ARTICLE I—NAME 
The association shall be known as California Educational Research Association.  

ARTICLE II—GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 
The goals of the association are to:      
•   Advance the knowledge and interests of those who are professionally involved in educational research, evaluation, assessment, and related fields     
•   Provide opportunities to share recent findings in educational research     
•   Provide professional development and networking opportunities to members     
•   Work cooperatively with other regional and national research organizations 

ARTICLE III—MEMBERSHIP 
A.  Association membership is available to individuals interested in educational research, evaluation, assessment, and related fields.  Members shall have all rights and responsibilities, including that of voting. 

B.  Membership fees shall be determined by the Executive Board and collected at the time individuals register and pay for the annual conference. Membership shall become effective upon receipt of the membership fee, and shall continue through the day prior to the beginning of the subsequent annual conference.

ARTICLE IV—GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE 
Section 1. Executive Board The business of the association shall be governed by an Executive Board consisting of five officers, four at-large members, and, if one is appointed by the Executive Board, a graduate student representative. The officers shall be: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Immediate Past President. All Executive Board members must be members of the association. Each member of the Executive Board shall have one vote.

It is the policy of the association to actively seek gender, racial/ethnic, geographic, and professional diversity on the Executive Board. 
 
Section 2. Election to the Executive Board At-large Executive Board members and the Treasurer shall be elected by ballot, from a list of one or more candidates, at the annual conference. To be eligible for election to the Executive Board, the candidate must be a member of the association.  

The term of an at-large Executive Board member begins the day immediately following the annual conference at which he or she is elected and lasts for four years, unless the member is subsequently elected as an officer as described in Section 3 below.

The term of the Treasurer begins the day immediately following the annual conference at which he or she is elected and lasts for three years. The Treasurer shall not serve more than two consecutive terms.

Each year, a Nominations and Elections Committee, composed of at least three members of the Executive Board, will be appointed by the President to oversee the election of Executive Board members. The committee will be responsible for soliciting self-nominations from the association members. To be included on the ballot, all nominees must submit to the Nominations and Elections Committee at least 30 days prior to the annual conference a completed nomination form.

The Nominations and Elections Committee will review all nominations and select candidates for the ballot, considering the diversity policy stated in Section 1 above, nominee qualifications, and the number of nominees. If there are insufficient nominees to fill all available seats on the Executive Board, then the Committee will identify additional nominees. The Committee will present its selected candidates to the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall approve all candidates to be included on the ballot.

The Nominations and Elections Committee will be responsible for conducting the election, counting the votes, and verifying the results. The election will take place on the first day of the annual conference. Association members in attendance will be provided ballots and voting instructions specified by the Nominations and Elections Committee. The candidate(s) receiving the largest number of votes shall be considered elected. In case of a tie, the Executive Board shall select the winner from the tied candidates by a majority vote or, in the case of a tie on the Board, by lot. Election results will be reported by the Nominations and Elections Committee to the Executive Board and to the association members in attendance during the second day of the annual conference.

Section 3. Election and Succession of Executive Board Officers  Each year, prior to the annual conference, one of the Executive Board members will be elected by the Executive Board to serve as Secretary for one year beginning on the day immediately following the annual conference.In the case of a tie, the President shall select the winner from the tied candidates. If none of the Executive Board members is able or willing to assume the responsibilities of Secretary, the Nominations and Elections Committee will solicit self-nominations from the association members for the office of Secretary, and develop a ballot and conduct an election as described in Section 2.

Beginning on the day immediately following the annual conference, Executive Board officers will assume new offices for one year as follows:      
•   The Immediate Past President shall retire from the Executive Board.     
•   The President shall become Immediate Past President.     
•   The Vice President shall become President.     
•   The Secretary shall become Vice President.    

Section 4. Appointment of a Graduate Student Representative to the Executive Board The Executive Board may appoint a graduate student representative to the board. The term of office will be one year beginning on the day immediately following the annual conference. The graduate student representative may be reappointed in subsequent years, as long as the representative is still a graduate student, not to exceed a total of three years on the Executive Board. 

