SOUTH CENTRAL DISTRICT
· Constitution and Bylaws
(Revised August 2004)
· CDE rules
(Revised May 2010)
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I: Name.
The name of this organization shall be the South Central Kansas FFA District.
The words “South Central District FFA” or the letters “SCD FFA” may be officially used to designate the district, its’ chapters, or the members thereof.
ARTICLE II: Object.
Section 1.) The South Central Kansas FFA District shall strive to promote the ideals and purposes of the National FFA Organization. The South Central District FFA shall work to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education, as expressed in the National FFA Organization Mission Statement.
Section 2.) The South Central District FFA shall also serve to establish representatives for District members, both among the members and to the Kansas FFA Association.
ARTICLE III: Authority.
Section 1.) Upon adoption, the Constitution and Bylaws expressed in this document shall take precedence over and replace any standing rules or bylaws previously implemented by the District when replacing or conflicting with such laws. All provisions of the constitution and bylaws shall be effective immediately upon adoption by delegates of the District.
Section 2.) The District Constitution and Bylaws shall be perpetually subordinate to the Constitution of the Kansas FFA Association and the Constitution and Bylaws of the National FFA Organization. All activities of District members and of the District as a whole shall be in accordance to the Constitution and Bylaws of the National FFA Organization, and in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Kansas FFA Association.
ARTICLE IV: Members.
Section 1.) Any chapter in good standing with the District, assigned by the
Kansas FFA Association to be a member of the District, shall be a component chapter of the South Central Kansas FFA District.
Section 2.) Chapters must pay all district, state, and national FFA dues to the State Executive Secretary; and the South Central District KAAE dues to the district Secretary/Treasurer, to be a chapter in good standing with the District. Individual members must also pay all FFA dues to be a member in good standing. Chapters and members must be in good standing to compete for awards in any District contest, procedure, or activity.
Section 3.) Any member in good standing, of any District component chapter, shall be classified an active member of the South Central Kansas FFA District, and shall be entitled to the benefits thereof.
ARTICLE V: Officers
Section 1.) Officers.
1.) Officer Team. The South Central District shall select an Officer Team annually, consisting of six student officers: a president, a vice-president, a secretary, a treasurer, a reporter, and a sentinel; and a District agricultural education teacher serving as District advisor.
2.) Selection. Eligibility of candidates for District Office shall be determined by the procedures specified in the District Bylaws. Possible student officers shall be selected from eligible candidates by a Nominating Committee, and officers shall then be elected by majority vote at the annual District Delegate Meeting and Banquet. However, the runner-up for President shall become District Vice-president without a majority vote, and the District Advisor shall be the chapter advisor of the elected President, except in the case that such advisor is a first-year teacher of agriculture. In such case, the first-year advisor shall be the Co-District Advisor with the advisor of the District Vice-president.
3.) Term of Service. The District Officer Team’s term of service shall begin immediately following their installation at the annual Delegate Meeting at which they were elected, and shall continue until the installation of a succeeding Officer Team.
4.) Filling vacated district officer positions. In the event that a district officer can no longer fulfill the duties and responsibilities of his/her office, the South Central District Student Officers with the assistance of the District Advisor shall appoint the runner-up for that office to fill in the vacated office. The following procedures shall be followed to fill vacant positions.
· If the runner-up is unable or unwilling to be a district officer the procedure will be to ask the runner up in the order of Secretary, Treasurer, Reporter, Sentinel.
· In case the President leaves the Vice President shall then become President. The office of Vice President shall be filled according to procedures outlined in Bylaws Article II, Section 1.
· If an officer changes chapters within the district during their term of office, they may retain their office. If an officer moves outside the district during their term of office, they forfeit their office and a replacement will be appointed by the South Central District with the assistance of the South Central District Executive Advisor Team.
· If an officer continually fails to attend meetings or to fulfill their officer responsibilities or behaves in an undesirable manner contrary to the principles of the FFA, they will be asked to explain their actions and may be removed from office following due process as designated by the District Officer Team and District Advisor.
