MISSION STATEMENT

 

The Charles County Literacy Council, Inc. is a nonprofit 501 (C) (3) organization, providing free community-based one-on-one adult literacy tutoring to ensure that all adults have the access to a quality education to fully realize their potential as individuals, parents, and citizens.

ARTICLE I – NAME

The name of this organization shall be CHARLES COUNTY LITERACY COUNCIL, INC. Articles of Incorporation were filed and approved in September 1987 by the State Department of Assessments and Taxation through the Clerk of the Court of Charles County.

ARTICLE II – OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this organization is to provide volunteer tutors with nine hours of training to assist people with reading, writing, spelling and basic mathematics, thereby helping them to achieve their personal goals.

ARTICLE III – NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

It is the policy of the Council to provide equal services and opportunities to all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or veteran’s status. We continue to make strong, positive efforts to ensure all persons are given full and appropriate consideration for participation in CCLC activities and programs; however, we reserve the right to decline to provide services to individuals based on both the limited resources of the organization as well as the intellectual limits of some individual applicants, or those who aren’t committed to preparing for and attending tutoring sessions.

ARTICLE IV – FINANCIAL POLICY

Section 1 – This Council is a nonprofit 501 (C) 3 organization funded by donations and grants.

Section 2 – Members shall receive no compensation for their services, but may be allowed reimbursement for expenses which are actually and reasonably incurred and are necessary to carry out the express purposes of the organization.

Section 3 – The fiscal year of this organization shall be January 1 through December 31.

Section 4 – Expenditure Policy – all expenditures in excess of $750, other than for training and/or tutor materials and supplies, shall be approved by a majority vote by the Board of Directors.

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ARTICLE V – MEMBERSHIP

Membership in this organization is open to any group, organization or individual interested in improving adult literacy.

Section 1 – Votes: A majority of the voting membership present at a meeting shall be necessary to pass a vote. Voting Membership consists of individuals who meet the trained tutor requirement of nine (9) hours of tutor training class work. Employees of CCLC are non-voting members.

Section 2 – Associate Membership – Consists of any person or organization wishing to assist the Council in the promotion of literacy. Associate members shall have no authority to vote or hold office.

Section 3 – A quorum will consist of at least five (5) voting members present at a scheduled meeting.

ARTICLE VI – BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1 – The Board of Directors of the Council shall consist of no less than three (3) and no more than fifteen (15) persons, including appointed Chairpersons. Directors are elected by majority vote of members attending the April meeting of the Council, including the following officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Eleven Members-at-Large may be elected. The Board of Directors shall have full voting privileges. No member on the Board of Directors may hold more than one office at a time.

Section 2 – The President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Member-at-Large shall be elected every two years (on odd years) by a quorum at the April meeting (see Article V, Section 3 for definition of “quorum”). The elected executive officers may succeed themselves.

Section 3 – Officers may switch offices with the provision that the rest of the Board of Directors agree with the switch.

Section 4 – Election of Executive Committee of the Board of Directors: In odd years, an appeal will be made in March by email to all voting members to run for office. In April, nominations will be made from the floor, and the election will be held by ballot.

ARTICLE VII – DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1 – The duties of the Board of Directors are found in the Charles County Literacy Council Procedures Manual, and attached to the Bylaws for information purposes. Changes to the duties can be accomplished by a simple majority vote at a monthly meeting.

Section 2 – Failure of Duties – Any member of the Board of Directors not attending three (3) consecutive meetings without an excused absence will be removed by a majority vote of attending members at the next meeting. An excused absence is one that is accepted by the President or Vice President. The President will ask for a volunteer or appoint a new officer/chairperson to fill the office for the remainder of the term.

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ARTICLE VIII –TUTORS

Section 1 – A Tutor is defined as an adult who has completed nine (9) hours of CCLC training and has been awarded a certificate of completion. A Tutor is also a voting member of the Council.

Section 2 – Duties of Tutors

a. Prepare for and meet assigned student(s) at regular intervals as agreed upon between tutor and student.

b. Prepare and submit monthly report of hours of tutoring and other hours spent on volunteering in literacy.

c. Keep abreast of the materials and teaching aids available.
d. Are encouraged to attend at lease three (3) monthly meetings per year.

ARTICLE IX – CHAIRPERSONS

Section 1 – Committees and Chairs shall be appointed at the discretion of the President and shall include, but are not limited to, Social Media Chair, Workshop Chair, Website Chair, Publicity Chair, Grants Chair, Student Assessment Chair.

Section 2 – The duties of the Chairs are found in the Charles County Literacy Council Procedures Manual, and attached to the Bylaws for information purposes.

Section 3 – Committee Chairs shall serve one-year terms running from January 1 through December 31. An annual review of Committee Chairs will be performed by the Executive Committee before the end of each calendar year.

ARTICLE X – DUTIES OF PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Section l – The duties of the Program Coordinator are found in the Charles County Literacy Council Procedures Manual, and attached to the Bylaws for information purposes. If an Administrative Assistant is hired, those duties will also be found in the Procedures Manual.

Section 2 – The Program Coordinator is in charge of the office of the Literacy Council and acts under the immediate direction of the President of the Board of Directors. The Executive Committee (elected officers) will make a primary selection of a candidate for the position, construct a contract offering the position to the candidate that will include term of employment, hourly wage, and proposed scheduling requirements as to days the office will be open and staffed. After an initial six-month performance review, the term of the contract will be one year, with an option to renew depending on Council funding and performance review.

ARTICLE XI– MEETINGS

Section 1 – A general membership meeting shall be held monthly except for the months of July and August.

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Section 2 – The Executive Committee (elected officers) shall meet at the call of the President, or any Executive Committee member, in closed session, to discuss tentative or sensitive matters, to bring to the full Board of Directors.

ARTICLE XII– AMENDMENTS

These bylaws may be changed and adopted provided all the following requirements are met:

Section 1 – Copies of proposed changes are provided to all attending members at a general meeting.

Section 2 – The vote takes place at the general meeting immediately following.

Section 3 – Only those present at the meeting in which the copies were handed out and attend the meeting in which the voting is to take place are allowed to vote.

Section 4 – A majority vote of those who were present at both meetings determines whether a bylaw change is accepted or rejected.

Section 5 – The individual or individuals who wish to change the bylaws must meet membership requirements (see Article V Section 3) and must attend both general meetings in which the copies are handed out and the vote is taken.

Revised:
September 1988

June 1991
January 1995
March 2000
June 2004
April 7, 2005
May 18, 2005 (Minor typos corrected. GLG)
July 01, 2005 (The United Way changed their due date so changed date from January 31 to before December 15. GLG)
November 3, 2005 (Added Mission Statement, Outreach Chairman Duties, Web-site Chairman Duties and changed some sentence wording for improved sentence structure. GLG)
September 7, 2006 (Mission statement altered)
January 3, 2008 – Full Bylaws Revision Approved
January 6, 2009 (Approved amendments to Non-discrimination Policy and Financial Policy)
October 2010 (Amended Article III, Article VI, Section 4 and Article IX, Section 1)
June 2012 – Approved amendments to Article V, Section 1, and Article IX, Section 3 (voting and Committee Chairs)
January 2013 – Approved Eliminated Newsletter Chair, added Social Media Chair
February 2014 – Approved Eliminated Compensation & Performance Evaluation Chair
March 2017 – Approved amendment to Article VI, Sections 1 and 2 adding At-Large Member to Executive Committee

May 2021 – Approved amendment of Article VI, Section 1 to state Board of Directors of the Council shall consist of no less than three (3) and no more than fifteen (15) persons, including appointed Chairpersons and eleven Members at Large.

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