Constitution

Title:

1. The name of the Association shall be the Art Teachers’ Association of Ireland

Aims:

2. The aims of the Association shall be:

• To further Art Education throughout the country as a professional body.
• To strive, by all appropriate means, to encourage schools to recognise the value of Art as an internal part of the educative process.
• To provide a forum for communication and exchange of ideas among Art Teachers.
• To provide a forum for the Regional Branches who form the association.
• To act as the official organisation of Art Teachers.

Membership:

3. The annual subscription for all members (full, associate and L&A) shall be revised annually at the AGM.
4. Full membership shall be open to all teachers holding an Art Teaching Qualification recognised by the Department of Education and Skills and the Teaching Council of Ireland.
5. Retired full members will not be obliged to pay a membership fee and are entitled to attend all events organised by the association, including meetings.
6. Newly Qualified Art Teachers in their first year of qualification and Unemployed Art Teachers will pay a reduction of the full membership fee.
7. Student Membership shall be open to students in their final year of BEd in Art & Design Education* or in Year 1 & 2 of the Professional Master of Education in Art & Design (PME).
   Student members shall have all rights and privileges of full members except the right to act as an Officer of The Association.
   Undergraduate Art Education students in their final year of study will not pay a membership fee.
8. Associate membership is open to all interested in Art, for a fee, which is revised annually at the AGM. Associate members are entitled to attend events organised by the Association but not meetings.
9. Honorary members will not be obliged to pay a membership fee and are entitled to attend all events organized by the association, including meetings.
10. New applicants should be proposed and seconded by members at a National Meeting of the Association.
11. A statement shall appear on the online Application Form for membership outlining how the applicant agrees to be bound by the rules of the Association.
12. To be a Full Member of the Association, members must ensure there is no lapse in their membership, or they will be considered to have re- joined.
13. New and re-joined members shall not be eligible for nomination as Officers until they have been members for twelve consecutive months.

Committee

14. The Committee shall consist of President, Vice-President, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Membership Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, Website Administrator, Public Relations Officer (PRO) and as many other members as are decided at the AGM in a given year . eg ATAI Archivist, ATAI SARG representative.
15. The President shall be the Chief Officer of the Association. He/She shall be elected annually but shall be eligible for re-‐election for a successive year.
16. The term of Office of other members of the committee shall be one year but each member shall be eligible for re-‐election for a successive year. All service should be voluntary and no remuneration shall be given or received. It is advised that officers do not exceed two years of service.
17. On expiry of their term of office the committee shall immediately hand over all the books, accounts, records and email addresses of the Association to their incoming counterparts.
18. On election, the first duty of the incoming President shall be to call a meeting of the newly elected committee to arrange for the first General National Meeting.
19. The Committee of the Association shall be responsible for the conduct of all meetings. It shall have the power to bring before members of the Association all business it considers important and it shall be responsible for implementation of all decisions taken by the membership.
20. All outside communication shall be on the headed paper of the Association or through the respective Committee members’ ATAI email address and may be signed by the President, Vice-President, Hon. Secretary or PRO.
    All email communication by the Committee should be through their respective ATAI email addresses to ensure transparency.
21. Committee members should be reimbursed for any purchases on behalf on the association. All receipts and completed claim forms must be forwarded to the National Treasurer of the Association. Members shall be personally accountable to the Association for this money.
22. Travelling expenses -­‐ mileage, meals and accommodation only -­‐ should be paid to committee members who are obliged to attend meetings. Travelling expenses for each Committee member who attends meetings (either committee or general) must present their forward their claims using the appropriate form to the National Treasurer of the Association. The maximum payable under the rule is 100% of the total, subject to the money being available for the same.

Meetings:

33. Fifteen members (including Committee members) shall form a quorum. If within an hour of the appointed time for the meeting to commence, a quorum is not present, the meeting shall not take place.
34. The AGM shall be held in October each year. There shall be at least 3 National General Meetings each year, one of which shall be the AGM.
35. Voting at the AGM will be carried out by a show of hands unless the issue is controversial or for election of Officers when a secret ballot will be taken.
36. Any member who wishes to propose a resolution affecting the Constitution of the Association will give notice in writing to the Hon. Secretary at least one month before the AGM. Resolutions under this rule shall be circulated to the members with the name of the prospective proposer. Voting on such resolutions shall be only carried out by a 2/3 majority of those present at the AGM.
37. Unless due to unforeseen circumstances, meetings shall take place between 2.00 pm and 4.30 pm,with an additional 30 minutes allowance on majority vote.
38. A General meeting in an emergency situation may be convened at the discretion of the Committee by email or other online notification.
39. Discussion on minutes shall be limited to points of accuracy before they have been signed, and points of information after they have been signed. No debate shall take place on policy outlined in the minutes.
40. The agenda of meetings shall been drawn up by the President and the Secretary and sent to the Committee members/ ATAI members. Additions to agenda of meetings shall be sent to the Secretary in writing (via email) before meetings.
41. The President should have a casting vote except for the election of Officers. In the event of a tie, election shall be decided by a re-vote.
42. Regional meetings: a quorum of 10 members shall form the quorum for the meetings (including the Chairperson and Secretary).

General:

36. Members shall not make public statements in the name of the Association, negotiate with other bodies, or make decisions involving Association policy without an express directive from the Association.
37. Members who retire from Teaching under the DES rules at the age of 60 or later may be elected Emeritus members, or members on Regional Committees by an AGM at National Level or Regional Level.
38. An Annual General Meeting shall have the power to confer Honorary Life membership on a member in recognition of outstanding service to the Association, or on a person deemed by the Association to have made an outstanding contribution to the cause of promoting Art Education in Ireland. An Annual General Meeting shall have the power to revoke life Membership.