President-Elect Conflict

[jimmyjamtx]

Here is a situation our Band Booster Bylaws are not completely clear on and has some folks in our organization calling for the resignation of our current President-Elect. The President-Elect position is a two-year position where you must be nominated and voted in. Our bylaws specifically state to be a booster officer you must have a child in both a Fall & Spring semester "Band Class" and serve the previous year as the President-Elect to be President. The Band Booster's drafted these rules for the betterment of the program as to always have the most experienced leadership at the President level. Our current President Elect is being pressured to step down because neither of her two children will be in a credited "band class" this coming year though they both will be a part of the band's color guard program for both semesters.

I am trying to offer the best possible parliamentary advice to her but wanted to bounce my arguments on this forum to see if they seem reasonable.

Here it goes:

1. The bylaws do state requirements for being President are: Student in a credited band class (both semesters) and President-Elect for one year.

2. At the time of being voted in as President-Elect she was eligible but now, after serving her year, finds herself not within the requirements though both of her children will still be participating in a non-credited "band" activity.

3. There is no contingency in the bylaws on how to remedy this situation because (A) the new officers for next year cannot be installed without a President ( If she truly is ineligible our bylaws do not call for an election of any kind for the office of President (only President-Elect).

4. The Principal of the school advised the Boosters that the color guard program was no longer a credited band course because of a change that was made by the band staff for the purposes of giving more students the opportunity to participate. Because the booster leadership may not have even known about this change they now find their President Elect trying to justify her position.

Side note: Most of the opposing opinion of this argument has a "personality conflict" element to it.

My advice to her is: As an unforeseen consequence to the band staff changing the course requirements for the color guard courses, the requirement for an eligible band booster parent to vote and serve in leadership has now been infringed upon where the color guard is concerned. Because this seems to be an oversight by the Boosters rather than a direct motive to exclude a certain group of people I cannot find where our current President-Elect is out of order by serving her full President term. Our bylaws require anyone serving as President to serve as President Elect for one year and she has simply fulfilled that portion of the requirement.

Lastly, there are definite issues where our bylaws need to be amended and that will be on our agenda once this matter is closed.

Thank You for your thoughts!

[hmtcastle]

Because this seems to be an oversight by the Boosters rather than a direct motive to exclude a certain group of people I cannot find where our current President-Elect is out of order by serving her full President term.

Either this person is eligible to hold office or she isn't. Oversights and motives are irrelevant.

[Larry Cisar]

Here is a situation our Band Booster Bylaws are not completely clear on and has some folks in our organization calling for the resignation of our current President-Elect. The President-Elect position is a two-year position where you must be nominated and voted in. Our bylaws specifically state to be a booster officer you must have a child in both a Fall & Spring semester "Band Class" and serve the previous year as the President-Elect to be President. The Band Booster's drafted these rules for the betterment of the program as to always have the most experienced leadership at the President level. Our current President Elect is being pressured to step down because neither of her two children will be in a credited "band class" this coming year though they both will be a part of the band's color guard program for both semesters.

Etc.

You are asking us to interpret your bylaws -- that is a task only your organization can do.

[jimmyjamtx]

You are asking us to interpret your bylaws -- that is a task only your organization can do.

I agree with you, point well taken. I am posing these thoughts because the bylaws need some much needed tweaking through normal parliamentary procedure. Everything I have mentioned will be the foundation for the debate on a motion made to amend certain sections of the bylaws at our next meeting.