffing; other personnel topics (including licensure, visas, and developing and facilitating a program for interns); enrollment practices; and other program-level design issues.
  • Language Immersion Advocacy Committee: The Language Immersion Advocacy Committee is responsible for participation in advocacy initiatives for foreign and second language education in Minnesota; support for new language immersion programs; communication with the Minnesota state legislature, the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Board of Teaching; and collaborating with teacher preparation and development programs; and providing outreach to districts considering new immersion schools.
  • Communication, Culture and Community Committee: The Communication, Culture and Community Committee is responsible for maintaining the MAIN website; updating and maintaining a database of Minnesota immersion programs; facilitating external communication (e.g., links to MCTLC, Minnesota New Visions, Minnesota Language Update, etc.); establishing international networks between Minnesota schools and schools in other countries; organizing the All-School Student Event/Immersion Celebration; and collecting and distributing new ideas and cultural opportunities.

Article VI - Fiscal responsibility

Section 1 - Appropriations: By the last meeting of the year each committee will meet to identify priorities and discuss funding requests for the following academic year. At the summer meeting committee chairs and members of the Board of Directors will be expected to reach a consensus before allocating funds according to priorities established for the coming fiscal year. When developing the operating budget, 20% of each year’s funds will be held in reserve for general operating expenses. At the close of the fiscal year, no less than half of the reserve (10%) must be maintained and carried over to the next fiscal year.

Section 2 - Undefined Committee budget:  The committee chair will submit a proposed committee budget to the Board of Directors for review before the first general meeting of the fiscal year.  The Committee chairs will share the budgets with the general membership. By June 15 the committees will submit final expenditure reports to the Treasurer.

Section 3 - Budgeted expenditures:  Items designated by the committees on the committee budget will be dispersed by the treasurer through invoice or reimbursement.

Section 4 - Items not on the standing committees’ submitted budget need to be approved by the members of those committees.

Section 5 - Undefined Process:  Procedures for reimbursement will be defined by the Board of Directors.

Section 6 - External Sponsorship:  If a committee seeks to generate new revenue from outside sources, approval is required by the Board of Directors and notification will be given within ten business days.

Section 7 - Budget sub-committee:  A budget sub-committee will be comprised of the Treasurer, Chair, and two other members of the Board of Directors.  They will perform an informal audit at the end of each fiscal year.

Section 8 - Signatories:  Any request for payment exceeding $500 requires two signatures by the Treasurer and Chair or Designee.

Section 9 - The fiscal year shall be July 1 to June 30.

Article VII - Amendments

Section 1 - Amendments: Proposals to amend the bylaws may be submitted to the secretary for distribution to the Board.  By simple majority vote, the Board will decide whether to pursue the proposed amendment at the next General Meeting.

Article VIII - Dissolution

In the event of the liquidation or dissolution of this corporation, whether voluntary or involuntary, or by operation of law, except as and to the extent otherwise provided or required by law, the remaining property and assets of this corporation shall be distributed as provided in the Bylaws of this corporation, or in the absence of any such provision in the Bylaws, in such manner as the Board of Directors of this corporation, as constituted at the date of entry of the order allowing or directing the liquidation of this corporation’s affairs, in their discretion shall by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors determine to be best calculated to carry out the objects and purposes for which this corporation is formed; provided, however, that all of the assets of the corporation shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or any corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose.

Appendix A

For the purposes of membership, immersion programs are defined as those that

  • Use a language other than English to teach subject matter content; 
  • Integrate language teaching with content teaching;
  • Offer instruction through the immersion language for at least 50% of the school day during the pre-school and elementary years; offer a minimum of two content areas taught through the immersion language in secondary continuation programs;
  • Promote additive bi- or multilingualism, i.e., enriched instruction in the immersion language sustained through the elementary years, including maintenance of English;
  • Are held accountable for evaluating academic achievement in the content areas;
  • Employ teachers who are highly proficient in the language(s) of instruction and clearly separate teacher use of one language versus another for sustained periods of time. 

Changes to the bylaws were approved at a meeting of the Board of Directors by a simple majority vote on May 3, 2010

Changes to the by-laws were approved at a meeting of the Board of Directors by simple majority vote on August 19, 2011.


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