Bylaws

Constitution and Bylaws of the Missouri

TECHNOLOGY STUDENT ASSOCIATION

Revised 2019

 

ARTICLE I         NAME

Section 1. The official name of this organization shall be the “Missouri Technology Student Association” and may be referred to as “Missouri TSA”.

 

ARTICLE II        PURPOSES

Section 1. The general purposes of this organization are:

  1. a) To promote leadership, fellowship, and scholarship among students throughout the state of Missouri,
  2. b) To promote Technology Education programs in the public schools of Missouri,
  3. c) To increase the knowledge and understanding of our industrial society and its relationship to technological advancement.

 

Section 2. The specific purposes of the Association are:

  1. a) To develop through group action the ability of members to plan together, organize and carry out worthy activities and projects.
  2. b) To provide good leisure time activities and hobbies.
  3. c) To promote high standards of craftsmanship and safety.
  4. d) To assist in providing guidance and counseling for students enrolled in technology education programs and in making meaningful choices in selected occupational fields.
  5. e) To prepare individuals for enrollment in advanced or highly skilled vocational and technical education programs.
  6. f) To develop consumer knowledge in students
  7. g) To provide occupational information and instructions pertaining to a broad range of occupations.
  8. h) To provide exploratory experiences in technology laboratories, and observations in business or industry to acquaint students with jobs in the different occupations.
  9. i) To promote and encourage all students in creative expression.
  10. j) To promote and encourage all students to utilize basic essential skills.

 

ARTICLE III       MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Missouri TSA will recognize individual membership through a district association and its local chapters. This is if they meet all constitutional requirements of the Technology Student Association (TSA).

Section 2. Each elementary, middle, junior or senior high school local chapter must consist of a minimum of ten (10) individual members to be associated with TSA. In addition, a local school Association may be chartered as a member of Missouri TSA, Inc., upon approval of the Board of Directors of Missouri TSA, Inc.

Section 3. Missouri TSA will recognize individual membership through a chartered local association if there is no district association. Local chapter affiliation with the Technology Student Association must come through membership in Missouri TSA and identify itself by using the school name before the acronym TSA.

Section 4. Membership eligibility will be governed by each chapter. Individual membership shall be recognized as active, alumni, associate, or honorary membership.

Section 5. Active members shall be elementary, middle, junior or senior high students enrolled in or having completed any technology education course. An active member shall pay dues and may be declared eligible to hold a state office, to participate in state competitive events and projects, to serve as a state voting delegate or otherwise represent his or her chapter in Missouri TSA affairs as may be approved by this association or prescribed by the Missouri TSA constitution.

Section 6. Alumni membership may be obtained after graduation from school by paying annual dues. Alumni members cannot hold office or vote.

Section 7. Associate members are parents, guardians, or patrons who manifest and interest in Technology Education and who contribute an amount at least equal to annual dues and enjoy all rights and privileges except holding office and voting.

Section 8. Honorary life members may be individuals who have made or are making contributions to the advancement of technology education and shall be exempt from annual dues. Honorary life members may not hold office or vote. In honor of his dedication to the advancement of technology education in the state of Missouri as founder and first State Advisor of Missouri TSA, Phil Schooley or North Pemiscot High School is recognized as an Honorary Life Member of Missouri TSA.

Section 9. Annual membership dues will be raised by vote of the Board of Directors of Missouri TSA, Inc., based upon the needs of the association.

Section 10. All individual members are eligible to participate at the local, state and national levels. No individual or chapter may join the national association without joining the state association.

Section 11. A charter fee determined by the Board of Directors of Missouri TSA, Inc. will be charged for each chapter that affiliates with Missouri TSA.

Section 12. The state officers shall consist of a: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Reporter, and Sergeant at Arms. There shall be four (4) Region Vice Presidents; one from a Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast region. Region boundaries shall be approved by the Missouri TSA Board of Directors.

Section 13. The Board of Directors of Missouri TSA, Inc., shall serve as a credentials committee to review all state officer candidates and their qualifications. Also, the Board of Directors will have the right to fill by appointment any vacancy that occurs in the state officers for the unexpired term, except the office of President, which shall be filled by the Vice President.

 

ARTICLE IV       VOTING

Section 1. Local chapters shall exercise their voting privileges through voting delegates at the annual meeting of the Missouri TSA.

Section 2. Each chapter shall be entitled to one vote for each member attending the conference.*

Section 3. All registered voting delegates in attendance at the general assembly shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business.

Section 4. No individual voting delegate may cast more than one vote (one body, one vote).*

 

ARTICLE V        MEETINGS

Section 1. At least one (1) officer’s meeting will be held prior to the spring conference. The time and place of the meeting is to be designated by the Missouri TSA, Inc., Board of Directors.

Section 2. There shall be held each year in the late spring a one-day minimum spring conference. The time and place to be designated by the Missouri TSA, Inc., Board of Directors.

Section 3. Each officer is to attend a Leadership Conference endorsed by the Missouri TSA, Inc., Board of Directors. Each elected officer shall attend the endorsed Leadership Conference during his or her elected year. Failure to attend the Leadership Conference will constitute grounds for impeachment from their elected office, subject to action by the Missouri TSA, Inc., Board of Directors.

