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We, the students of the Montgomery
County Junior Councils, in order to improve inter-school
relations and cooperation, to promote friendly relations
among students of the schools, to increase the effectiveness
of the individual student council, to initiate and to
promote improvements and activities for the general
good of the students of the schools, and to voice a
collective opinion of students on county affairs, do
ordain and establish this constitution for Montgomery
County Junior Councils.
The name of this organization shall be the Montgomery
County Junior Councils (MCJC), a division of the Maryland
Association of Student Councils (MASC).
The Montgomery County Junior Councils is sponsored by
the Montgomery County Board of Eduation, 850 Hungerford
Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850.
All Montgomery County middle schools shall be eligiblefor membership.
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Section 1: General Assembly
Subsection a. There shall be a General Assembly consisting
of the voting delegates and observers from each member
school, the officers of the MCJC, the chairpersons of
the standing committees, and a representative of MCR.
Advisors shall have the same rights and privileges of
observers.
Clause 1. The voting members of the General Assembly
shall be the voting delegates from member schools, the
committee chairpersons, the officers of MCJC, and a
representative of MCR. All other members of the General
Assembly shall have the same privileges as the voting
members save suffrage.
Clause 2. The president shall vote only at such times
as his/her vote shall change the outcome of the vote.
Clause 3. Voting delegates shall be apportioned according
to individual school enrollments. Said apportionment
shall be set forth in the bylaws.
Subsection b. The voting members of the General Assembly
shall be the legislative body of MCJC.
Subsection c. The General Assembly shall have a minimum
of six meetings annually. The President and/or two-thirds
(2/3) of the legislative body shall have the power to
call any additional necessary meetings.
Subsection d. A quorum consists of one more than half
of the member schools.
Subsection e. All meetings shall be governed by the
procedural rules set forth in Robert's Rule of Order,
Newly Revised, provided that they are not in conflict
with those set forth by the voting members of the MCJC
General Assembly
Section 2: Executive Committee
Subsection a. There shall be an Executive Committee
consisting of the officers of MCJC, the chairpersons
of all committees, and the president or representative
of each member school.
Subsection b. The purposes of the Executive Committee
shall be:
(1) to plan the General Assembly meetings
(2) to evaluate the General Assembly meetings
(3) to distribute adopted motions to appropriate committees
(4) to approve appointments made by the president
(5) to approve information programs for the General
Assembly meetings
(6) to provide a forum for airing the views and concerns
of member schools
(7) to approve the presidential appointments of the
parliamentarian and secretary
Subsection c. There shall be at least one Executive
Committee prior to each General Assembly meeting. The
President shall be empowered to call any additional
meetings of the Executive Committee he/she deems necessary.
Subsection d. Each member of the Executive Committee
shall have one vote; the President shall vote at such
times as his/her vote shall change the outcome of the
vote.
Section 3: Committees
Subsection a. All standing committees shall be composed
of a group of students and a chairperson who shall be
appointed by the President.
Subsection b. All members of a standing committee shall
have one vote, except the chairperson who shall vote
only at such time as his/her vote will change the outcome
of the vote.
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Section 1: The four Executive
officers of MCJC, elected by the General Assembly shall
be; President, Vice President, and Treasurer, and Secretary.
The Parliamentarian and Historian shall be appointed
by the President with the advice and consent of the
Executive Committee.
Section 2: Duties of the President shall be:
Subsection a. To preside at all meetings of the General
Assembly and of the Executive Committee.
Subsection b. To represent MCJC at all MASC Executive
Committee meetings; In case the president is absent,
a representative, may take his/her place at the meeting,
with full voting privileges.
Subsection c. To appoint the Parliamentarian and Historian
and all committee chairpersons with the advice and consent
of the Executive Committee.
Subsection d. To be an ex-officio member of all committees.
Subsection e. To appoint a liaison to MCCPTA with the
advice and consent of the executive committee.
Subsection f. To perform all other duties and functions
that shall fall upon the Office of the President.
Section 3: Duties of the Vice President shall
be:
Subsection a. To serve as the Acting President in the
absence of the President
Subsection b. To attend MCR General Assembly and MCR
Executive Board meetings.
Subsection c. To assist the President in the execution
of the duties of the office
Subsection d. To organize programs for MCJC General
Assembly meetings
Subsection e. To succeed to the Presidency in the event
that the office is vacated.
Section 4: Duties of the Treasurer shall be:
Subsection a. To prepare a budget for the fiscal year,
which shall be defined as the school calendar year
Subsection b. To supervise the collection of dues
Subsection c. To supervise the disbursement
of organizational moneys
Subsection d. To maintain complete and accurate
financial records for MCJC.
Section 5: Duties of the Secretary shall be:
Subsection a. To maintain the roll of all General Assembly
meetings and Executive Committee meetings
Subsection b. To maintain and publish complete and accurate
records of all MCJC business
Subsection c. To itemize by school any roll call vote
taken on a main motion and record said votes in the
minutes
Subsection d. To handle all MCJC correspondence.
