BYLAWS OF THE WISCONSIN CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE

ARTICLE I. NAME

The name of this chapter shall be the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP). The Chapter is also known as AATSP- WI. The Wisconsin Chapter is a non-profit, educational organization whose members are devoted to the promotion, study, and teaching of the Spanish and Portuguese languages and Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian cultures. 

ARTICLE II. PURPOSE The purpose of the AATSP-WI Chapter is to

• promote the study and teaching of the Spanish and Portuguese languages and their corresponding Hispanic, Luso-Brazilian other related cultures at all levels of instruction.

• promote friendship, professional growth, and the exchange of ideas among teachers of Spanish and Portuguese at all levels of instruction.

• provide professional development opportunities and cooperate with other organizations to improve the teaching of Spanish and Portuguese at all levels of instruction.

This mission is accomplished by activities such as

• lectures, presentations, workshops, and webinars related to the improvement of teaching and learning of the Spanish and Portuguese languages and their respective cultures

• language and cultural events of interest to the membership and consistent with the mission of the Chapter

• advocacy activities to increase interest in the study of Spanish and Portuguese

• research and investigative work by members which may result in the publication of articles and/or presentations at meetings of language organizations

ARTICLE III. GOVERNANCE

Section 1. The business of the Wisconsin Chapter shall be conducted, supervised, and overseen by a governing body called the Executive Council. The Executive Council will be comprised of the following positions:

a. President b. President Elect

c. Past President d. Secretary

e. Treasurer

g.  Webmasterf.  SHH Coordinator

Section 2.1. All members of the presidential trio must be members of AATSP. In order to provide continuity of leadership and smooth transitions between officers, the office of president will be a three-step process: Year One: President Elect; Year Three: President; Year Five: Past President. This provides time for incoming presidents to become familiar with the duties of the position, learn about chapter procedures and programs, and plan for the actual biennial of presidency. The President-Elect position is exempt from the consecutive positions limit in Section 2.2; retiring elected officers who are interested in the President-Elect position may be nominated.

Section 2.2. All members of the Executive Council must be members of AATSP. They shall serve for a term of two consecutive years (three years for Webmaster, four years for Treasurer) and/or until the election/appointment of their successors. 

Retiring elected officers cannot be nominated for another elected office for a period of two years following the completion of their term. The exceptions to this rule are the Webmaster and Treasurer, who may serve consecutive terms. The executive Board can vote to waive the limit on consecutive terms for any position that cannot find viable nominees for an upcoming election. 

Section 3. Whenever there is an anticipated vacancy in any office, such vacancy shall be announced on the chapter website, by email, and/or at the next regular meeting of the chapter. Nominations for the offices will be accepted for a period of thirty days. Self-nominations will be accepted.

The anticipated vacancy in any office will be filled by an election held at the regular fall meeting following the announcement of the vacancy. At the close of the nomination period, names of nominees will be available to the entire membership.

Section 4. In the event of an unexpected vacancy, the Executive Council shall appoint an interim officer to serve until the next regular election.

Section 5. Regular elections should be held at a Chapter meeting each fall so that officers and Executive Council members can take office on January 1 of the following year.

A digital vote to the membership will occur for all officer positions. A simple majority of votes cast will determine the election to the Office.

The preferred schedule for elections is as follows:

• By October 15: Call for nominations for offices

• By November 15: Call for nominations closes

• By November 30: Distribute digital ballot to membership

•By December 15: Close digital voting and contact winners

The results of the election will be communicated to membership, and the names of the new officers will be reported to the AATSP National Office by December 30 of the year in which the election is held. New officer terms begin January 1.

ARTICLE IV. DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Section 1. 

The Executive Council shall have charge of all business of the chapter that may arise between regular meetings of the chapter. They shall present their report at the regular meetings. They shall approve the budget submitted by the Treasurer. They shall provide for a time, place, and program for each meeting.

The Executive Council should meet as often as necessary, including at least one meeting before each regular meeting of the chapter. Face-to-face and/or virtual meetings will be held. The Executive Council shall decide on all issues discussed at Executive Board meetings by a majority vote of those present.

Section 2. 

The President shall be the chief executive officer of the chapter and shall preside at all meetings of the chapter as well as supervise the affairs of the chapter in conjunction with the Executive Council. The President shall exercise such other powers as may from time to time be conferred on him/her by the Executive Council.

 All communication should be sent through the President to approve and send out information to members. The President will send out an electronic communiqué in September and January at minimum. The President shall serve as a member of the WAFLT Executive Board to attend board meetings and communicate updates to the Council. In this role, the President will also submit two articles per year to the Voice of WALFT, based on their publishing schedule.