Section 4. Parliamentary procedure for Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern all meetings of the Missouri TSA.

 

ARTICLE VI       STATE OFFICERS

Section 1. State officers will be nominated upon receipt of all state officer candidate forms and the credentials committee has completed all interviews prior to the annual meeting. A nominee may not serve as a voting delegate.

Section 2. Candidates for state office shall maintain membership in National TSA and shall present their platform at a general meeting during the state contest and competitive events. Failure of a candidate to personally present their platform at this general meeting will result in that candidate’s name being removed from the ballot, subject to action by the Missouri TSA, Inc., Board of Directors.

Section 3. State Officers shall be elected in three separate elections. The first election is for the office of president with each delegate casting one vote. The second election is for the remaining five nationally recognized offices (Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Reporter, and Sergeant-at- Arms). And the third election is for the four (4) Regional Vice-Presidents (Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest).

  • First election will be held to select the Missouri TSA President. A majority vote is required to elect the President. If there are more than two candidates for President and a majority is not reached on the first ballot, the candidate receiving the lowest number of votes shall be dropped and a second ballot vote will be taken. If a majority is not reached, the process will be repeated until a majority is reached.
  • Second election, after the presidential election has been held, all unsuccessful presidential candidates and other candidates (the officer pool) will be submitted to the delegates for election of the other five nationally recognized offices (Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Reporter and Sergeant-At-Arms). Each delegate may vote for five separate candidates. A tie for any position among the five candidates will be decided by a runoff election between the tying candidates. The five candidates with the top number of votes will be named the at-large state officers.
  • The remaining candidates will be eligible to run for the region vice president offices (Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest). Candidates for the Regional Offices must have submitted a State Officer Candidate Application and went through the State Officer Screening Process. Each delegate will cast one vote for a candidate. The candidate with the most votes will be allowed to choose which office in which he or she will serve, followed by the second place candidate, the third place candidate and forth place candidate. The winning four candidates will become the Regional Vice-Presidents.

 

Section 4. The Missouri TSA, Inc., Board of Directors shall be eligible to serve as credentials committee members to review state officer candidates and their qualifications. Also, the credential committee will have the right to fill by appointment any vacancy that occurs in the state officers for the unexpired term, except the office of President, which shall be filled by the Vice President. There will be no nominations from the floor. If no one applies for a particular office by the official deadline date for state officer candidate application, the TSA credentials committee will appoint a qualified TSA member to fill the position following the Annual Meeting.

Section 5. Elected individuals for state office will be sworn in at the annual State Championships Conference and competitive events awards ceremony and will hold office until the swearing in of the following year’s newly elected state officers. Failure to fulfill the obligations of a state office without legitimate cause will result in the removal from office by the Missouri TSA, Inc., Board of Directors.

Section 6. The state officers shall consist of a: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Reporter, and Sergeant at Arms. There shall be 4 Region Vice Presidents; one from a Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast region. Region boundaries shall be approved by the Missouri TSA Board of Directors. Region Vice Presidents shall be elected by their region at the region meetings at the Missouri TSA State Championships Conference Region Vice Presidents shall be elected by their region at the region meetings at the Missouri TSA State Championships Conference. In the case where a region has no representative eligible to be nominated for office, a member from a neighboring region can fill the vacancy providing the total number of state officers from that member’s chapter does not exceed three (3). The four (4) regions are established by the Missouri TSA, Inc., Board of Directors during the annual business meeting and posted on the Missouri TSA website.

Section 7 National TSA Officer Candidates from the state of Missouri must be approved by the membership of Missouri TSA at the annual Business Meeting.

 

ARTICLE VII     DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 1. President

 The association President shall:

  1. a) Preside at and conduct meetings according to parliamentary procedure.
  2. b) Appoint committees and serve as ex officio member of each.
  3. c) Keep the meetings moving at an interesting pace.
  4. d) Call upon other officers to take the chair when necessary or desirable.
  5. e) Keep association activities progressing in a satisfactory manner.
  6. f) Represent the association in outside activities.
  7. g) Serve as a member of the association advisory committee or appoint a member from the Executive Board to fulfill that duty.
  8. h) Attend all state conferences of the Missouri Association.

 

Section 2. Vice-President

 The association Vice-President shall:

  1. a) Assist the president
  2. b) Serve and record member votes.
  3. c) Succeed the president in case of vacancy.
  4. d) Meet with and be responsible for all committees.
  5. e) Attend all state conferences of the Missouri Association.

 

Section 3. Secretary

 The association Secretary shall:

  1. a) Prepare and read the minutes of each meeting.
  2. b) Count and record member votes.
  3. c) Read correspondence and communications at meetings.
  4. d) Keep association permanent records.
  5. e) Post notices to members pertaining to association activities and send invitations to guests.
  6. f) Be responsible for association correspondence.
  7. g) Call the meeting to order in the absence of the presiding officer.
  8. h) Attend all state conferences of the Missouri Association.

