Bylaws

BYLAWS: The Georgia Accrediting Commission, Inc.

Article I
Purposes
The purposes of the Commission are to provide better education for the youth of Georgia by permitting this independent Commission of educators to stimulate the schools to achieve and maintain a high level of professional integrity and competence. The Commission shall have such powers as are now granted to nonprofit organizations incorporated under laws of the State of Georgia not inconsistent with purposes set forth in the Charter of the Commission.

Article II
Name and Seal

Section 2.01 – Name
The name of the Commission is the Georgia Accrediting Commission, Inc.

Section 2.02 – Seal
The seal of the Commission shall be circular in form and shall bear on the upper portion of the outer circle the words “The Georgia Accrediting Commission, Inc.” The Board may change the form of the seal or the inscription thereon at its pleasure.

Article III
Geographical Location
The geographical territory shall be within the confines of the State of Georgia.

Article IV
Membership

Section 4.01 – Active Membership
Active membership shall be open to qualifying public and non-public prekindergartens, kindergartens, elementary schools, junior high/ middle schools, senior high schools, and educational agencies with special purposes.

Section 4.02 – Officers
Persons engaged in the work of teaching or administration of education shall have the right to hold office and participate in the activities of the Commission.

Section 4.03
Member schools shall vote on the slate of candidates for positions on the Board of Directors of the Commission. This ballot will be a mail ballot with at least two persons listed for each position of the Board of Directors.

Article V
The Board of Directors

Section 5.01 – The Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of the Georgia Accrediting Commission, Inc. shall be composed of both public and non-public educators with twelve members representing elementary, middle grades, and high schools, two representing education beyond high schools, one representing educational agencies with special purposes, one representing prekindergarten programs, and one ex-officio member representing the Georgia Department of Education.

Section 5.02 – Term of Office of Members of Board of Directors
The term of office shall be for four years with each member serving until his/her successor has been elected. A member’s office shall be considered vacant when the member is absent from three regular meetings during the member’s elected term. A member may not be represented by a substitute at a Board meeting. The term of the ex-officio members shall be four years. Any ex-officio member shall be reappointed by virtue of his/her office and shall not be voted on by member schools.

Section 5.03 – Nominating Committee
A nominating committee from the Board of Directors shall nominate two or more persons for each vacant position to be voted on by the schools accredited by the Commission.

Section 5.04 – Vacancy on Board of Directors
In the event of a vacancy in the term for which a person has been elected, the membership will elect a person to fill the unexpired term at the next regular election.

Section 5.05 – General Duties
The Board of Directors shall prescribe procedures, policies, classification, fees, and standards for the accreditation of prekindergartens, kindergartens, elementary schools, junior high/middle schools, senior high schools, and educational agencies with special purposes.

Article VI
Officers and Committees

Section 6.01– Officers
The officers of the Board shall be Chairman and Vice-Chairman. The Board of Directors shall elect these officers at the end of the Spring meeting each year.

Section 6.02 –Executive Director
The Executive Director shall be elected annually by the Board of Directors. The compensation of the Executive Director shall be set annually by the Board of Directors. The Executive Director shall be the executive officer of the Board of Directors, but shall not have a vote.

Section 6.03 – Committees
A Nominating Committee to consist of at least three and not more than five members shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Board at its Fall meeting. The Committee shall present, for approval, at the Spring meeting of the Board, a slate of nominations for officers of the Board and for all vacancies on the Board.

An Audit Committee to consist of at least three members shall be appointed by the Chairman to audit the financial records and to report its findings to the Board at its Fall meeting. The books shall be audited by a certified public accountant annually.

Other committees may be appointed with authority to transact appropriate business as the Chairman and/or the Board may direct.

Section 6.04 – Duties of Officers
The Chairman shall preside at the meetings of the Board of Directors. In his absence the Vice Chairman shall preside.

The Vice Chairman shall perform the duties usually devolving upon such officers.

The Executive Director shall receive the correspondence, applications, and fees. He shall coordinate the work of the Commission representatives who may visit the schools for the
purposes of inspections. He shall be custodian of the minutes of the Commission and keep minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors. He shall have the authority and responsibility for the safekeeping of the funds and securities of the Commission. He shall be bonded in the amount determined by the Board of Directors at the expense of the Commission.

Article Vll
Meetings of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors shall hold two meetings annually, one in the Fall for the primary purpose of reviewing standards, and one in the Spring to pass upon applications of the schools that are filed each year; to make up a list of accredited senior high schools, junior high/middle schools, elementary schools, kindergartens, prekindergartens, and educational agencies with special purposes for the next school year; and to transact such other business as pertains to the accrediting of Georgia schools by the Georgia Accrediting Commission. An annual meeting may be recessed until such time as the Chairman or majority of the members deems it advisable for the Board of Directors to be reconvened. A meeting of the Board of Directors may be called by the Chairman or a majority of the Board of Directors.

Article VIII
Sale or Transfer of Any Stock, Bond, Security or Other Property
Any sale or transfer of any stock, bond, security, or any other property standing in the name of the corporation shall be valid only if signed by the Executive Director and one officer. Any sale or transfer signed in this manner, having affixed thereon the seal of the corporation, shall in all respects bind the corporation as fully and completely as if each transaction had been authorized by a specific vote of the Directors, and any person, firm or corporation to whom a copy of this Article VIII shall have been certified by the Executive Director shall be entitled to rely thereon until notified of its repeal.

Article IX
Quorum
A quorum for the transaction of any business shall be a majority of the Board of Directors then in office.

Article X
The members of the Board of Directors shall serve without compensation. They shall be reimbursed for expenses for attendance at meetings authorized by the Board of Directors.

Article Xl
Amend Bylaws
The Board of Directors shall have the power to alter, amend, or repeal bylaws or adopt new bylaws, provided that the bylaws shall not contain any provision inconsistent with the Charter.
Guidelines for the Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee will nominate at least two persons for each vacancy on the commission. They will make nominations so as to maintain a balance of viewpoints on the Commission representative of position, geographic location, and school size. They will present nominations to the Commission for each vacancy from the categories specified in the constitution so as to have at least two superintendents, three principals, three classroom teachers, and one person engaged in education beyond high school. At least one person will be from the non-public schools. The ballot, prepared by the Nominating Committee, and approved by the Commission, will be mailed by the Executive Director to all accredited schools for voting within a specified time. The officers will tabulate the results and notify those elected. The following chart serves as an illustration of the opportunity the Nominating Committee could have in structuring the Commission. The above guidelines indicate the considerable flexibility in the selection of membership.

  • 2 Superintendents
  • 3 Principals: 1 Elementary, 1 Middle/Junior High 1 High School
  • 3 Classroom Teachers: 1 Elementary, 1 Middle, 1 High School
  • 1 Assistant Principal
  • 1 Beyond High School
  • 1 Ex-officio from Georgia Department of Education
  • 1 Ex-officio from Directors of Regional Educational Service Agencies
  • 1 Educational Agencies With Special Purposes
  • 1 Private School Headmaster
  • 1 Prekindergarten
  • 2 Non-Traditional Educational Centers Educators
  • 1 Other
  • 18 Total