KANSAS ASSOCIATION OF MIDDLE SCHOOL
ADMINISTRATORS
CONSITITUTION AND BYLAWS
PREAMBLE
We the members of the Kansas Association of Middle School Administrators (KAMSA) believe that the focal point of the school is the child and that the educational program must help all children achieve their potential as contributing members of our society.
KAMSA exists to support middle school administrators, as their leadership responsibilities are shaped by the unique needs of early adolescent children. It also exists to help administrators translate accepted middle level theory into practices which accurately and reasonably reflect that theory’s principles.
KAMSA is closely affiliated with the Kansas Association for Middle Level Education (KAMLE), and upholds the concepts that all middle level educators must work together in advocating changes that better serve the needs of early adolescent children. KAMSA is affiliated with the United School Administrators (USA) which serves as the umbrella organization.
ARTICLE 1. NAME, OBJECTIVES, AND GOVERNANCE
Section 1: Name
The name of this organization shall be the “Kansas Association of Middle School Administrators” or KAMSA (hereafter referred to in this Constitution Bylaws as the “Association”).
Section 2: Objectives
The objectives of the Kansas Association of Middle School Administrators shall
be to:
A. facilitate positive educational leadership;
B. serve as advocate for middle school administrators;
C. enhance the image of the middle school administrator as an educational leader and to promote greater recognition of the professional skill and performance demanded by the position;
D. serve as an agency for the collection and dissemination of information pertinent to the middle school administrator;
E. provide services such as publications, conventions, conferences, research,
state and federal relations, individual counseling, and other services authorized
by the governing bodies of the association;
F. promote the principle of equal rights and the elimination of bigotry,
prejudice, and discrimination;
G. enhance the unique and harmonious relationships among middle school
administrators, teachers, and other educators, and other associations, with
special emphasis on the Kansas Association of Middle Level Education; and
H. strengthen positive relationships among administrators, school parents, and
communities.
Section 3: Governance
The Association shall be governed by the Constitution and Bylaws and such
actions as the governing bodies of the Association may take consistent and
therewith. Nothing in the Constitution or Bylaws shall be construed to prevent
the Association from pursuing objectives that are consistent with its stated
purpose.
ARTICLE II. MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Categories and Qualifications
A. The association shall have regular and special categories of membership.
Regular membership shall include active and emeritus members.
(1.) Active: Active membership shall include those persons who support the
objectives and pay the active member dues of the Association and who
are employed in professional work related to the administration and
supervision of middle level students. Middle level students shall be considered as those in grades 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.
(2.) Emeritus: Emeritus membership shall include those former active
members who have retired.
B. Special categories of membership may be established by the Board of
Directors. These categories may include such memberships as:
(1.) Life Member.
(2.) Associate Member. Associate membership might include any person who
is actively interested in, engaged in, or associated with any phase of
education dealing with middle level students.
(3.) Honorary Member. Honorary membership would include any person
awarded such membership by the Board of Directors.
Section 2: Rights and Benefits
A. Regular members of the Association shall be entitled to all of its rights and
privileges including the right to vote and hold office.
B. All special membership categories shall be entitled to the rights and
privileges of the Association as determined by the Board of Directors, except
the right to vote and to hold office.Section 3: Non-discrimination
The Association shall not deny membership on the basis of race, creed, national
origin, religion, age, handicap, or sex.
Section 4: Property Interests of Members
All rights, titles, and interest, both legal and equitable, of a member in and to the
property of the Association shall end on the termination of membership.
Section 5: Membership Year
Membership shall be effective from the date or receipt of dues by the Association Executive Director or USA. Annual memberships run from July 1 to June 30 of each year.
Section 6: Membership Dues
Dues for active and emeritus members shall be determined by the Board of
Directors. Dues for all special categories of membership shall be established by
the Board of Directors.
Section 7: Annual Membership Meeting
The annual membership business meeting shall be held in conjunction with the United School Administrator’s (USA) Convention.

ARTICLE III. OFFICERS
Section 1. Officers of the Association
The officers of the Association shall be the President, the President-Elect,
Past Presidents, and Executive Director.
Section 2. Term of Office and Qualifications of Officers
(1.) A committee selected by the President will recommend to the Board of Directors a candidate for the Executive Director position at each June Board
of Directors meeting.
(2.) President-Elect serves one year to become president the following year.
(3.) President serves one year term and takes office at the USA KAMSA
membership meeting.
(4.) Past-Presidents will serve as Board members for three years following
their term of president. The three year term will begin at the April
meeting.
Section 3. Filling of Vacancies
Vacancies occurring by reason of death, resignation, or disqualification shall be filled as follows:
A. A vacancy in the office of President shall be filled by the President-Elect.
B. A vacancy in the office of President-Elect shall be filled by a member of the Board of Directors appointed by the President.
