LAKE BLUFF SCHOOL CAUCUS BYLAWS

AS AMENDED AND RESTATED NOVEMBER 18, 2013

I.               PURPOSES OF THE SCHOOL CAUCUS 

A.            To select nominees on a nonpartisan basis for the Lake Bluff Elementary School District 65 Board of Education (herein called the Elementary Board), giving consideration to promoting representation from all areas of the community and both users and nonusers of the School District, and to promote the election of these nominees.   

B.            To select nominees on a nonpartisan basis for positions on the Lake Forest Community High School District 115 Board of Education (herein called the High School Board), and to promote the election of these nominees.

II.             MEMBERSHIP OF THE SCHOOL CAUCUS 

A.            Caucus membership shall consist of one member per 200 registered voters in each of the six geographic areas (“Caucus Areas”) defined in II(A)(3). 

1.       The member apportionment shall be based on the most recent municipal elections. 

2.       The Caucus Area known as Precinct 235+ is Precinct 235 and that part of Precinct 175 that lies within District 65. The number of Registered Voters for member calculation from Precinct 235+ shall be 114 percent of the number of registered voters in Precinct 235. 

3.       The six Caucus Areas shall be Precinct 235+ as defined in II(A)(2), Precinct 236, Precinct 237, Precinct 238, Precinct 240, and Precinct 241. 

4.       The provisions of II(A), including the scaling factor for Precinct 235+, shall be reviewed every decade following any redistricting that results from the national census. 

5.       When apportionment changes, current members shall be unaffected; the realization of a changed apportionment to be limited to wait-listing. 

B.            Each Caucus Area will have a leader who is appointed by the President. 

C.            There will be an Executive Committee of the Caucus composed of the following: 

1.             President

2.             Vice President

3.             Secretary

4.             Treasurer 

D.            The President shall be elected from the Caucus membership, will oversee the Executive Committee and general membership meetings, will have no voting privileges, and will have his or her Caucus seat delegated to another. 

E.             The Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer will be elected from the Caucus membership.  In the event of a vacancy for Vice President or Secretary, the Vice President serves as Secretary, or vice-versa.   

F.             Members will be selected as follows: 

1.             Area Leaders will determine how many members are needed to fill all of the vacancies in their Area based on the formula in Article II(A). 

2.             Area Leaders will solicit volunteers from within the boundaries of their respective Areas to fill the aforementioned vacancies. 

3.             If there are more potential members than there are vacancies, such potential members will be placed on a waiting list on a first come, first served basis.  The Secretary will maintain the waiting list.   

G.            Each member shall be both a registered voter and a resident of the Caucus Area from which selected for at least six months immediately preceding his or her selection.   

H.            Each new member must be both a member of the Caucus for at least six months and have attended at least two general Caucus meetings, in order to be eligible to vote for nominees to the Elementary Board or High School Board. 

I.               Any member having to resign will notify the President, Vice President/Secretary, or his or her Area Leader.   

J.              Vacancies among member positions will be filled as follows: 

1.             By the Area Leaders, who shall first check the waiting list in their respective Areas for potential members and contact such potential members until all vacancies are filled. 

2.             If there is no waiting list, Area Leaders will solicit potential members from within their respective Areas to serve on the Caucus. 

3.             In the event that no potential members are found under either of the above procedures within 30 days following the resignation of a member, and a vacancy in an Area still remains, then a current member may serve more than 2 consecutive terms to fill such vacancy. 

K.            No Caucus members shall serve for more than two consecutive two-year terms except as noted in Article II.J.3.

III.           RULES OF THE CAUCUS 

A.            All members are required to attend full Caucus meetings.  Two unexcused absences within a term will be deemed a resignation.  An unexcused absence occurs when an officer or an Area Leader is not informed of a member’s inability to attend a meeting in advance of the meeting.  The Secretary keeps track of attendance and absences. 

B.            A member’s “term” on the caucus is defined as a two-year period containing an election cycle. 

C.            Each member is entitled to one vote on each proposition.

D.            All Caucus meetings are conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, latest edition. 

E.             A quorum shall be required for the transaction of business at any Caucus meeting.  A quorum consists of a majority of the members.   

F.             At least five days’ notice will be given to members before meetings, including a statement of the purpose(s) of the meeting.   

G.            All Caucus meetings are open to the public except during the voting to select nominees for the Elementary Board and High School Board and during the discussion of the qualifications of potential nominees immediately before the voting.  The public is allowed to attend the Caucus interviews of potential nominees. 

H.            Caucus members are expected to adhere to the rules for debate and conduct as set forth by Roberts’ Rules of Order. 

