CONTENTS

SECTION IConstitution SECTION IIBylaws and Amendment Procedures SECTION IIINESTA Executive
A.Composition B.Duties of the Executive C.Duties of the Executive Officers
Chairperson
Secretary
Treasurer
Liaison Officers
Communications Officer
Councillors SECTION IVNESTA Standing and Special Committees
Selection and Composition of Standing/Special Committees
Duties of Standing Committees
Professional Development Committee
Social Committee
Benefits and Welfare Committee SECTION VGeneral Procedures for Standing/Special Committees SECTION VINESTA Newsletter, Debating and Writing Competitions SECTION VIINominations and Elections Procedures
Duties of the Election Officer
Procedures for Elections of the Executive Officers SECTION VIIIMeetings and Procedures
Executive Meetings
General Meetings
Committee Meetings

SECTION I
CONSTITUTION

1.The name of the Association shall be the NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKING TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION, hereinafter known as NESTA. 2.The objectives of NESTA shall be:
a.)to provide Native English Speaking Teachers, hereinafter known as NETS, with professional and personal support in order to help them to effectively fulfill their duties and to enjoy the experience of living and working in Hong Kong; b.)to offer support and advice to the Education Bureau, hereinafter known as the EDB, and to the schools under the Hong Kong Government NETs scheme in order to help them to recruit, to provide induction, and to deploy NETs as effectively as possible; c.)to promote and enhance high standards of English language teaching in Hong Kong. 3.NESTA shall not be affiliated with any other professional body and shall not be affiliated with any political party. 4.NETs employed in either the primary or the secondary schools under the Hong Kong Government Enhanced NET scheme and those Advisory Teachers (ATs) and Regional NET Coordinators (RNCs) who were originally employed as NETs under the Hong Kong Government Enhanced NET scheme shall be eligible to be members of NESTA subject to payment of an annual membership fee to be determined by a vote at the NESTA general meeting. ATs and RNCs are not eligible to hold Executive office in NESTA. 5.NESTA shall also include those members who have been granted lifetime membership by NESTA in recognition of their outstanding and meritorious service as members of NESTA. Outstanding and meritorious service shall be, but not limited to, service of at least three consecutive years to NESTA. Lifetime memberships shall be granted to up to three eligible NESTA members per year and shall be granted to members who have retired within a year from the NET scheme. The Executive shall rescind the lifetime membership of any member who reenters the NET scheme either as a primary or secondary NET or as an AT or RNC.

To be considered for lifetime membership, a member shall be nominated by at least two members of the general membership. Nominations, along with written rationales of no more than 250 words, shall be submitted to the Executive. After reviewing all nominations, the Executive may approve and present to the membership for vote at the June general meeting up to three lifetime memberships a year.

Lifetime members are not eligible to hold Executive office in NESTA. Those members who have already been granted lifetime membership shall be grandfathered.
6.All NESTA members will be issued a membership card and number, which will be required for voting at NESTA general meetings and for electronic votes.
7.NETs shall be able to exercise voting privileges either at a NESTA general meeting or by electronic voting.
8.Robert"s Rules of Order shall be used at all NESTA meetings where they are not inconsistent with the Constitution or the By-laws or any other special rules of order NESTA may adopt. Robert's Rules of Order may be simplified to meet the needs of the Association.
9.The NESTA Constitution may be amended by a simple majority vote of the members in attendance at a General Meeting or by electronic voting, provided that at least one (1) month notice of theproposed amendments has been given to the NESTA membership. Ten percent (10%) of the total NESTA membership shall be requiredto vote on the proposed amendments before they can be accepted as amended.

SECTION II
BYLAWS AND AMENDMENT PROCEDURES

1.NESTA bylaws shall not contravene the Constitution.
2.The NESTA bylaws supersede all other verbal or written guidelines, policies, procedures and traditions but are subject to the NESTA Constitution.
3.NESTA Bylaws may be amended by a simple majority vote of the members in attendance at a general meeting or by electronic voting provided that at least one (1) month notice of the proposed amendments has been given to the NESTA membership. Ten percent (10%) of the total NESTA membership shall be required to vote on the proposed amendments before they can be accepted as amended.

SECTION III
NESTA EXECUTIVE

Composition
The Executive shall consist of a chairperson, a secretary, a treasurer, a secondary liaison officer, a primary liaison officer, a communications officer and three Councillors.

Duties of the Executive

The duties of the Executive shall be:
i.to hold/attend executive and general meetings;
ii.to promote an understanding of the objectives of NESTA;
iii.to fill vacancies on the Executive by holding a by-election if there are more than 3 months of the term of office remaining or by appointment if there are less than 3 months of the term of office remaining;
iv.to hold general meetings when deemed necessary for the welfare of NESTA but at least once a month from September to June;
v.to supervise the compilation of the NESTA budget for approval at the September General Meeting and to authorize and approve NESTA expenses;
vi.to promote and publicize the activities of NESTA;
vii.to send out notices to members requesting volunteers to work on committees and to make appointments to committees;
viii.to receive committee reports;
ix.to make known to all NETs new to NESTA the Constitution and the Bylaws of NESTA and the procedures for the general meetings;
x.to ensure that the Constitution and Bylaws are followed;
xi.to inform/consult the Chairperson between regular meetings on NESTA matters.

