ARTICLE I
NAME AND MISSION
ARTICLE I, SECTION 1. The name of the association shall be the New Mexico School Counselor Association (NMSCA).
ARTICLE I, SECTION 2. NMSCA promotes the image and influence of professional school counselors, empowering them to promote student success in the areas of academics, personal, social, and career development. The mission of the New Mexico School Counselor Association is to promote excellence and ethical practice in the profession, by providing leadership, support and advocacy for school counselors.
ARTICLE I, SECTION 3. NMSCA is a state association of the American School Counseling Association ( ASCA), and the State organization division of the New Mexico Counseling Association (NMCA).
ARTICLE II
MEMBERSHIP
ARTICLE II, SECTION 1. Types of membership: This association will include five types of membership: Professional, Student, Retired, Affiliate, and Partner.
ARTICLE II, SECTION 2. NMSCA members are required to be members of NMCA; however, NMCA members are not required to be NMSCA members.
ARTICLE II, SECTION 3. Requirements of membership: In order to qualify for one of the types of membership, an individual must meet the following requirements for the membership being sought and have paid dues for the current year.
II-3a. Professional Membership: A Professional Member must be employed as a school counselor or must devote at least 50 percent of the time in activities
related to school counseling, whether directly or in a supervisory capacity. The member must hold a school counselor license issued by the State of New Mexico.
II-3b. Student Membership: A Student Member must be enrolled in an accredited program of counselor education, leading to a degree or certification as a school counselor. No person shall be eligible to be or continue as a Student Member who is otherwise eligible to become a Professional Member.
II-3c. Retired Membership: Members in retirement from counseling shall be eligible for reduced dues and shall maintain all privileges of professional membership.
II-3d. Affiliate Membership: An Affiliate Member is a person interested in professional school counseling and not eligible for another type of membership.
II-3e. Partner Members: A partner is a business or corporation interested in supporting NMSCA.
ARTICLE II, SECTION 4. Dues: Dues may be changed to meet the proposed budget of NMSCA, upon its parent organization’s (NMCA) increase in dues. All members shall be notified once a change in dues is made. The notification will take place by e-mail and by notification in the next newsletter.
ARTICLE II, SECTION 5. Rights and Privileges:
II-5a. Professional, Student, and Retired Members shall be eligible to vote.
II-5b. There shall be no discrimination against any individual on the basis of ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, disabling condition, and/or age.
ARTICLE II, SECTION 6.
II-6a. Severance of Membership: A member’s membership may be suspended and the school counselor referred to the NM PED Ethics Board for any conduct which violates the ASCA Code of Ethics and/or the New Mexico Public Education Standards of Conduct.
II-6b. Process. The Committee on Ethics shall review any charge of mis- conduct. The accused shall be given the opportunity to respond to the charges. If the Ethics Committee finds the charges to be substantiated, the committee may refer the mis-conduct to the appropriate state authorities.
II-6c. The Committee on Ethics: The Committee on Ethics shall consist of an Ethics Chair and a minimum of three (3) members, who hold membership in both NMSCA and ASCA.
ARTICLE III
OFFICERS, TERMS OF OFFICE, DUTIES, AND SUCCESSION
ARTICLE III, SECTION 1. Officers: The Officers of NMSCA shall be President, President-Elect, President–Elect-Elect, Immediate Past President, Four Vice-Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, and five Regional Representatives.
III. 1a. Only Professional and Retired Members shall be eligible to hold an elected office in the Association. President, President-Elect, and President Elect- Elect must be members of ASCA. President shall also be a member of the American Counseling Association.
III 1b. All officers of NMSCA, except Secretary and Treasurer, shall be elected at large from among eligible members of the association. The Secretary and Treasurer may be members but there is no requirement for membership.
ARTICLE III, SECTION 2. Terms of Office: All officers shall abide by the terms of office as outlined below.
III-2a. The President-Elect-Elect shall serve a term of one year, commencing July 1 st following their election to June 30th, after which he/she shall automatically
become President-Elect.
III-2b. The President-Elect shall serve a term of one year commencing July 1 st to June 30th, after which he/she shall automatically become President.