Section 2.) Nominating Committee.
1.) Committee Members. The Nominating Committee shall consist of a minimum of three (3), but a preference of five (5), committee members. There shall be at least one nominating committee member from each of the following categories: a.) One non-voting FFA advisor not from a chapter with a candidate for District office and b.) at least two state officers, past officers, or associate of the Kansas FFA Association. The nominating committee shall be selected by the host chapter of the annual selection day with consultation from district advisors.
2.) Officer Selection. It shall be the duty of the Nominating Committee to select and place in nomination qualified candidates from the number of eligible candidates from component chapters, following the procedures specified in the District Bylaws.
ARTICLE VI: Executive Committee.
Section 1.) District Advisor Duties
Ø The advisor(s) of the newly elected District President will serve as district advisor. The following are expectations of the District Advisor:
1. Serve as Advisor to the District Officers.
2. Coordinate and host District Greenhand Conference.
3. Coordinate elections of new District Officers at District Banquet.
4. Sponsor District Officers to District Officer Conference.
5. Coordinate and host the District Banquet.
6. Advise and coordinate district officer’s chapter visits.
7. Keep copies of results from all Career Development Events
Section 2.) SCD KAAE Vice President’s Duties
Ø The Vice President is selected from the nominations at District Banquet on even years.
Ø The Vice President serves a two-year term.
Ø Term of office begins at the KAAE executive meeting immediately following summer conference .
Ø The following are expectations of the KAAE District Vice President:
1. Encourage ALL advisors to keep constant contact with district Vice President, Executive Secretary, and Advisor.
2. Attend all State KAAE executive meetings. (If impossible, they must find a South Central District agriculture instructor to represent our district at the meeting, preferably the District Executive Secretary or District Advisor).
3. Conduct district meetings and prepare and send out an agenda for meetings.
4. Enforce district rules.
5. Find or select committee members for the following: District Stars, KAAE & KACTE committees, any special or standing committees.
6. Report news from the KAAE executive meetings, State FFA Office, and State Department of Education.
7. Coordinate the District Selection Day activities in conjunction with host advisor.
Section 3.) SCD KAAE District Executive Secretary Duties
Ø The Executive Secretary is selected from the nominations at District Banquet on odd years.
Ø The Executive Secretary will serve a four-year term.
Ø Term of office begins at the KAAE executive meeting immediately following summer conference.
Ø Notice to vacate the position should be given at the Spring In-service meeting.
Ø The following are expectations of the KAAE District Executive Secretary:
1. Handle the district financial accounts, prepare a district budget for approval during spring meeting, collect district fees, pay district bills, work with State KAAE Executive Secretary and District Vice President in collecting KAAE dues.
2. Work with district vice president to establish agendas for all formal district meetings.
3. Prepare a draft of the district calendar of activities to be approved in the spring. Work with CDE hosts, District Vice President, District Advisor, and State FFA executive secretary and send a final approved copy of the district calendar to the State FFA office in time for it to be printed in the State FFA calendar.
4. Keep accurate minutes of all meetings and have them bound in a book so they can be present at all formal district meetings.
5. Revise and update district policies and rules on a year-to-year basis. This is done to reflect any changes that were voted on and approved by a majority vote of the district Ag teachers. All updates need to be sent to the State FFA Executive Secretary for inclusion in the State FFA web site, Kansas FFA reference manual.
6. Order awards for district CDEs and distribute to host schools at Greenhand Conference and Ag Ed Symposium.
Section 4.) Replacement of District KAAE Vice President and District KAAE Executive Secretary
Ø If there is a need to replace either the District KAAE Vice President or the District KAAE Executive Secretary, the district FFA advisors will vote to replace them at District Banquet or other time as needed.
ARTICLE VII: Meetings.
Section 1.) Annual Delegate Meeting. The District President shall call one District Delegate Meeting and Banquet each year prior to State Convention. The purpose of the meeting shall be to elect and install officers and to transact such business as necessary.
Section 2.) Delegate Qualifications. Two delegates from each
Chapter of the District shall be eligible to attend the annual Delegate Meeting.
