IT WAS ALWAYS ABOUT

ARTICLE I	NAME
	The name of this non-profit organization shall be Independent Voices for Better Education.
ARTICLE II	PURPOSES
Section 1	Advocacy for School Board Policy changes.
Section 2	Advocacy for student and parental rights.
Section 3	Technical assistance to parents, individuals, and/or groups at schools, feeder patterns, county, state or national levels.
Section 4	General advocacy for educational improvement, reform and accountability to include but not be limited to the following:
	a. To ensure that equal educational opportunities are provided for all students regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, national origin, or handicap;
	b. To raise expectations for students so that they may reach their utmost academic, social, emotional, civic, and ethical potential;
	c. To increase the accountability of school system personnel for optimum student achievement;
	d. To ensure that parents and students become full and equal partners in educational decision making and governance at the school, feeder pattern, regional, and district levels.
	e. To promote student, parental, and professional freedom from intimidation, manipulation and retaliation;
	f. To ensure that student and parental involvement is an integral requirement in the planning, execution, and evaluation of educational priorities and programs;
	g. To network with other organizations in order to promote the welfare of children.
ARTICLE III	ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Section 1	The Board of Directors is the decision making body of Independent Voices for Better Education (IVBE). The Board is a proactive service organization. membership on the Board shall be by invitation only and is not open to an employee of the school system or a member of a union with which any school district has a contract
	Each member of the Board shall complete a disclosure statement, in a form agreed upon by the members of the Board, detailing all connections and ties of the individual Board member with the Dade County Public Schools and/or any public school district or school district employees association.
Section 2	An affiliate shall be defined as: Groups representing schools may become affiliates upon request with Board approval. An affiliate is an entity which shares like goals with the Board of Directors of IVBE. Affiliates are not subsidiaries; the Board has no managerial role over affiliates. The Board is available for technical support and information. Affiliates will abide by the membership policies and purposes of the Board of IVBE.
Section 3	Affiliates-at-large are individuals who share the goals of the organization and request the rights of affiliation.
Section 4	Associate status is available to those categories of persons who are otherwise excluded. Associates have the right to receive the IVBE Newsletter (Voices), and request assistance in matters regarding the educational process.
Section 5	Rights of Affiliation
	All affiliates have the right to receive the IVBE Newsletter (Voices), request assistance in matters regarding the educational process, and attend organizational conferences and/or workshops.
ARTICLE IV	OFFICERS
Section 1	The elected officers shall be: President Vice President Secretary Treasurer
Section 2	Qualifications and tenure of officers:
	a. All officers must be members of the Board of Directors of IVBE.
	b. Tenure of office shall be for one year, and officers may be elected for one additional consecutive term.
ARTICLE V	DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1	It shall be the duty of the President to direct the activities of the organization, to preside at all meetings, and to be spokesperson for the organization.
Section 2	It shall be the duty of the Vice President to officiate in the absence of the President, to head the telephone committee, and to perform such other duties as shall be assigned by the President.
Section 3	It shall be the duty of the Secretary to take the minutes of each meeting and provide the same at the meetings of the organization; and to keep a permanent record of said minutes. The Secretary shall also be responsible for correspondence which must reflect Board policy.
Section 4	It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to have charge and be accountable for all organizational funds, and to have a written report at each meeting.
ARTICLE IV	VOTING
Section 1	All organizational decisions are made by vote of the Board of Directors. Emergency decisions shall be made by the officers and may be done by telephone; such decisions shall be reported at the next meeting.
Section 2	A quorum shall be a majority of the Board members.
Section 3	Elections:
	a. Officers are elected annually in the first week of June by the Board of Directors; nominations are from the floor.
	c. The Board shall fill all vacancies.
	d. Recall of an Officer or Board member. Any member of the Board can request a hearing to begin the recall of an Officer or Board member (s). Two weeks notice must be given to all Board members with all grounds stated in writing. The highest ranking officer without conflicts of interest shall preside. All sides shall be heard equally. A decision shall be made at the hearing regarding the charges and action, if any, to be taken by the Board.
ARTICLE VII	The parliamentary authority shall rest with Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised unless it conflits with these by-laws.
	A majority vote of the Board shall interpret Robert's Rules.
ARTICLE VIII	EXPENDITURES
	No expenditures shall be made without the consent of the Board of Directors. Refer to Article V, Section 5 regarding Bank Accounts.
ARTICLE IX	AMENDMENT OF BY-LAWS
	Thirty days written notice shall be given to all Board members of any proposed changes with the date of the meeting at which the vote will be taken.
ARTICLE X	The effective date of the foregoing By-laws is May 31, 1990 as approved by the Board of Directors of Independent Voices for Better Education. Board Signatures...

I.	The title By-Laws shall be changed to "Constitution and ByLaws"
II.	The following six Basic Policies are to be added at the end of Article III, Section 1:
	1. The association/corporation shall be noncommercial, nonsectarian, non partisan.
	2. The name of the organization or the names of any members in their offical capacities shall not be used to endorse or promote a commercial concern or in connection with any partisan interest or for any purpose not appropriately related to promotion of the objects of the organization.
	3. The organization shall not, directly or indirectly, participate or intervene in any way, including the publishing or distributing of statements in any political campaign of behalf of; or in opposition to any candidate for public office; or devote more than an insubstantial part of its activities to attempting to influence legislation by propaganda or otherwise.
	4. No part of the net earnings of the organization shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, directors, trustees, officers or other private persons except that the organization shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in this document.
	5. Notwithstanding any other provisions of these articles, the organization shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (i) by an organization exempt from Federal Income Tax under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or (ii) by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under Section 170 (c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code.
	6. Upon dissolution of this organization, after paying or adequately providing for the debts and obligations of the organization, the remaining assets shall be distributed to one or more non-profit funds, foundations, or organizations which have established their tax exempt status under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
III.	Amend Article VI, Section 2 to read "A quorum shall consist of two Officers and two Board members."
	Officers' signatures followed

Amendments to Constitution and By-Laws
Adopted January 16, 1991

I.	The following policy shall be placed so that it becomes #1 under Article III, Section 1:
	1. The purposes for which the Association is organized are exclusively religious, charitable, scientific, literary, and educational within the meaning of section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law.
II.	The existing number 1 through 6 shall then become numbers 2 through 7. (These were adopted October 1, 1990)
	Signatures of President and Vice-President

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