C. A vacancy in the office of Executive Director shall be filled by an appointment by the President.
D. A vacancy in the office of Past President shall not be filled.
Section 4. Powers and Duties
A. President: The president is the chief officer of the Association and shall:
(1.) serve as an ex-officio, voting member and presiding officer of the
Board of Directors;
(2.) serve as presiding officer of the meetings of the Board of Directors;
(3.) serve as an ex-officio, voting delegate to and presiding officer of the
annual meeting and special meetings;
(4.) represent and speak for the Association on matters of policy or may
assign responsibility for such functions; (5.) review Association policies and recommend priorities to be considered
by the Board of Directors;
(6.) meet regularly with the officers of the Association;
(7.) delegate duties to the President-Elect, Past President, Executive Director;
(8.) purpose the agenda for the meetings of the governing bodies of the
Association;
(9.) except as otherwise provided in the Constitution and Bylaws, appoint
all Chairpersons and members of Association committees;
(10.) serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member of all Association
committees, except the Nominating Committee, and
(11.) have such other powers and duties as are authorized by the Board of
Directors; and
(12.) distribute or cause to be distributed all written correspondence to the
membership;
(13.) responsible, with the Executive Director, for the distribution of a
newsletter twice a year;
(14.) prepare and distribute all ballots and other election materials.
B. President-Elect: The President-Elect shall:
(1.) serve as an ex-officio, voting member of the Board of Directors; and
(2.) perform other duties as directed by the President or the Board of
Directors; and
(3.) serve as chairperson for selection committee for administrators of the
year.
C. Immediate Past President: The Immediate Past President shall:
(1.) serve as an ex-officio, voting member of the Board of Directors; and
(2.) perform other duties as directed by the President or the Board of
Directors.
D. Executive Director: The Executive Director shall:
(1.) keep a record of the minutes of all the of the Board of Directors, and of all business transacted by the Association;
(2.) coordinate, with the President, agendas for all meetings;
(3.) develop an annual budget and submit such to the Board of Directors for approval and adoption at the Spring Board of Directors meeting;
(4.) serve as treasurer of the Association;
(5.) print and mail to the membership, copies of any workshops or drive-in
conferences;
(6.) with the President, edit, print and mail to the membership, copies of the KAMSA Newsletter;
(7.) perform other duties as directed by the President or Board of Directors;
(8.) receive a salary, determined on a yearly basis, by the Board of Directors. Expenses incurred by the Executive Director for KAMSA business will be compensated for by the Association.
(9.) Any other references to the position of Secretary/Treasurer will be stricken.
ARTICLE IV. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1. Composition
The Board of Directors shall consist of 26 members. They shall be the officers and two elected members from each of the ten electoral zones of the Association. The electoral zones or districts shall be the same as those of the Kansas Association for Middle Level Education. the school districts whose Home County as determined by the Kansas State Department of Education shall be represented by the following electoral zones or districts:
District 1: Rawlins, Cheyenne, Decatur, Sherman, Sheridan, Thomas,
Gove, Wallace, and Logan.
District 2: Greeley, Scott, Wichita, Lane, Hamilton, Finney, Kearney,
Gray, Stanton, Haskell, Grant, Morton, Seward, Stevens,
and Meade.
District 3: Norton, Smith, Phillips, Jewell, Graham, Osborne, Rooks,
Mitchell, Ellis, Lincoln, Trego, Russell, and Ellsworth.
District 4: Rush, Ness, Barton, Pawnee, Hodgeman, Stafford, Ford,
Pratt, Edwards, Kiowa, Clark, Barber, and Comanche.
District 5: Republic, Marshall, Washington, Cloud, Clay, Potawatomie,
Riley, Ottawa, Geary, Dickinson, and Wabaunsee.
District 6: Saline, Morris, Rice, Marion, McPherson, Reno, Chase, and
Harvey.
District 7: Butler, Sedgewick, Kingman, Harper, Cowley, and Sumner.
District 8: Nemaha, Doniphan, Brown, Atchison, Jackson, Jefferson,
Leavenworth, Shawnee, Wyandotte, Douglas, and Johnson.
District 9: Osage, Lyon, Franklin, Miami, Coffey, Linn, and Anderson.
District 10: Greenwood, Allen, Woodson, Burbon, Neosho, Elk, Wilson,
Crawford, Montgomery, Chautauqua, Cherokee, and Labette.
Section 2: Term of Office and Qualifications of Directors
Beginning with school year 1988-89, Directors from District 2,3,7, and 8 shall serve for a term of three years; Directors from Districts 1, 6, and 10 shall serve for a term of two years; and Directors from Districts 4, 5, and 9 shall shall serve for a term of one year. Thereafter, the terms of all Directors shall be for three years. During the term of office, Directors must be regular members of the Association. Their term of office shall commence the day of adjournment of the final Board of Directors meeting of the year in which they were elected. With the addition of a second Board of Directors member from each District, one director will be elected in the even numbered year, and the second in an odd numbered year.
Section 3: Filling Vacancies on Board of Directors
In the event of a vacancy, the President shall appoint a member from the same electoral zone or district to serve the unexpired term.