Section 5. Executive Board Powers and Duties The Executive Board shall have all the powers and duties necessary or appropriate for the administration of the affairs of this association and may perform all such acts and things as are not directed to be exercised and done by members by law, by the Articles of Incorporation, or by these bylaws. The duties of the Executive Board shall include:      
•   Adopting an annual budget and authorizing all expenditures.     
•   Transacting association business.     
•   Planning and implementing an annual conference.    
•   Setting membership dues and annual conference registration fees.     
•   Reviewing these bylaws and proposing amendments to the membership as needed.     
•   Adopting policies and procedures for the association.     
•   Establishing and overseeing the operation of committees.     
•   Hiring staff as needed.     
•   Establishing procedures for awards or other recognition of outstanding contributions made to the field of educational research in California.     
•   Authorizing any matters to be submitted to a vote of the membership of the association, including election of Executive Board members. The Executive Board shall receive and consider petitions from the membership for matters to be submitted to a vote of the membership.  Any such petition signed by at least ten percent of the membership makes submission of the issue to the membership mandatory upon the Executive Board. 

The specific duties of each member of the Executive Board are as follows:
 
President

1. Serve as chief executive officer of the association with all the powers and responsibilities usually incident to that office, including signing, on behalf of the association, contracts and other instruments in writing.
2. Preside at all meetings of the association and the Executive Board.
3. Appoint Executive Board committees and committee chairs.
4. Represent the association at seminars, meetings, or conventions of other professional groups and associations.
5. Notify the Executive Board of all Executive Board meetings.
6. Contribute knowledge and expertise to the discussions and decisions of the Executive Board.
7. Assume primary responsibility for annual conference planning activities.

 Vice President

1. Perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President.
2. Assume primary responsibility for securing a location for the annual conference that will occur when he or she is President, including signing any necessary contracts or agreements.
3. Assume primary responsibility for evaluating the annual conference and association activities.
4. Contribute knowledge and expertise to the discussions and decisions of the Executive Board.
5. Perform other duties that the President may direct.

  Secretary

1. Keep accurate minutes of the proceedings of all meetings of the association and of the Executive Board.
2. Maintain all previous records, budgets, minutes, and other association documents from prior years.
3. Distribute minutes to all members of the association.
4. Conduct the general correspondence of the association, and maintain a file of such correspondence.
5. Maintain an official copy of these bylaws and make them available at all meetings of the association and the Executive Board.
6. Assume primary responsibility for annual conference proposal submissions and program scheduling.
7. Contribute knowledge and expertise to the discussions and decisions of the Executive Board.
8. Perform other duties that the President may direct.

  Treasurer

1. Receive and safeguard all monies and other assets of the association.
2. Pay all bills and process adequate vouchers for payment.
3. Keep accurate financial records that shall be open to inspection on demand by members of the Executive Board.
4. Prepare a one-year budget based on financial information provided by the past year’s treasurer for adoption by the Executive Board at the Treasurer’s first Executive Board meeting as Treasurer.
5. Submit a report at each Executive Board meeting after Board adoption of the budget on the financial status of the association, including amounts budgeted and amounts actually expended.  Prepare a final financial report for the year that he or she was Treasurer including information needed for the following year’s tax return and budget.
6. Assume primary responsibility for managing conference registrations, and oversee the maintenance of an up-to-date membership list.
7. Contribute knowledge and expertise to the discussions and decisions of the Executive Board.
8. Perform other duties that the President may direct.
9. Prepare tax return based on financial information provided by the prior year’s treasurer.

 Immediate Past President

1. Serve as general advisor on the affairs of the association.
2. Review and approve the final financial report for the year during which she or he was President.
3. Publish an Annual Report to the membership on the past year’s activity either via the Internet, e-mail, or printed newsletter.
4. Contribute knowledge and expertise to the discussions and decisions of the Executive Board.
5. Perform other duties that the President may direct.