I.               Removal of the President, officers, or members will be done as follows: 

1.             A proposal for removal of the President, Officer, a Committee Chairperson, or a member shall be submitted in writing in the form of a motion to the President or the Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee at least three weeks before the Caucus meeting at which the motion will be acted on.  The motion shall state the violation of these Bylaws or other rules of the Caucus constituting the reason(s) for removal. 

2.             The officer or member in question shall be given a copy of the motion within seven days of its receipt by the President or the Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee. 

3.             Each member shall be given a copy of the motion five days before the Caucus meeting at which the motion will be acted on. 

4.             The officer or member whose removal is sought shall be given ample opportunity, at the Caucus meeting, to address the reasons stated in the motion.  Robert’s Rules of Order governing debate of a motion shall apply.  

5.             A two-thirds affirmative vote of all ballots cast shall be necessary to carry the motion for removal. 

6.             If a motion for removal fails to be carried, the same motion may not be introduced again during that session of the Caucus.

IV.          ELECTION OF OFFICERS  

A.            Officers will be elected by a simple majority of the votes cast by the members present at the Spring meeting of the Caucus in odd-numbered years. 

B.            The President will serve for one two-year term and will be eligible for a second term.  

C.            Only members who have served for two years on the current or immediately preceding Caucus are eligible for the office of President.  

D.            The President shall be a resident of District 65 during his or her term of office. 

E.             Succession of the President is as follows: 

1.             The Caucus will elect a new President if the current President is unable to complete the full term of office. 

2.             The Ad Hoc Committee shall meet and nominate eligible members, as defined above, to replace the President. 

V.            DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS 

A.            President 

1.             Presides at all Caucus meetings.  

2.             Fills any vacancies as they occur on committees. 

3.             Serves as an ex-officio member of all committees, but has no vote at committee meetings. 

4.             Appoints special committees as the need arises.   

5.             Oversees communication with Area Leaders and Committee Chairpersons. 

6.             Works to oversee the delivery of content for the Caucus Website, which is maintained by the Treasurer. 

7.             Oversees the proper operation of the Caucus and upholds the rules of the Caucus.   

8.             Determines dates on which Caucus meetings are held and prepares meeting agendas. 

9.             Invites the Superintendents and Presidents of the Elementary and High School Boards to attend meetings to discuss current issues and the duties and responsibilities of Board members.  This would generally take place at a meeting in the fall.   

10.          Before the meetings to select nominees to either School Board: 

a)             Obtain or delegate the responsibility to gather nominating petitions and statements of candidacy. 

b)             Work with the Vice President/Secretary to contact potential nominees and schedule interviews.  

c)             Post candidacy forms on the Caucus Website. 

11.          Performs the following after the selection of nominees: 

a)             Informs all candidates of the Caucus decisions, within 24 hours. 

b)             Informs the President of the Elementary School Board of the nominees before the release of any publicity.  

c)             Informs the President of the Lake Forest High School Board and the Lake Forest Caucus of the nominees to the High School Board, prior to the release of any publicity.   

12.          Works with candidates to ensure that all completed nominating petitions and statements of candidacy for each nominee are filed with the secretary of the appropriate School Board on the first legally permissible day.  

13.          Works with the Lake Forest Caucus regarding the allocation of nominations for the High School Board to promote adequate representation of District 65 voters/residents. 

14.          If an officer is unable to be a signer on the Caucus bank account, the President may select a replacement from the remaining officers or members. 

B.            Vice President  

1.             Assumes the duties of the President in his or her absence.  

2.             Attends committee meetings at the request of the President, and helps keep minutes of such meetings.  

3.             Communicates with Area Leaders at the request of the President. 

4.             Performs any other duties designated by the President. 

C.            Secretary  

1.             Assists the President in compiling the information needed for the Caucus Website.   

2.             Maintains the up-to-date copy of Caucus members and their contact information. 

3.             Keeps up-to-date copies of the Bylaws, a list of current officers and members, minutes, Treasurer’s reports, and other pertinent information. 

4.             Provides the required written or verbal notices of all Caucus Meetings.   

5.             Records the minutes of each meeting and keeps all of the records and correspondence.  

6.             Informs the President of any member who has two unexcused absences.  At the request of the President, he or she will notify such member that his or her absences have been deemed a resignation, and will notify the Caucus Ad Hoc Committee Chairperson for the vacancy to be filled as specified in Article III.  

7.             Informs all potential nominees of eligibility status, based on the criteria of the Caucus and the State of Illinois election laws, and advises them of the Caucus interview meeting date and procedure. 

8.             Provides each member with copies of the completed resume forms of each of the potential nominees at least one week before the meeting at which the Caucus selects its nominees. 