 

Duties of the Executive Officers

Chairperson
It shall be the duty of the Chairperson: i.to promote the objectives of NESTA;
ii.to call NESTA meetings, preside thereat and plan the agenda thereof;
iii.to be responsible for maintaining order at all meetings;
iv.to be responsible for the execution of motions that have been carried by the association;
v.to keep the membership informed of NESTA business through the NESTA website and by electronic mailing;
vi.to attend to all correspondence as directed by the Executive; vii.to keep on file a record of all members in good standing; viii.to forward to the general membership the names and electronic mailing addresses of the Executive within a month of their election to office;
ix.to attend executive meetings and general meetings, and, in case of tie, to exercise voting privileges.

 

By virtue of the office, the Chairperson shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.

Secretary
It shall be the duty of the Secretary:
i.to record and keep on file the minutes of executive and general meetings, noting especially motions carried, with mover and seconder;
ii.to list motions at executive meetings for expenditure approvals in the minutes;
iii.to amend any errors in the minutes before presenting them to the membership for adoption at the next general meeting;
iv.to liaise with the Communications Officer to post all minutes of the general meetings adopted by the membership on the NESTA website and by electronic mailing;
v.to liaise with the Communications Officer to inform members of future meetings at least one (1) week before they take place;
vi.to be responsible for all correspondence which will be incorporated into the agendas and tabled at the meetings;
vii.to prepare the agendas for the Executive meetings and post to Executive Officers at least one (1) day in advance of the meeting. Executive Officers may contact the secretary to add any item to the agenda up to one (1) day prior to the meeting;
viii.to prepare the agendas for the general meetings and to liaise with the Communications Officer to post agendas on the NESTA website and by electronic mailing at least one (1) day in advance of the meeting. Members may contact the secretary to add any item to the agenda up to one (1) day prior to the meeting;
ix.to attend NESTA executive meetings and general meetings and to exercise voting privileges.

 

Treasurer
It shall be the duty of the Treasurer:
i.to present to the membership for vote at the June NESTA general meeting a proposed membership fee for the following year;
ii.to receive and acknowledge all monies from the membership;
iii.to deposit all funds in the name of NESTA in a bank account approved by the Executive;
iv.to keep an account of all money received, and to provide a monthly financial report to the membership;
v.to pay all authorized accounts and expenses incurred by NESTA as directed by the Executive;
vi.to present the budget for approval to the membership at the first NESTA general meeting subsequent to the Executive approval of the proposed budget;
vii.to present a financial report to date to the membership at the final NESTA general meeting of the year;
viii.to keep a copy of a separate list of financial motions from executive meetings (for audit);
ix.to have the accounts audited annually and to present the report to the membership;
x.to attend executive meetings and general meetings and to exercise voting privileges.

 

Liaison Officers
It shall be the duty of the Liaison Officers:
i.to liaise with the EDB on behalf of the Executive and the membership of NESTA;
ii.to prepare a verbal or written report given at NESTA general meetings;
iii.to take up cases on behalf of individual members who have not reached a satisfactory agreement in their dealings with the EDB or their individual schools in an attempt to achieve a positive resolution;
iv.to attend executive meetings and general meetings and to exercise voting privileges.

 

Communications Officer
It shall be the duty of the Communications Officer:
i.to liaise with the webmaster to maintain and regularly update the website;
ii.to maintain an updated electronic mailing list of the membership;
iii.to announce meeting dates on the website and by electronic mailing;
iv.to post agendas on the website and by electronic mailing at least one (1) day in advance of the meeting;
v.to post the minutes of general meetings adopted by the membership on the website;
vi.to oversee the electronic voting for elections and for all motions.

 

Councillors
It shall be the duty of the Councillors:
i.to assist the other members of the Executive in their duties as requested;
ii.to attend executive meetings and general meetings and to exercise voting privileges.

SECTION IV
STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES

A standing committee shall be a committee that has perpetual existence in NESTA and is written in the NESTA Bylaws.
A standing committee serves a permanent and continuing function for NESTA.

Standing committees of NESTA shall be:
i.Professional Development Committee
ii.Social Committee
iii.Benefits and Welfare Committee

A special committee shall be a committee that is established for a specific purpose and ceases to exist after the task assigned to it is completed and the committee makes its final report. A special committee shall be formed by a motion and a vote by the membership at a general meeting or by electronic voting.

Selection and Composition of Standing Committees/Special Committees:

1.The Executive shall send out notices requesting volunteers to serve on standing committees and on special committees when the need arises.
2.The Executive shall appoint members of NESTA who volunteer to serve on the standing/special committees.