III-2c. The President shall serve a term of one year commencing July 1 st to June 30th, after which he/she shall automatically become Immediate Past President.
III-2d. The Past-President shall serve a term of one year commencing July 1 st to June 30th, after which he/she may run for another position on the governing board, or serve on a committee if they so choose.
III-2e. The four Vice Presidents shall each serve two-year terms. They shall be responsible for generating interest and activities within the following work settings: elementary (including pre-school), middle and/or junior high, secondary, and post-secondary. A person elected to a position of Vice-President shall be employed as a counselor in the work setting to be represented. The Elementary and Post-Secondary Vice-Presidents terms will end in odd-numbered years. The Middle/Junior High and Secondary Vice-Presidents terms will end in even numbered years. Vice Presidents may be re-elected for additional terms.
III-2f. The Treasurer and Secretary shall be appointed by the President and serve a one year term. The Treasurer and Secretary may be re-appointed for additional terms by the current President.
III-2g. Five Regional Representatives will be selected by a regional vote. These regions will be North-West, North-East, Central, South-West, and South-East. The Regional Representatives will serve two-year terms with the South-West, and South-East Representatives elected in odd numbered years and the North-West, North-East, and Central Representatives elected in even numbered years. The Regional Representatives may be re-elected for additional terms.
The counties in each region are as follows:
NW - Cibola, McKinley, San Juan
NE - Rio Arriba, Colfax, San Miguel, Taos, Union, Santa Fe, Mora, Harding, Los Alamos
Central - Bernalillo, Valencia, Sandoval
SW - Socorro, Catron, Grant, Luna, Sierra, Hidalgo, Dona Ana, Otero
SE - Eddy, Chavez, Lee, Roosevelt, Curry, Quay, DeBaca, Guadalupe, Torrance
III-2h. In the event that the President can not complete his/her term, the President- Elect will become President. The President-Elect would then complete the term of the President and the full year that he/she should serve as President. The President Elect-Elect would follow the same progression.
III-2i. In the event that any other elected officer cannot complete his/her term, the President will appoint an interim officer until the next election cycle.
ARTICLE III, SECTION 3. Duties of Officers:
III-3a. During the term of office, the President shall serve as the presiding officer of NMSCA, a member of the NMCA Board of Directors, and shall represent the
State Association at the ASCA Delegate Assembly.
III-3b. The President-Elect shall assume the duties of President in the absence of the President and shall represent the State Association at the ASCA Delegate Assembly. If the President-Elect is unable to serve as the Delegate to the ASCA Delegate Assembly, the President-Elect-Elect will be appointed with the approval of the Governing Board. The President-Elect shall work closely with the President in all aspects of the organization. The President-Elect shall serve as Parliamentarian.
III-3c. The President-Elect-Elect shall assume the duties in the absence of the President-Elect and represent the Sate Association at the ASCA Delegate Assembly in the absence of the President-Elect or President. If the President- Elect-Elect is unable to serve as the Delegate to the ASCA Delegate Assembly, an alternate will be appointed by the President with the approval of the Governing Board. The President-Elect-Elect will attend Governing Board meetings, and be in training for the President-Elect position. The President-Elect-Elect shall work closely with the President and President-Elect in all aspects of the organization.
III-3d. The Treasurer shall work with the membership chairperson as well as take charge of all funds of the organization and shall make disbursements to cover financial obligations of NMSCA. The Treasurer shall submit an annual report to NMCA. NMCA will then conduct an audit of the financial records. The records may also be audited at NMSCA’s expense as deemed necessary by the Governing Board.
III-3e. The Secretary shall take minutes of the Governing Board and shall handle other correspondence and duties as directed by the President.
III-3f. The four Vice Presidents shall be responsible for generating interest and activities within their respective work settings and coordinating activities at their individual levels. They shall be responsible for the planning and coordination of their individual meetings at the Fall Conference.
III-3g. Regional Representatives shall serve as a resource to counselors within the Region and bring concerns of regions to the attention of the Governing Board. They will attend all board meetings and the annual professional development conference. They will promote membership in NMSCA. They will collaborate with counselors, educators, and other professionals to bring professional growth activities to the region.
