Rules & Constitution 2011
Title:
1. The name of the Association shall be the Art Teachers’ Association of Ireland
Aims:
2. The aims of the Association shall be:
(a) As a professional body to further Art Education throughout the Country.
(b) To strive by all appropriate means to encourage schools to recognise the value of Art as an internal part of the educative process.
(c) To provide communication and exchange of ideas among Art Teachers.
(d) To provide a forum for the Regional Groups who form the association.
(e) To act as the official organ of Art Teachers.
Membership:
3. Full membership shall be open to all teachers holding:
(a) The Art Teachers’ Certificate
(b) The Diploma of the National College of Art and Design and Principles of Teaching Art.
(c) Other equivalent Art qualifications, which entitle a teacher to a full incremental salary while specialising in this subject.
4. Associate Membership shall be open to those holding:
(a) Secondary Teachers Drawing Certificate.
(b) Students on final year of Art Teachers’ Training Courses.
(c) People in final year of qualification. Associate members shall have all rights and privileges of full members except the right to act as an Officer of The Association.
5. Lecture and Activity membership is open to all interested in Art, for a fee which is revised annually at the AGM. L&A members are entitled to attend Lectures and activities organised by the Association but not meetings.
6. The annual subscription for all members (full, associate and L&A) shall be revised annually at the AGM.
7. Every applicant for membership shall fill in an official annual form of application and submit it to the Regional or National Membership Secretary together with one years membership fee.
(a) Retired members will not be obliged to pay a membership fee.
(b) All undergraduate Art Education students in their final year of study will not pay a membership fee.
(c) Newly Graduated Art Teachers in their first year of qualification will pay a reduced fee of 50% of the full membership fee.
8. Ex-members or new applicants must be proposed and seconded by members at a properly convened meeting of the Association.
9. A statement shall appear on the Application Form for membership that the applicant agrees to be bound by the rules of the Association.
10. If a member allows his/her subscription to be more than one year in arrears he/she shall cease to be a member of the association.
11. Ex-members claiming re-admission to the Association must be re-elected in accordance with the Rules governing the admission of new applicants.
12. New and re-joined members shall not be eligible for nomination as Officers until they have been members for twelve consecutive months.
Committee
13. The Committee shall consist of President, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Membership Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, PRO and for any given years as many other members as may be decided at the AGM.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. On expiry of their term of office the committee shall immediately hand over all the books, accounts and records of the Association to the incoming President.
17. On election the first duty of the incoming President shall be to call a meeting of the newly elected committee to make arrangements for the first General meeting. 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.
18. All outside communication shall be on the headed paper of the Association and may be signed by the President, Hon. Secretary or PRO.
19. In order to allow them to carry out Association business, a modest cash float should be made available to all committee members from the Association fund/account. Members shall be personally accountable to the Association for this money.
20. 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 claims at the AGM. The maximum payable under the rule is 100% of the total, subject to the money being available for the same.
Meetings:
21. The AGM shall be held before the last day of October each year. There shall be at least 3 General Meetings each year, one of which shall be the AGM.
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. Unless due to unforeseen circumstances, meetings shall take place between 2.00pm and 4.30pm. With an additional 30 minutes allowance on majority vote. 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.
25. A General meeting in an emergency situation may be convened at the discretion of the Committee (by telephone etc.) and confirmed later in writing.
26. 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.
27. Notice of motion shall be sent to the Secretary in writing before meetings.
28. 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.
29. Regional meetings: a quorum of 10% of the membership of the Region shall form the quorum for the meetings.
General:
30. Members shall not make public statements in the name of the Association or negotiate with other bodies or make decisions involving Association policy without an express directive from the Association.
31. 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.
32. 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.