Duties of Standing Committees
The duties of the standing committees shall be:

Professional Development Committee
i.to provide professional development workshops;
ii.to organise learning fairs/professional development days.

Social Committee
i.to be responsible for organising social activities.

Benefits and Welfare Committee
i.to monitor the remuneration package in recruiting qualified and experienced NETs to the scheme by keeping up-to-date information and statistics on the different aspects of the package;
ii.to monitor deployment practices to ensure that the deployment of NETs in schools is effective in helping NETs achieve the aims of the scheme;
iii.to request that the EDB review aspects of the remuneration package and/or deployment issues as and when necessary;
iv.to provide regular reports to the membership on the committee's work.

SECTION V
GENERAL PROCEDURES FOR STANDING/SPECIAL COMMITTEES

Written reports of each standing/special committee shall be submitted to the Executive for inclusion on the agenda of NESTA general meetings and posted on the NESTA website and by electronic mailing before each general meeting with a brief verbal report given at each general meeting.

It shall be the responsibility of the committee members to appoint a Committee Chairperson.

The duties of a Committee Chairperson shall be:
i.to call and chair meetings;
ii.to notify committee members prior to a meeting;
ii.to post reports on the website and by electronic mailing.

SECTION VI
NESTA NEWSLETTER, DEBATING COMPETITION AND WRITING COMPETITION

The NESTA Executive shall appoint annually a coordinator who shall be a member in good standing for each the NESTA debating competition, the NESTA writing competition and the NESTA newsletter.

SECTION VII
NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS PROCEDURES

1.The election of the NESTA Executive will be held annually at the June General Meeting. 2.The Executive will appoint an Elections Officer to oversee the elections four (4) weeks prior to the election. 3.The Elections Officer must be a NESTA member in good standing who is not a member of the Executive.

 

The Elections Officer will be responsible for overseeing the entire election.

Duties of the Elections Officer

The duties of the Elections Officer shall be:
i.to post notice to all members on the NESTA website and by electronic mailing of the date and time of the upcoming election at least four (4) weeks prior to the election;
ii.to invite candidates to stand for the positions of NESTA Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Primary Liaison Officer, Secondary Liaison Officer, Communications Officer and Councillors;
iii.to receive nominations up to one (1) week prior to the election; iv.to prepare and post a list of declared candidates on the NESTA website and by electronic mailing no later than one (1) week prior to the election;
v.to ask for names of volunteers who will be members of good standing to help with the election;
vi.to conduct the election for the NESTA Executive by a vote at the NESTA June General Meeting or by electronic voting;
vii.to announce the members of the new NESTA Executive at the General Meeting and by electronic mailing within one week of the elections.

 

Procedures for Elections of the Executive Officers

The procedures for the elections of the Executive Officers shall be as follows:
i.Executive officers shall be elected by a vote of the members in attendance at a June General Meeting or by electronic voting provided that ten percent (10%) of the members vote.
ii.The candidates are to be nominated by one member of the NESTA membership no later than one (1) week prior to the election.
iii.If there are no declared candidates for a position at the time nominations are closed, the Election Officer will accept nominations from the floor.
iv.No other nominations will be accepted for Executive positions once nominations are closed.
v.Candidates shall be allowed to submit statements of no more than 250 words to the Election Officers to be posted on the NESTA website one (1) week before the election date. The content of the statements must be accurate and not libelous or malicious in nature.
vi.Electronic votes will be accepted up until 24 hours before the election.
vii.The order of candidates to be elected/acclaimed shall be:
1.Chairperson
2.Secretary
3.Treasurer
4.Primary Liaison Officer
5.Secondary Liaison Officer
6.Communications Officer
7.Councillors
viii.Candidates may speak for two (2) minutes before the vote at the General Meeting.
ix.The vote for the Executive Officers shall be by secret ballot.
x.The term of office for all Executive Officers shall be for one (1) year.
xi.The officers of the Executive shall assume their positions on 1st July.
xii.To be eligible for service on the Executive, a member must remain a member of NESTA throughout the duration of his or her term of office.

SECTION VIII
MEETINGS AND PROCEDURES

Executive Meetings
i.The Executive Officers shall meet to appoint committee members, form committees, authorise expenditures of monies and other matters of importance to NESTA.

 

General Meetings
i.NESTA general meetings shall be chaired by the Chairperson or his or her designate.
ii.Agendas and notices of meeting dates shall be posted on the NESTA website and by electronic mailing at least one (1) week prior to the general meetings.
iii.In the event of any motion being brought forward for discussion and a vote at a general meeting and without previous notice given to the membership, the quorum shall be ten percent (10%) of the membership.
iv.NESTA general meetings shall be held monthly from September to June.
v.Members shall vote on motions at a general meeting or by electronic voting provided notice of the motion has been posted on the NESTA forum ten (10) days before the general meeting. In order for motions to be passed, ten percent (10%) of the total NESTA membership must vote on the motions either in person at the general meeting or by electronic voting.

 

Committee Meetings
i.Committee meetings shall be held at a time and location determined by the committee chairperson.