Section 6: Duties of the Parliamentarian shall
be: to advise the President on procedural rules during
all General Assembly and Executive Committee meetings.
Section 7: Duties of the Historian shall be:
Subsection a. To organize, maintain and contribute to
the historical record of MCJC by keeping a pictorial
record of all General Assembly, Executive Committee
meetings and other MCJC activities
Subsection b. To compile a documented scrapbook of all
MCJC activities for the year and submit this historic
visual record at the end of the school year
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Section 1: Terms of Office.
Terms of office of the elected officers shall be from
the close of the last meeting of the General Assembly
of the year in which the election occurs through the
close of the final meeting of the following year. The
Parliamentarian, and Historian shall assume their duties
upon confirmation by the Executive Committee.
Section 2: Qualifications
Subsection a. All candidates, before assuming office,
shall have attended three (3) meetings of the General
Assembly during the school year in which they stand
for election or shall have attended two (2) meetings
in each of the two (2) years prior to the current school
year or shall have the majority consent of the General
Assembly to run for office. In addition, the president
shall have attended at least one (1) meeting of the
executive board prior to assuming office.
Subsection b. The Parliamentarian and Historian shall
be nominated by the President and confirmed by the executive
committee.
Section 3: Removal from Office
Subsection a.
MCJC may remove
officers for nonperformance of their duties as set forth
in this constitution; removal from office shall require
a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the legislative body.
Subsection b. Appointed Staff Members- Procedures for the impeachment and removal of all staff members shall be the same. These members of MCJC may be removed by 2/3 of the Executive Committee if all members of the Executive Committee are informed of the proposed removal at least 9 school days prior to the vote; otherwise, these members may be removed by 4/5 of the total membership of the Executive Committee.
Section 1: Nominations: Completed
nomination forms are due to the executive committee
(c/o Student Affairs Office) by 4:00 p.m. one week prior
to the election meeting of the General Assembly. If
no nominatin forms are received for an office by the
deadline, a special executive committee meeting shall
be convened prior to the General Assembly elections
meeting to accept completed forms. The elections meeting
shall be the next to last regularly scheduled General
Assembly meeting of the year.
Section 2: Election Campaign Procedures The Executive
Committee shall determine all campaign and election
procedures two months before the election general assembly.
Section 3: Succession The Vice President shall
automatically succeed the Presidency in the event the
office is vacated. The treasurer shall become Acting
Vice President until a special elections meeting is
held and a new Vice President is elected by the legislative
body. In the event that the office of Treasurer or Secretary
is vacated, an acting Treasurer or Secretary shall be
appointed by the President until a new Treasurer or
Secretary is elected by the Executive Committee. If
the offices of Parliamentarian or Historian is vacated,
they shall be filled as in Article VI, Section 2, Subsection
b.
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Section 1: The fiscal year
shall be established as July 1 through June 31.
Section 2: Dues shall be assessed as stated in
the bylaws.
Subsection a. A member school shall relinquish its voting
privilege if dues are not paid by the first regularly
scheduled General Assembly meeting of the year. Voting
privilege shall be returned upon payment of dues.
This constitution may be amended
by two-thirds (2/3) of the legislative body.
This Constitution shall be in effect
when it is approved by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the
legislative body.
Ratified: May 21, 1981
Amended: March 23, 2000, April 20, 2001, June 10, 2003,
February 2005, December 17, 2008
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(pdf file)
THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY JUNIOR COUNCILS BYLAWS TO THE CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I - Dues
Section 1: Schools joining both MCJC and MASC on or before December 1st, shall receive a $5.00 discount
Section 2: All schools shall pay annual dues by the first regularly scheduled General Assembly. Failure to pay dues shall result in the loss of General Assembly voting privileges until such time as said dues are paid.
Section 3: The annual dues shall be assessed on a student enrollment basis for a school with:
Enrollment Dues Voting Delegates
001-400 $26.00 3
401-500 $29.00 4
501-600 $32.00 5
601-700 $35.00 6
701-800 $38.00 7
801-900 $41.00 8
901-1000 $44.00 9
1001-1100 $47.00 10
1101-1200 $50.00 11
1201-1300 $53.00 12
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ARTICLE II – Staff Members and their Duties
Section 1: Duties of the Awards Director shall be:
Subsection a. To review the criteria for awards given by MCJC.
Subsection b. To work with the Public Relations Director to publish and promote schools’ applications for awards.
Subsection c. To continually update the membership involvement award data and announce. updates at Executive Board and general assembly meetings.
Subsection e. To work with the MCJC treasurer in promoting MCJC membership.
Section 2: Duties of the Chief of Staff shall be:
Subsection a. To ensure, through regular phone calls and email messages, that all members of the Executive Board are fulfilling their duties.
Subsection b. To conduct routine evaluations of all MCJC activities, including Executive Board meetings and general assemblies and present these evaluations, with recommendations on improving MCJC activities, to the Executive Board monthly.
