ARTICLE I: NAME, PURPOSE, AND LIMITS

Section 1. Name

The name of the organization shall be Trainers of School Psychologists, and the organization may be referred to as TSP.

Section 2. Purpose

The purpose of TSP shall be:

a. To advance school psychology training standards;
b. To provide forums for discussion of current trends in the graduate education of school psychologists;
c. To support opportunities for collaboration among and the professional growth of school psychology faculty members;
d. To encourage innovation in school psychology training;
e. To support the continuing education of school psychology trainers and field supervisors; and
f. To support legislative efforts that promote high quality standards of school psychology training and advancement of school psychology in general.

Section 3. Limits

TSP shall be nonprofit, nonpartisan, and nonsectarian in its purposes and activities.

This association is formed exclusively for educational purposes.

Upon the cessation of functioning and dissolution of this association and after paying or adequately providing for the debts and obligations of the association, the remaining assets shall be distributed to a nonprofit fund, foundation, or association which is organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, and/or scientific purposes and which has established its tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

No part of the net earnings of this association shall ever inure directly to or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the association shall be empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered, to reimburse expenses approved by the Board, and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes for which it was formed.

ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP, VOTING, AND DUES

Section 1. Membership

a. Institutional membership in TSP shall be open to any university or college training program in school psychology. Institutional membership is limited to one per degree-granting institution; each program, upon payment of dues, shall be considered an institutional member of TSP. All school psychology core faculty members designated by the member program's director on the yearly dues statement shall be considered individual members of TSP. Additional school psychology faculty members may be added as individual members upon payment of an additional membership fee per person as noted in Section 3b.

b. Individual membership shall be open to any school psychology program faculty member, international school psychologists, or individuals who are not trainers but have a professional interest in the training of school psychologists.

c. Membership terms in both categories (i.e., institutional and individual) shall run from September 1 to August 31 to coincide with the academic year and with current billing practices.

d. A roster of current institutional members of TSP shall be made available on the TSP website.

Section 2. Voting

a. Each institutional member shall have one vote in any decision requiring membership action. The program director or appointed designee shall cast the ballot; each program shall decide for itself the manner in which a decision is reached concerning the ballot cast by the program director or the program director's designee. Voting may take place by electronic ballot or at a physical meeting of the membership.

b. An individual member shall not have voting privileges in any decision requiring membership action unless he or she is the program director or designee for the institutional membership.

c. Decisions requiring membership action shall be decided by a majority vote (i.e., at least 51%) of voting institutional members  responding to the electronic ballot or those present at a general meeting.

d. Quorum at a general meeting shall constitute representation from at least one-third of the current institutional members in good standing.

e. For voting that occurs outside a general business meeting, a quorum shall constitute representation from at least one-third of the current institutional members in good standing.  

Section 3. Dues

a. Dues shall be assessed annually for membership. They shall be payable to TSP.

b. There shall be no individual dues for core faculty members of an institutional member. Individual memberships shall be automatically granted to those core faculty members after receiving a list of names from the institution’s program director (or designee) on the membership application returned with the annual dues. Individuals not core faculty of a member institution who wish to join TSP shall incur an individual membership fee. The amount of dues for both institutional and individual members shall be set by majority vote of the Executive Board and ratified by a majority vote of institutional members in good standing at the Annual TSP Business Meeting or by electronic ballot after at least a seven-day discussion period.

ARTICLE III: EXECUTIVE BOARD AND ELECTIONS

Section 1. Officers and Representatives

a. The TSP Executive Board, which shall serve as the governing body of TSP, shall be comprised of five officers (i.e., President, President-Elect, Past-President, Secretary, and Treasurer) and nine representatives. These individuals comprise the voting members of the Executive Board, except that the President shall only vote in case of a tie.

b. Each representative elected to serve on the Executive Board shall serve a three-year term (except when an individual is elected to a specific office). Three representatives shall be elected to the Executive Board each year by vote of the institutional members in good standing, so that the terms of office for the representatives of the Executive Board shall be staggered, with three newly elected persons beginning three-year terms of service annually. Nominations for representative may be made by any member in good standing. All nominees must be TSP members in good standing.
Officers and representatives shall be elected by a vote of institutional members in good standing. 

c. Officers of the Executive Board shall be elected annually from among individual or institutional members in good standing who are nominated by majority vote of the Executive Board.

d. Officers and representatives shall be elected by a vote of institutional members in good standing. All officers and newly elected representatives shall begin their terms of office on September 1 of the year in which they are elected except as noted in Article III, Section 3a below.

e. The elected officers of the Executive Board shall include the President-Elect (who will, in the remaining two years of office, subsequently assume the roles of President and Past-President), Treasurer, and Secretary. The Treasurer and the Secretary shall each be elected for three-year terms, beginning in alternate years so that the two shall not be elected in the same year.

f. No individual shall hold two elected positions at the same time, and no one shall hold the same elected position for more than two terms. If a representative or an officer is elected to an(other) position and has not completed his or her term of office in the previous role, the position shall be filled as specified in Article III, Section 3a below. 

g.  All Executive Board members may vote on any issue brought before the Board except for the President, who only votes in case of a tie.