 

Section 4. Treasurer

 The association treasurer shall:

  1. a) Obtain and present ideas and suggestions for increasing the treasury and financing activities.
  2. b) Attend all state conferences of the Missouri Association.
  3. c) Serve as chairperson of the fundraising committee.

 

Section 5. Reporter

 The association reporter shall:

  1. a) Prepare articles for publication.
  2. b) Contact members to obtain news regarding the association.
  3. c) Contact personnel in charge of other publications and provide copy conforming to their requests.
  4. d) Act as historian of the association by keeping an association publications archive.
  5. e) Assist with planning and arranging association exhibits.
  6. f) Act as editor of association publications with the responsibility of developing and publishing.
  7. g) Attend all state conferences of the Missouri Association.

 

Section 6. Sergeant at Arms

 The association sergeant at arms shall:

  1. a) Serve as parliamentarian for the association.
  2. b) Arrange meeting rooms and care for association paraphernalia.
  3. c) Be responsible for the comfort of those present at all meetings of and state conferences.
  4. d) Assist officer candidates prior to and during elections.
  5. e) Arrange entertainment, refreshments, and other details related to meeting programs.
  6. f) Attend all state conferences of the Missouri Association.

 

Section 7. Region Vice President

The Region Vice President shall:

  1. a) Serve as the representatives of the respective regions by attending all state meetings of the officers and association.
  2. b) Be responsible for reporting appropriate information to all the region area local chapters.
  3. c) To perform duties as assigned by the president of this association.

 

ARTICLE VIII    THE MISSOURI TSA ADVISOR

Section 1. It is recommended that a technology and engineering teacher serve as a chapter advisor; however, is cases where there is no such interested teacher, a state certified educator may be appointed by the school’s principal. The appointed advisor would have all the rights and privileges of a regular advisor as long as her/she maintains his/her chapter in good standing.

 

 

ARTICLE IX       ORGANIZATION

Section 1. The Missouri Technology Student Association is an organization of local school associations, each operating in accordance with a charter granted by Missouri TSA, Inc.

Section 2. Each chartered local school association of Missouri TSA, Inc., will be responsible for all operational activities within that local school or geographic unit under the direction of the state supervisor of Technology Education or appointed representative.

Section 3. The administration of Missouri TSA interests will be vested in the Board of Directors of Missouri TSA, Inc.

 

ARTICLE X        FINANCES

Section 1. Chartered local school associations will be responsible for state dues as determined by the Board of Directors of Missouri TSA, Inc.

Section 2. The Missouri TSA, Inc., Board of Directors will manage TSA finances and will furnish an annual report to each chartered school association.

 

ARTICLE XI       EMBLEM AND COLORS

Section 1. The Missouri TSA logo is the outline of Missouri in blue with the letters TSA in large, bold, red letters in the middle of the outline. The word “Missouri” is written in white in smaller print directly underneath the letters TSA.

Section 2. The colors of Missouri TSA shall be scarlet (red), white, and blue.

  1. a) Scarlet (red)—represents the strength and determination of the technology education students and teachers to obtain their goal.
  2. b) White—represents the high standards, morals, and religious beliefs we hold.
  3. c) Blue (navy)—represents the sincerity of the technology education students and teachers in obtaining a greater knowledge of our technical world.

 

ARTICLE XII     MOTTO AND CREED

Section 1. The motto of the Missouri Technology Student Association will be “Learning to lead in a technical world.”

Section 2. The creed of the Missouri Technology Student Association will be:

“I believe that Technology Education holds an important place in my life in the technical world. I believe that there is a need for the development of good attitudes concerning work, tools, materials, experimentation and processes of industry.

Guided by my teachers, artisans from industry, and my own initiative, I will strive to do my best in making my school, community; state and nation better places in which to live.

I will accept the responsibilities that are mine. I will accept the theories that are supported by proper evidence. I will explore on my own for safer, more effective methods of working and living.

I will strive to develop a cooperative attitude and will exercise tact and respect for other individuals.

Through the work of my hands and mind, I will express my ideas to the best of my ability. I will make it my goal to do better each day the task before me and to be steadfast in my belief in my God and my fellow Americans.”

 

ARTICLE XIII    AMENDMENTS

Section 1. An amendment to this bylaws must be submitted in writing by the local school association to the president, Missouri TSA, Inc., at least ninety (90) days prior to the annual meeting.

Section 2. The president (chairman) of the Board of Directors of Missouri TSA, Inc., will be responsible for notifying in writing the local school associations and the Missouri TSA officers of the proposed amendment at least thirty; (30) days prior to the state annual meeting.

Section 3. The proposed amendment must be approved by a two-thirds of the voting delegates present at the annual meeting.

Section 4. Each local school association will be entitled to one vote for each for each member registered member present at the annual state championships.*

Section 5. The president (chairman) of the Board of Directors of Missouri TSA, Inc., will be responsible for notifying in writing the local school associations of adopted amendments within sixty (60) days of the state annual meeting.

Section 6. Amendments will become effective in sixty (60) days unless a different time period is stipulated.