RITELL Nominations and Elections Procedures
Spring, 2010
Rhode Island Teachers of English Language Learners (RITELL) is Rhode Island’s
Professional Association for teachers of English Language Learners. RITELL’s mission
is to develop, maintain and promote professional expertise in English language
teaching for speakers of other languages by determining the professional
development and advocacy needs of teachers serving English Language Learners
in Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary, Adult, Workplace and Higher
Education Programs in Rhode Island.
RITELL is a non-profit organization organized for the following purposes:
1. To develop, maintain, and promote professional expertise, research andRITELL is governed by a Coordinating Council/Board of Directors. The
Coordinating Council/Board of Directors of RITELL consists of 8-11 members.
Candidates are invited to run for the Coordinating Council/Board of Directors
and be elected by the general membership.
From among those elected to the Board of Directors or Coordinating
Council of RITELL, and by a majority vote of the elected Board of Directors,
officers will be named to the following offices: President, Vice President,
Recording Secretary, Membership Secretary, Treasurer, Advocacy
Representative, Editor, and a Representative at Large. The Board can add
additional positions as needed, up to 11 members total to insure proper
management of the association.
Therefore, while the Coordinating Council/Board of Directors is elected,
those elected for service will be later assigned to roles or offices on the board by
a majority vote of the elected Board of Directors. This is to insure that each
person serving in a particular position on the Coordinating Council/Board of
Directors has the skills needed to perform their primary duties. All members of
the Coordinating Council/Board of Directors will work together to achieve the
association’s mission and goals. Thus, our leadership structure is conceptualized
as a team rather than a hierarchical structure of elected officers. This structure
has been working for our inception, and we believe it is the best way for the
association to be governed.
The term of office for Board of Directors/Coordinating Council members
is three years with the possibility of one renewal for an additional three years.
The Board of Directors/Coordinating Council jointly plans all conferences
and events for the association. In addition to the offering of professional
development events, they are also charged with the routine maintenance of the
association. In addition, the Board shall meet at least quarterly throughout the
year to direct the routine work of the association and to control its funds. For
these quarterly meetings, a quorum consisting of half plus one members of the
Board must be present for all voting purposes.
Nominations
The Board of Directors/Coordinating Council is elected from the general
membership in the following manner: A slate will be prepared by the
Coordinating Council prior to the Spring meeting of the people interested in
filling Board of Directors/Coordinating Council positions. All members
nominated to serve on the Board must be paid members of RITELL. Members
may nominate themselves or someone else, provided they insure that the person
they nominate is a member of RITELL and willing to run.
Nominees must prepare a statement of intent to run for the board of no
more than 200 words, outlining why they wish to serve on the Coordinating
Council and their commitment to fulfilling their three-year term. In this
statement, they can outline the skills they bring to the Council so that members
may know their experience for service on the Council. Nominees should also
review the duties of all positions on the Coordinating Council so that they can
insure that they are qualified and prepared to serve on the Council. It is ideal
for a candidate running for Coordinating Council to be willing to serve in any
role for which they have the skill set to serve the association well.
In order to meet the requirements of TESOL affiliates, at least two
members of the board, in addition to the President, must be members of TESOL.
Therefore, all nominees should be advised of these requirements prior to
submitting their name for consideration.
Election Procedures
The slate of nominees will be sent to members no less than 10 days in
advance of the spring meeting. It will include the written statements of all
qualified nominees (i.e. members of RITELL). This is to allow for a ballot to be
prepared for the spring meeting. The ballot will include the name of each
nominee, in alphabetical order, along with their statement of intent.
Voting will take place at the meeting. All members are urged to attend
and participate in the voting. Each member is entitled to one ballot. If a
member cannot attend the meeting, but wishes to vote, an electronic ballot will
be sent to them in advance of the meeting. This vote will also be counted at the
meeting, provided it is submitted 5 days in advance of the spring meeting.
In case of a tie, a run-off election will be held at the annual meeting prior
to announcing the election results.