ARTICLE III, SECTION 4. Succession:
III-4a. The President-Elect shall automatically become President of the Association on the year after the commencement of the term of the office as President-Elect, or upon the death or resignation of the President. In the event a President-Elect should resign or be unable to complete the term, or the President's unexpired term, the Immediate Past President of the Governing Board shall assume the position of chairperson of the Governing Board until the Governing Board appoints a qualified member to fill any such vacancy.
III-4b. The President-Elect-Elect shall automatically become President of the Association two years after the commencement of the term of office as President- Elect-Elect. In the event a President-Elect-Elect is unable to complete the term, or the Presidents unexpired term, the Immediate Past President of the Governing Board shall assume the position of Chairperson of the Governing Board until the Governing Board appoints a qualified member to fill any such vacancy.
ARTICLE IV
GOVERNING BOARD
ARTICLE IV, SECTION 1: Composition: The Executive/Governing Board shall be composed of the President, President-Elect, President-Elect-Elect, Immediate Past President, four Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, five Regional Representatives and standing Committee Chairs. ,
ARTICLE IV, SECTION 2: Powers and Functions; the duties of the Executive/Governing Board shall be to conduct the business affairs in the operation and function of the Association. It is desirable that members of the Executive/Governing Board be elected from various areas of the state to facilitate the operation.
ARTICLE IV, SECTION 3: Voting Members: Voting members of the Executive/Governing Board shall exclude the Secretary or Treasurer if they are not members of NMSCA.
ARTICLE V
NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS
ARTICLE V, SECTION 1: Nominations: The President shall appoint a Nominating Committee at the annual meeting of the Association. The Nominating Committee will prepare a slate of candidates for the election.
ARTICLE V, SECTION 2: Election of Officers: An election shall be held at the annual conference or by a mail ballot.
ARTICLE VI
NEWSLETTER
ARTICLE VI, SECTION 1: Purpose: The association shall publish (or jointly publish with the State Counseling Association) a newsletter or journal to keep the membership informed of significant happenings in the state and at the national level.
ARTICLE VII
MEETINGS
ARTICLE VII, SECTION 1: Meetings: There shall be at least one meeting of the general membership and four Executive/Governing Board meetings each year.
ARTICLE VII, SECTION 2: Governance of Meetings. Unless otherwise specified in the Bylaws, Roberts Rules of Order shall govern the proceedings of the meetings of the Association.
ARTICLE VIII
BUSINESS AFFAIRS OF THE ASSOCIATION
ARTICLE VIII, SECTION 1: Fiscal year: The fiscal year shall coincide with that of the State Counselor Association, beginning July 1st and ending the following June 30th.
ARTICLE VIII, SECTION 2: Property of the Association: In the event the Association should be dissolved, none of the property shall be distributed to any members. All property shall be transferred to such organization, as the Executive/Governing Board shall determine to have purposes and activities most nearly compatible with those of the Association.
ARTICLE VIII, SECTION 3: Adoption and amendments of Bylaws:
VIII-3a. Amendments to the Bylaws may be adopted by a vote of a majority of current members present at the annual meeting or responding to a mail or internet ballot. Proposed amendments to the by-laws must be published at least 60 days before the voting date.
VIII-3b. Amendments to the Bylaws may be proposed by the Executive/Governing Board or by petition of 15% of the current membership of the Association.
ARTICLE IX
LOCAL CHAPTERS
ARTICLE IX, SECTION 1: The Association may include one or more local chapters, each of which shall consist of at least 15 members of the Association in good standing. No local chapter shall be organized or operated except in accordance with the Bylaws of the Association.
ARTICLE IX, SECTION 2: A local chapter shall be free to conduct its affairs, but shall do so only in compliance with the Bylaws of the Association.
ARTICLE X
OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE
ARTICLE X, SECTION 1: Committees:
X-1a. The committees of the Association shall consist of standing and special committees. With the approval of the Executive/Governing Board, the President shall appoint special committees to serve during the President's term of office.
X-1b. Standing committees may include the Bylaws, Ethics, Finance, Nominations and Elections Committee.
X-1c. The Bylaws Committee will review the Bylaws on a regular basis and make recommendations concerning revisions in accordance with Article VIII, section 3.