Section 4: Powers and Duties of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors shall be responsible to the membership of the Association,
and the members of the Board shall be ex-officio, voting delegates to the
membership. The Board shall:
A. act for the Association and make all policy decisions between the
annual meetings of the membership;
B. be responsible for approving the budget and for the fiscal management
of the Association, including the general supervision of the reserve
funds;
C. determine the date and location of the annual convention and meetings of the Board of Directors;
D. call a special meeting of the membership by a two-thirds vote of the
Board;
E. determine the Association dues for regular and emeritus membership;
F. determine the Association dues for all special membership categories;
G. censure, suspend, or expel, for cause, any member of the Association
after due notice and hearing, by two-thirds vote of the Board of
Directors;
H. vacate, censure, or reinstate a suspended or expelled member by a
two-thirds vote of the Board;
I. establish committees;
J. develop guidelines for each committee to follow;
K. establish the fiscal year of the Association; and
L. have such other powers and perform such other duties as may be
provided for in the Constitution and Bylaws.


Section 5: Meetings
The Board of Directors shall meet at least three times a year, which may include a summer retreat to conduct the business of the Association, one meeting of which shall be held in conjunction with the annual membership meeting of the Association. A majority of members of the Board shall determine the date and location of the meeting. Due notice of all meetings shall be given to all members of the Board. Members present at each Board of Director’s meeting shall constitute a quorum.
ARTICLE V. ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section I: Nomination Process
The Nominating Committee shall present a slate of candidates at the annual membership meeting for the office of President-Elect and for each open position on the Board of Directors. Additional nominations can be submitted from those members present.
Section II: Election Process
The President shall send ballots to the membership. Write in candidates can be made and voted on by members when they receive their ballots for the election process. Ballots to be counted shall be returned to the President prior to the spring meeting. The ballots shall be counted by the President prior to the spring meeting of the Board of Directors. The President shall contact and inform each candidate of the election process.
The election of officers and board members shall be determined by a majority of ll valid ballots cast by the membership. In event of a tie vote, the members present at the final Board of Directors meeting of the current year shall vote to break the tie. The ballots shall be brought to the meeting in case of a challenge.
ARTICLE VI: COMMITTEES
Section 1:
The President shall be empowered to establish committees at the discretion of the Board of Directors. He/She shall take steps to insure that all districts of the State are represented whenever practically possible. The members of the Board of Directors may serve on any committee appointed by the President. The President is encourages to use non-Board Members to serve on committees whenever practically possible.
Section 2:
Awards for Administrators of the Year
A. Nominations will be taken from the Board of Directors at the Spring Board of Directors meeting for KAMSA Principal and Assistant
Principal of the Year.
B. The President-Elect will accept any other letter of nomination up until
the time of the Summer Board Meeting.
C. The President-Elect will call for nominations from members in an article in the Spring KAMSA Newsletter.
Committee:
A three member committee chaired by the President-Elect and two others
appointed by the President will review nominations and check for references. This committee will present to the Board of the Fall meeting a slate of not more than three nominees with supporting information. The Board of Directors will select the KAMSA Principal of the Year and the KAMSA Assistant Principal of the Year from this slate.
Award Presentation:
The KAMSA Principal and Assistant Principal of the Year awards will be presented at the KASSP Banquet during their Fall Conference and in conjunction with the KAMSA breakfast at the annual USA Convention.
ARTICLE VII. FINANCE
Section 1. Financial Records and Accounts
Association financial records and accounts shall be the property of the Association and shall be open to inspection by any member upon written request to the President.
Section 2: Reserve Funds
The Reserve Funds shall consist of the real properties and long-term investments of the Association, together with any other funds or properties received by gift, bequest, and device, and accrued income from reserve funds investments. The reserve funds shall be in the charge of the Board of Directors, which shall provide for the investment and safekeeping of such funds. The Board of Directors shall report the condition of the funds to the membership no less than annually.
Section 3: Grants
The Association may receive grants and may deposit and expend these funds according to terms laid down by the grantor and accepted by the Board of Directors.
Section 4: Distribution of Assets
No part of the net income, revenue, and grants of the Association shall incur to
the benefit of any member, officer, or any individual except that reasonable
compensation may be paid for services rendered. No member, officer, or individual shall be entitled to share in the distribution of any part of the assets of the Association on its dissolution or liquidation. In the even of such dissolution or liquidation, the assets of the Association, after payment of debts and obligations, shall be transferred to one or more organization either with federal tax exemption for charitable and educational uses or with objectives similar to those of the Association. The receiving organizations shall be designated by the Board of Directors at its final meeting.
ARTICLE VIII: AMENDMENT OF CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
A. Proposed amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws that are germane to the original intent of the Association may be acted on and approved by the Board of Directors at any scheduled meeting of the Board of Directors by a two-thirds vote of the quorum present.
B. Modification or amendments to the original intent, purpose, or function of the Association Constitution or Bylaws shall be presented to the Association membership at an annual membership business meeting. A two-thirds vote of the membership present is required for approval.
C. Amendments which are germane to the original intent of the Association Constitution or Bylaws shall become effective following a two-thirds vote of the Board of Director’s quorum.
D. Amendments that alter or change the original intent, purpose, or function of the Constitution or Bylaws shall become effective following a two-thirds vote of approval of the Association members present at an annual membership business meeting.
E. Amendments may be proposed by:
(1.) Petition containing signature of ten members;
(2.) or by Motion of any Board of Director’s member.