 At-Large Member 

1. Assist, as requested, the officers in the completion of their responsibilities.
2. Contribute knowledge and expertise to the discussions and decisions of the Executive Board.
3. Perform other duties that the President may direct.

 Graduate Student Representative 

1. Assist the Executive Board in communicating with and serving the needs of California graduate students studying educational research, evaluation, assessment, and related fields.
2. Contribute knowledge and expertise to the discussions and decisions of the Executive Board.
3. Perform other duties that the President may direct.

Section 6. Executive Board Officer Vacancies If the President vacates her or his office, the Vice President will assume the office of President. If the Vice President is unable or unwilling to assume the office of President, the Executive Board would elect another member of the Executive Board to assume the office of President. If the Vice President, Treasurer, or Secretary vacates his or her office, the President will appoint a current or previous Executive Board member to fill the vacancy. The newly appointed officer would complete the term of the officer who vacated the position. At the end of that term, the person appointed to fill the vacancy would be considered to be in the position he or she was in at the beginning of the year, and the normal election and succession rules would apply. 

Section 7. Executive Board Compensation and Expenses  Compensation shall not be paid to Executive Board members for their services in their capacity as Executive Board members, nor pursuant to any contractual arrangements. Executive Board members will be reimbursed for expenses incurred by them in the performance of their duties, including, but not limited to, CERA conference and board meeting attendance as defined and limited by Executive Board policy.Executive Board member expenses that are not addressed in the Executive Board policy will not be reimbursed unless the expenses were authorized by the Executive Board prior to their being expended. 

Section 8. Executive Board Meetings The Executive Board shall meet in person at least twice each year.  The Executive Board may also hold one or more meetings via telephone or videoconference.  Meetings of the Executive Board shall be called by the President or a majority of Executive Board members. At all Executive Board meetings, at least half of the Executive Board members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, and any proposed decision or action of the Executive Board must be approved by at least half of the Board members present at a meeting at which the quorum is present, except where a larger number is required by law, Articles of Incorporation, or these bylaws.  Meetings of the Executive Board and the membership will normally be conducted using informal, but businesslike procedures.  At any time a procedural conflict arises, the provisions of the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall be used to resolve the conflict. 

Section 9. Executive Board Committees Each year, the President shall appoint a Nominations and Election Committee and an Exhibitor and Sponsorship Committee, each consisting of at least three Executive Board members. Additional committees may be appointed at the direction and discretion of the President. These committees may assume responsibility for activities such as, but not limited to, conference planning, membership recruitment, awards and recognition, Web site management, and special events. 

ARTICLE V—ANNUAL CONFERENCE 
Once each year, the association will plan and implement a conference at a place and time determined by the Executive Board. The Executive Board will invite individuals interested in educational research, evaluation, assessment, and related fields to submit proposals for presentations at the annual conference, to become members of the association, and to attend the annual conference. Notice of the annual conference will be distributed to all association members and to other potential participants. 

ARTICLE VI—AMENDMENTS 
These bylaws may be amended, which includes changes, repeal, or replacement with new bylaws, in any of the following three ways:

1. The Executive Board may decide to propose amendments that will be voted on by participants at the annual conference. Notice of such proposed action, including the exact text of the proposed amendments, must be sent to each association member at the physical and/or e-mail address on file at least 30 days before the conference. To become effective, the proposed amendments must receive an affirmative vote of the majority of annual conference participants who vote during the annual conference, and at least thirty percent of the participants must cast a vote.
2. The Executive Board may decide to propose amendments that will be voted on by association members using an electronic or mail ballot.  A ballot must be sent to each association member at the physical and/or e-mail address on file, and members must be given at least 30 days to return their votes. To become effective, the proposed amendments must receive an affirmative vote of the majority of association members who return their votes, and at least twenty percent (20%) of the membership must cast a vote.
3. The Executive Board shall provide the association membership an opportunity to vote, using either of the two methods above, on amendments proposed in a petition to the Executive Board signed by at least ten percent of the membership. 

The amendments shall become effective immediately upon an affirmative vote of the membership as described above.