9.             Works with the Caucus members to reserve appropriate space for meetings. 

10.          Maintains the membership waiting list specified in Article II. 

11.          Performs any other duties designated by the President. 

D.            Treasurer   

1.             Is responsible for all money received and disbursed.   

2.             Provides a financial report, as needed, for all regular meetings. The financial reports include all income and expenditures between the meetings, as well as the bank balances. The financial reports shall be in writing and available to the members.   

3.             Prepares an estimated operating budget.   

4.             Prepares a final financial statement at the end of his or her term of office. This statement shall contain the total amount of income, expenditures, and a general statement of the sources of income and type of expenditures.   

5.             Maintains Caucus website and oversees communications with webmaster.

VI.          COMMITTEES 

A.            The following Caucus committees can be formed as needed: 

1.             Elementary School

2.             High School

3.             Fund Raising

4.             Publicity

5.             Ad Hoc:  Rules, Area Review, Nominating, etc.

VII.        MEETINGS OF THE CAUCUS 

A.            The entire Caucus membership will meet quarterly if needed or more often if determined necessary by the Executive Committee.  

B.            Agenda for all regularly scheduled Caucus meetings: 

1.             Call to order

2.             Roll call/sign-in

3.             Minutes of previous meeting

4.             Financial report

5.             Committee reports

6.             Old business

7.             New business

8.             Announce time and date of next meeting

9.             Adjourn 

C.            The following meetings shall be held.   

1.             Organizational meetings.  

a)             Includes distribution of the Lake Bluff School Caucus Website link to the new members and the list of members, officers, and committees to those members remaining on the Caucus. 

b)             May include a discussion of the duties and responsibilities of the members and the principles and policies of the Caucus. 

c)             The Fund Raising Committee will present its plans for fund raising for the year. 

2.             Meeting to select nominees to the High School Board and Elementary School Board. 

3.             Final meeting of the term.  

a)             The President will announce the School Board election results. 

b)             All committees will report on their activities and present any recommendations for approval by the Caucus. 

c)             The Treasurer will submit the year’s financial statement. 

d)             The Ad Hoc Committee will present the slate of nominees for the office of President and other Officers of the Caucus for election. 

VIII.      QUALIFICATIONS OF NOMINEES 

A.            Nominees for the Elementary Board and High School Board must meet statutory requirements as follows:  “Each member, on the date of his or her election, shall be a citizen of the United States of the age of 18 years or over, shall be a resident of the State and the territory of the district for at least one year immediately preceding his or her election, shall be a registered voter as provided in the general election law, shall not be a school trustee, and shall not be a child sex offender as defined in Section 11-9.3 of the Criminal Code of 2012.” 

B.            Employees of a school district are not eligible for Caucus nomination to the board of such district.  

C.            Members and the President of the Caucus are not eligible for Caucus nomination to either School Board.

D.            It shall be the policy of the Caucus not to recommend a nominee beyond a second four-year term. 

E.             Nominees shall be residents of District 65 when nominated.

IX.          PROCEDURES FOR SELECTION OF NOMINEES 

A.            Selection of nominees to be endorsed by the Caucus while seeking election to either School Board. 

1.             Interview all potential nominees to the School Board. 

2.             The Caucus members who participated in the interview process will go into closed session for discussion. 

3.             In the interest of impartiality, if an immediate family member (who lives in the same household) of one of the potential nominees is serving on the Caucus, that member shall be excused from participation in and absent himself or herself from the discussion of that potential nominee’s qualification.   

4.             Discussion of potential nominee’s qualifications using the Caucus’s previously established criteria and based on the nominee’s personal interview, written response, and resume.  

5.             The excused member(s) referred to in Article IX.A.3 above shall be allowed to return and vote.   

6.             The Caucus members who participated in the interview process will select nominees by secret ballot. 

a)             There shall be separate balloting for each position to be filled. 

b)             A two-thirds vote of all ballots cast shall be necessary to select a nominee. In the event that a two-thirds majority of all ballots cast is not achieved on the third ballot, a simple majority on the fourth ballot shall be sufficient to select a nominee. 

7.             Caucus members shall be asked to sign nominating petitions for the nominees.   

8.             The President shall encourage the members to work for the election of the nominees. The Caucus shall promote the election of the nominees and shall organize a campaign if it deems it necessary.   

B.            Selection of nominees to fill unexpired terms on either School Board. 

If the School Board or Superintendent requests that the Caucus recommend a person to fill an existing vacancy, the Caucus shall meet to interview each potential nominee and recommend nominees according to the methods described in Article IX.

X.            AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS 

Each proposal by a member or an Ad Hoc Committee for the amendment of the Bylaws shall be submitted in writing in the form of a motion at least three weeks before the Caucus meeting at which the motion will be acted on.  A copy of the proposed amendment of the Bylaws will be distributed with the notice of the meeting.  A two-thirds vote of all ballots cast shall be necessary to amend the Bylaws.