Section 2. Elections

a. Nominations for election as representatives to the Executive Board shall be solicited through an announcement to the voting membership and other interested parties in April.. Elections shall be held in May.

b. To be eligible for election to the Executive Board, a candidate must be a member in good standing as specified in Article II, Section 1a.

c. Three representatives shall be elected each year to serve on the Executive Board to replace the three representatives whose terms of service on the Executive Board expire that year. 

d. Names of candidates shall be presented on the ballot to all voting institutional members each year for the three Executive Board representative positions and two officer positions to be filled. The candidates receiving the largest number of votes cast shall be elected.

e. A person may serve as a representative on the Executive Board if elected for a second consecutive term for a maximum of six years

Section 3. Procedures for Filling Vacancies

a. The Executive Board shall, by majority vote, upon the recommendation of the President, fill any unexpired vacant representative position on the Board. The person so appointed shall serve until the next annual election of Executive Board members. During the annual election, the ballot shall include any nominated candidates to serve out the remaining time of the unexpired term, if any. The person selected by the Executive Board to fill the vacant position shall have the opportunity to serve as one of the candidates for the unexpired term.

b. If the position of one of the officers becomes vacant, the remaining members of the Executive Board shall elect the new officer(s) from among current Executive Board members to complete the term of service in that office.

Section 4. Committees

a. The Executive Board may, by majority vote, establish committees to carry out specific functions. Any individual member of TSP in good standing may serve as a member of a committee of TSP. The chair of a committee must be a member of the Executive Board. Any committee shall continue to carry out its designated function(s) until dissolved by majority vote of the Executive Board.b. The Membership Committee Chair shall:

1. Be one of the elected representatives to the Executive Board who is appointed by the President with the approval of the Board for a one-year term. The Membership Chair may be reappointed annually as long as he or she is still an elected member of the Board.

2. Send annual renewal dues notices to all members no later than the month preceding the start of each membership year with at least one follow-up inquiry to those whose dues have not been received.

3. Submit lists of current members to the Executive Board at least twice a year or as requested by the President.

4. Regularly solicit new institutional and individual memberships as directed by the Executive Board.

5. Select committee members from among institutional or individual members in good standing who may become leaders in TSP to assist with these functions.

Section 5. Other appointed positions

a. The Executive Board may, by majority vote, appoint persons to other positions, such as manager of the TSP listserv, TSP Webmaster, Trainers’ Forum Editor, Trainers’ Forum Associate Editor and Membership Chair. These positions must be held by individual members in good standing of TSP. If the individual so appointed is not already a member of the Executive Board, he or she may be invited to Board meetings by the President but shall have no voting privileges on the Board.b. Application for the position of Trainers’ Forum Editor and Associate Editor shall be submitted to the Executive Board along with qualifying materials (such as writing samples). These positions must be approved by majority vote of the Executive Board. The Editor and Associate Editor shall serve four-year terms.

ARTICLE IV: MEETINGS

Section 1. Meetings of the Membership

a. General and business meetings of the membership shall be scheduled at least one time per year at a time or times and location or locations determined by majority vote of the Executive Board. 

b. Programs and scheduling of the meeting(s) shall be arranged by the President and President-Elect with the approval of the Executive Board.

c. Members shall receive written notice of the time, location, and agenda of general meetings at least thirty (30) days in advance.

d. For voting purposes at a general meeting or electronic ballot of the membership, a quorum shall consist of representation by at least one-third (1/3) of the institutional members as specified in Article II, Section 2d. Each institutional member has one vote. Votes with less than a quorum may act as advisory votes but do not become TSP policy until they receive assent of a majority of a quorum through a follow-up ballot.

Section 2. Executive Board Meetings

a. The President shall call an Executive Board meeting at least twice annually. However, it is important to note that it has traditionally been necessary to hold more frequent conference call meetings for the Executive Board to function effectively (e.g., to complete projects, to react to issues in training, to plan for annual conference).

b. A quorum at Executive Board meetings shall consist of the President (or designee) and at least five other Executive Board members with voting privileges.

c. Decisions requiring a vote by the Executive Board shall have a quorum, and a majority of those present must vote in favor for passage. Each Executive Board member shall have one vote except for the President, who shall only vote in case of a tie.