Section 3.
The President Elect shall exercise the duties of the President in the absence of that officer. The President Elect shall serve as President after serving one term in this office. The President Elect is responsible for coordinating the Chapter Poster Contest and for submitting the winning posters to the national contest. 

Section 4. 

The term of service for the Secretary is two years. The Secretary shall keep a database of the members of the chapter. The Secretary shall take minutes at all meetings, prepare minutes for approval by the Executive Council. The secretary will prepare a copy of meeting minutes, including the treasurer’s report, with information redacted as needed to protect confidentiality, to the webmaster for publication on the chapter website.  This individual will also send notices to the members of the forthcoming meetings.  

Section 5. 

The term of service for Treasurer is four years.The Treasurer shall maintain a detailed account of all monies received and disbursed. The Treasurer shall be responsible for accepting all fees for chapter activities, including Concurso Oral, and depositing them in the Chapter account in a timely fashion.

The Treasurer shall present regular financial statements to the Executive Council of the Chapter at Council meetings, an annual financial report to Chapter members during WAFLT State Conference, and an annual financial report to the AATSP National Office.

Section 6. 

The Concurso Oral Coordinator shall organize an annual Spanish pronunciation event for students at the elementary through 12th grade levels. Responsibilities include finding a venue, coordinating volunteers, coordinating breakfast options, choosing competition pieces, and purchasing medals and ribbons.

Section 7. 

The Webmaster shall be responsible for approving, maintaining, and updating the content for the AATSP-WI official webpage and other social media sites affiliated with the chapter. The Webmaster shall take charge of publicity for the chapter. The term of service for Webmaster is three years. In the event that there are no nominees for the position, the Executive Council may appoint a Webmaster.

Section 8.  The Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica Coordinator shall keep a database of the members of the chapter. They advocate for teachers to implement chapters of SHH. They serve as a resource for chapter sponsors in the state of Wisconsin.

Section 9. The Past President shall organize the Profesor/a Distinguid@/Teacher of the Year Award, accepting nominees, and arranging for a vote. The Past President will also serve as elections coordinator for the organization. The Past President shall also serve as an adviser to the Executive Council on administrative matters. In the absence of the President and the President Elect, the Past President shall preside at the meeting.

Section 10. The Executive Council may vote to declare vacant the post of any Council member or officer who has missed three or more meetings during the year. Vacancy will be declared based on a majority vote of the entire Executive Council. Any member who has not complied with the attendance requirement must be notified by the President prior to any meeting at which the Council would vote to declare the position vacant.

ARTICLE V. MEMBERSHIP AND DUES

Section 1. Any person interested in Spanish and/or Portuguese language or cultural study who would like to become a member of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese may do so by paying annual dues to the national association.

Section 2. Honorary membership may be granted by the Executive Council to no more than two persons per year who have made notable contributions to the Spanish or Portuguese language community within the region of the AATSP-WI Chapter. 

After soliciting membership nominations, the Executive Council shall determine by unanimous vote which candidates are awarded honorary membership. Winners will be announced at the annual AATSP-WI meeting at WAFLT.

ARTICLE VI. CHAPTER MEETINGS

Section 1. The Chapter shall hold an annual business meeting of the Chapter membership.

Section 2. The annual business meeting and other meetings or conferences of the Chapter shall be held at times and places chosen by the Executive Council and announced well in advance.

Section 3. A quorum shall consist of those Chapter members present at any Chapter meeting.

ARTICLE VII. AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS

Any member in good standing may submit a proposed amendment to the Bylaws. Such proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to the Chapter President.

Proposed amendments shall first be approved by a majority of the Executive Council.

The proposed amendment or amendments, thus approved, shall be communicated digitally to members, and will be granted two weeks of voting time by a two-thirds majority of the members voting and in good standing.

ARTICLE VIII: DISSOLUTION OF THE WISCONSIN CHAPTER

 In the event of dissolution of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, the residual assets of the Association will be turned over to the National Office of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. [NOTE: Article VIII is included in this document because such a statement is required by some states that levy a sales tax in order to grant exemption to the chapter; it is considered one of the proofs that the chapter is a non-profit organization.]

ARTICLE IX. VALIDITY 

These Bylaws supersede all previous Bylaws of the Wisconsin Chapter. 

Revised October 17, 2003.

Revised April 12, 2009. 

Revised November 02, 2016.
Revised February 2, 2020.

Revised July 24, 2023.

Revised from 8/24/23 approval: September 3, 2023