A delegate shall be an active FFA member of the chapter he or she is representing, and shall be selected by that chapter.
ARTICLE IIX: Amendment.
Section 1.) Proposed amendments to the District Constitution or Bylaws must be submitted to the District Executive Committee at least sixty (60) days in advance of the annual Delegate Meeting. The Executive Committee shall make recommendations regarding the proposed amendment.
Section 2.) Upon recommendation by the Executive Committee, the proposed amendment shall be forwarded to District chapters at least thirty (30) days prior to the annual Delegate Meeting.
Section 3.) A two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of delegates present at an annual
Delegate Meeting shall bring a proposed amendment into consideration without the recommendation of the Executive Committee.
Section 4.) A proposed amendment brought into consideration by the Executive
Committee or by the delegates may be adopted, altering the Constitution or Bylaws, with not less than a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of delegates present at any annual Delegate Meeting.
BYLAWS
ARTICLE I: Authority.
The Bylaws shall be a part of the Constitution of the South Central Kansas FFA
District, but shall be subordinate to those articles designated as the Constitution of the South Central Kansas FFA District.
ARTICLE II: Officers
Section 1.) Officer’s Duties. It shall be the duty of South Central District Officers to perform individual duties, to represent the members of the District, and to perform such additional duties as directed by the District Executive Committee. Such duties could include: District Officer Conference, District Officer Retreat, District Banquet, Greenhand Conference, State Convention Registration, State Fair District Responsibilities, plus any additional responsibilities that arise.
1.) President. The President shall preside over any delegate meetings of the district. It shall be the duty of the District President to call one District Delegate Meeting and Banquet each year. The President shall appoint any committees necessary, preside over them, and may serve as an ex-officio member of these committees. The President shall be the district’s representative to the Kansas FFA Executive Committee.
2.) Vice-president. The Vice-president shall assist the President in whatever capacity the President may assign. In the event that the office of District President becomes vacant, the District Vice-President shall be President. At that point, the new president shall appoint the individual slated for district secretary that was not elected to the office of District Vice-President.
3.) Secretary. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of any Delegate Meetings. The Secretary shall keep a current copy of the District Constitution and Bylaws at all times, and shall make copies of the Constitution and Bylaws available to any member or advisor seeking them. The Secretary shall make provision for passing all District minutes, the Constitution and Bylaws, and all other records on to his or her successor.
4.) Treasurer. The Treasurer shall keep accounts containing the District’s finances. The Treasurer shall present an annual financial report to the officer team and the SCD KAAE Vice-president. The Treasurer shall, along with the district advisor, make provision for passing all accounts on to his or her successor.
5.) Reporter. The Reporter shall serve as the reporter of the South Central District. It shall be the duty of the reporter to publicize District activities and awards, or other such public relations activities, as directed by the officer team. The Reporter will be responsible for publishing a fall and spring newsletter on behalf of the district officer team.
6.) Sentinel. It shall be the duty of the Sentinel to register delegates at and assist the President in preparing for the annual Delegate Meeting and Banquet, in addition to any public relations activities the officer team shall direct.
7.) Advisor. The duties of the District FFA Advisor are outlined in Article VI, Section 1 of the South Central District FFA Constitution.
Section 2.) Miscellaneous procedures: The district will pay for half of the costs for the District officers’ jackets and will be responsible for paying for all of District Officer Conference expenses.
Section 3.) District Officer Stipend: The district will provide each of the six district officers with a $100 stipend following their year of service to offset mileage and supply expenses. The district advisor will be responsible for getting the check from the District KAAE Executive Secretary and dispersing it to the officer team.
ARTICLE III: District Officer selection
Section 1.) Candidate Qualifications. To be eligible for nomination and/or election to a District Officers position, a member must meet the following qualifications:
1. The member must be an active South Central District FFA member.
2. The member must be a sophomore or junior at the time of the district selection day and must have received, or shall be a current candidate for the Chapter FFA Degree as stated in the State FFA Constitution, Article VI, Section C.