ARTICLE V: PUBLICATIONS

a. A periodical, the Trainers’ Forum Journal, containing peer-reviewed articles related to the mission of TSP shall be distributed to all members as well as to other entities as determined by the Board.

b. The periodical shall be published regularly, with an expected schedule of at least two times a year.

ARTICLE VI: RESPONSIBILITIES OF OFFICERS AND REPRESENTATIVES

Section 1. Powers and Duties of Executive Board Members

a. The President shall:

1. Preside at all TSP meetings.
2. Act as chairperson of the Executive Board.
3. Act as an ex-officio member of all Committees.
4. Take responsibility for official communications necessary with other organizations or persons.
5. Schedule and establish the program for all TSP general/business meetings in collaboration with the President-Elect with the approval of the Board.
6. Represent TSP in all duties usually pertaining to that of the office of President.

7. Schedule and conduct all meetings of the Executive Board.

b. The Secretary shall:

1. Attend all Executive Board and general/business meetings and record the minutes of
these meetings.
2. Promptly submit a typed transcript of the minutes to all members of the Executive Board and once the minutes have been approved by the Board, arrange to have them published on the TSP website.

c. The Treasurer shall:

1. Supervise all financial matters for TSP, including collection, investment, and expenditure of monies as well as filing of any required tax returns and forms required for maintenance of corporate status.
2. Inform members of the receipt of dues and their membership status by issuing a receipt listing the registered associate members.
3. Submit a budgetary report to the Executive Board at quarterly intervals (or as requested by the President) during the year.4. Present both a written and an oral financial report to the members at each general meeting.

e. The President-Elect shall:

1.  Be responsible for planning the annual TSP meeting in collaboration with the President and with the approval of the Executive Board. To fulfill this function, the President-Elect may create one or more committees with the approval of the Executive Board.

f. The Past-President shall:

1.  Solicit nominations for the TSP Trainer of the year award to be presented each year at the TSP business meeting.

2. Solicit and receive nominations for the Executive Board through the Trainer's Forum, SPTrain listserv, the TSP website, and other appropriate media.

3. Be responsible for conducting the election and for announcing the results in a manner prescribed by the Board.

4. Review the Bylaws regularly and propose any necessary amendments to the Executive Board.

5. Work with the President and the President-Elect to establish location(s) and dates for one or more future TSP Conferences, including general/business meeting. Present the selected site(s) and dates to the Executive Board for approval.

g. Each Representative shall:

1. Attend Executive Board and general/business meetings.
2. Serve as representatives of the TSP membership, bringing matters of interest and concern to the attention of the Executive Board for possible action.
3. Assume responsibilities in the execution of TSP programs and Executive Board activities as delegated by the President.

Section 2. TSP Advisory Board

a. The TSP Advisory Board will consist of the three most recent former Presidents, with each serving a three-year term which begins immediately after his/her year as Past-President.

1.  Advisory Board members have no voting privileges on the Executive Board and will have staggered terms, such that each immediate Past-President shall, at the end of his or her term, become a member of the Advisory Board and shall rotate off the Advisory Board after his or her three-year term. 

2.  Advisory Board members are expected to participate in conference call meetings of the Executive Board at the invitation of the President as well as in the annual TSP meeting. 

3.  Any Advisory Board member may voluntarily resign from the Advisory Board at any time by notifying the President. The President may, at his/her discretion, nominate any other past president to fulfill the remainder of the term of the one who resigns. Such nomination shall be subject to approval by the Executive Board.

4. The purpose of the Advisory Board is to provide guidance and recommendations to the President and to the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VII: AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS

a. TSP institutional members may vote on all proposed amendments to the Bylaws.

b. Proposed amendments require a two-thirds (2/3) assent of those voting for passage. The number of institutions voting must constitute a quorum as defined in Article II, Section 2d.

c. If the vote is by electronic or paper ballot, these must be returned to the TSP Secretary and received within 30 days of the date the ballot was sent out in order to be counted.

ARTICLE VIII: REMOVAL FROM OFFICE

Any Executive Board member, Trainers’ Forum Editor or Associate Editor, Advisory Board member, Committee chair, or Committee member may be removed without specified cause by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the entire Executive Board. If the individual being considered for removal is a voting member of the Executive Board, he or she may not vote on this issue.

ARTICLE IX: CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Each member of the Executive Board shall inform the President and other Board members if he or she has a conflict of interest regarding any issue which comes before the Board (e.g., accepting payment from a publishing company when a decision about the relationship with that company must be made by the Board). In such a situation, the Board member must recuse himself or herself from the vote on that issue. Failure to do so shall constitute a breach of that individual’s duty to TSP and may be grounds for disciplinary action by the Board up to and including possible expulsion from the Board and/or from TSP.  

ARTICLE X: EFFECTIVE DATES

Upon ratification by members, these Bylaws and any amendments thereto shall become effective immediately.