Subsection c. To maintain a chart that indicates what each staff member has achieved. If staff members do not appear to be fulfilling their responsibilities, the Chief of Staff will contact the staff member and make sure that efforts are increased.
Subsection d. To serve as a general assistant to the President of MCJC
Section 3: Duties of the Historian shall be:
Subsection a. To organize, maintain and contribute to the historical record of MCJC by keeping a pictorial record of all General Assembly, Executive Board meetings and other MCJC activities
Subsection b. To compile a documented scrapbook of all MCJC activities for the year and submit this historic visual record at the end of the school year
Section 4: Duties of the Lobbying Director shall be:
Subsection a. To monitor the development of legislation related to education and youth issues under consideration by the Board of Education, the County Council, and the Maryland General Assembly
Subsection b. To propose positions on said issues
Subsection c. To draft and help draft testimony on said issues for presentation in the appropriate forums
Subsection d. To coordinate MCJC lobbying efforts
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Section 5: Duties of the Logistics Director shall be:
Subsection a. To keep accurate attendance records at all MCJC events and track elected and appointed staff student service learning hours
Subsection b. To work to ensure all phases of student service-learning (SSL) are followed for MCJC activities
Subsection c. To present quality SSL activity and program ideas at MCJC meetings and/or in the MCJC newsletters
Subsection e. To work with the Student Affairs Office to maintain the MCJC website
Subsection f. To work with the Executive Board in planning food, snacks, and facilities for MCJC executive board and other special MCJC events.
Subsection g. To handle all MCJC correspondence.
Section 6: Duties of the Montgomery County Council of Parent Teacher Association (MCCPTA) Liaison shall be:
Subsection a. To attend all MCCPTA meetings and other MCCPTA related events as necessary.
Subsection b. To serve as the conduit between MCJC and MCCPTA, delivering MCJC’s standpoints and perspectives to the MCCPTA and vice versa.
Subsection c To work with the Lobbying Director to collaborate with selected issues of the MCCPTA.
Section 7: Duties of the Parliamentarian shall be:
Subsection a: to advise the President on procedural rules during all General Assembly and Executive Board meetings.
Subsection b: to maintain the general assembly and executive board legislative chart
Subsection c: to assist general assembly and executive board members in writing legislation
Subsection d: to assist general assembly and executive board members in understanding procedures during meetings
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Section 8: Duties of the Public Relations Director shall be:
Subsection a. To promote awareness and understanding about MCJC throughout the Montgomery County middle schools and community media outlets
Subsection b. To prepare press releases
Subsection c. To plan and facilitate student advocacy tips or training workshops to be held at MCJC general assembly meetings or a special evening program.
Section 9: Duties of the Publications Director shall be:
Subsection a. To manage the production and distribution of MCJC publications
Subsection b. To publish a MCJC newsletter at the end of each semester
Subsection c. To maintain records of all MCJC publications
Section 10: Duties of the Special Elections Director shall be:
Subsection a. To represent MCJC at all MCR Special Elections Committee meetings and events
Subsection b. To recruit middle school students to serve on the Special Elections Committee
Subsection c. To report to MCJC the activities of the Special Elections Committee
Note: the special elections committee facilitates the logistics for the election of the student member of the Board of Education (SMOB)
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Section 11: All staff members shall:
Subsection a. To fulfill and complete their tasks and duties to the best extent.
Subsection b. To comply with MCPS policies and regulations, attend all Executive Board and General Assembly meetings.
Subsection c. To actively participate in MCJC activities.
Subsection d. To maintain regular communication with the Chief of Staff, officers, other staff members, and the advisor of MCJC and Student Affairs Coordinator.
Subsection e. To turn-in monthly progress reports on activities and tasks and submit a year-end report relating to their actions during that year to the Chief of Staff.
Subsection f. Executive Board members are to serve as resource to their middle schools, ensuring full participation and consistent communication.
Subsection g. To ensure recycling is practiced at all meetings.
Subsection h: Dereliction of a duty mentioned above shall be considered a breach of contract and a violation of the responsibilities of a staff member, potentially leading to impeachment as specified in MCJC Constitution, Article VII, Section 3.
Section 12: Deputies to each of the aforementioned staff members will be appointed accordingly and will serve as staff members under the direct supervision of their director.
Subsection a. The MCJC Staff Deputies shall:
Clause 1. To assist in completing the tasks/responsibilities of their respective supervising directors; act as the standing director should the director be absent in any event such as General Assembly, Executive Board meeting, or any other MCJC event.
Clause 2. To provide active input and communicate effectively with their corresponding director; serve as an active member of the MCJC Executive Board
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ARTICLE III – Amendments
Section 1: These bylaws may be amended by the majority vote of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE IV- Jurisdiction
Section 1: This document shall be appended to the Constitution, but shall be superseded by the Constitution in any conflicts.
ARTICLE V - Adoption
Section 1: This document shall take effect upon approval by two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Executive Board and shall expire 60 days following the first day of the term of the incoming president.
Adopted: September 2, 2004, amended January 6, 2005, June 6, 2008, June 2, 2009,
September 17, 2011
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