Council Constitution
1. Name: The name of this organization shall be the SOCIAL STUDIES COUNCIL of The Alberta Teachers’ Association.
2. Objects: The objects of this council shall be to improve practice in the specialty by increasing members’ knowledge and understanding of social studies.
3. Membership:
A. Regular Membership – Active members of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, associate members who are ineligible for active membership, and life members of the Association as specified in ATA bylaws are eligible for regular membership in this council. All such members shall be entitled to full privileges of Council membership including the rights to vote and hold office.
B. Affiliate Membership – Persons who are not eligible for ATA membership as specified in ATA bylaws may join this specialist council as affiliate members. Such members may receive all the benefits and services of Council membership except the rights to vote and to hold office.
C. Student Membership – Student members of the ATA may join this council and shall be entitled to all benefits and services of council membership except the right to hold office.
D. Life Membership - The council will consider life memberships for individuals who have made outstanding contributions to social studies. Stipulations for such membership shall be contained in council guidelines.
E. Membership in specialist councils is not available to those individuals who, under the Teaching Profession Act and the Teacher Membership Status Election Regulation, are eligible to make an election of membership and elect associate membership or non-membership in the Alberta Teachers’ Association.
4. Subscription Service: Organizations interested in receiving council publications only may subscribe for such publications upon payment of a fee which shall be more than that for a regular membership.
5. Fees: Membership fees shall be established by resolution at the annual general meeting of this council.
6. Officers:
Executive Committee – The officers of the council executive committee shall consist of a president, a president-elect, a secretary and a treasurer, elected for one-year terms. The executive committee shall also include the past-president and an ATA staff officer as voting members. The conference director and the PEC liaison member, while members of the executive committee, shall not be voting members of the executive committee.
Council Board – The council board shall consist of all members of the executive committee plus all regional presidents and regional contact members. These members, with the exception of the conference director, the PEC liaison member and the regional contact members, shall be voting members of the council board. The council board shall also consist of the editor of Focus, the editor of One World, the manager of the website, the Heritage Fair liaison, one representative from le Conseil français, one representative from the Ministry of Learning, one representative from the Alberta universities and the chairs of ad hoc committees. This latter group shall be nonvoting members of the council board. In the instance that a regional president cannot attend a council board meeting, that regional may send, at provincial council expense, an alternate regional executive member who may vote.
7. Committees: This council shall maintain standing committees as outlined in council guidelines. The executive committee or the council board may appoint such additional committees as are necessary to carry on the work of the council.
8. Liaison: Any representation this council wishes to make to any organization, government department, or other agency shall be conducted through the Provincial Executive Council or other regular channels of The Alberta Teachers’ Association.
9. Regional Councils: The executive committee of this council shall encourage and shall have authority to grant recognition to regional councils, to establish the boundary of regions, and to establish regulations governing the organization of regional councils not inconsistent with this constitution or guidelines of The Alberta Teachers’ Association.
10. Reporting Activities: This council shall submit annually, not later than August 31, an audited financial statement, a statement of assets and liabilities, an annual report of program and activities and a copy of the current constitution to The Alberta Teachers’ Association.
11. Meetings:
Council Board – The council board shall be the executive and administrative body of this council. It shall meet at least two times per year and shall conduct the affairs of the council between annual general meetings.
Executive Committee – The executive committee shall meet separately from the council board at least two times each year in order to deal with the affairs of the council.
General – This council shall hold an annual general meeting, the agenda of which shall provide for the topics listed below:
11.1 Adoption of minutes from the preceding annual general meeting and any special general meetings held in the interim.
11.2 Annual reports from the president and the treasurer.
11.3 Reports of committees.
11.4 A financial statement for the preceding fiscal year.
11.5 A budget.
11.6 Revisions to the fees for membership.
11.7 Amendments of this constitution for which the required notice of motion has been served.
11.8 Election of officers.
11.9 Other business.
12. Amendments: After three months notice of motion to amend the constitution being given to each member, this constitution may be amended by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members present at the annual general meeting of the council, subject to ratification by the Provincial Executive Council of The Alberta Teachers’ Association.
13. National/International Organizations: After the same notice of motion that is required for amendments to this constitution, the Social Studies Council, by majority vote of those present at the annual general meeting may, subject to approval by Provincial Executive Council, join or affiliate with national or international organizations representing the same special interests or cancel its membership or affiliation with national or international organizations.
PEC approval: 1986 11 24
TOC approval: 2001 01 05
Revised 1997 11 27, 2001 01 11
Amended by Provincial Executive Council 2005 04 07 (legislated membership changes)
