Bylaws Update
Secondary Reading League
Letter from SRL Executive Board
Hello SRL members,
Over the past ten months, the Secondary Reading League’s Executive Board has been undergoing a review of our organization’s bylaws. The last review of and revisions to our bylaws was in 2011. Generally, the SRL reviews its bylaws every five years; however, the recently-concluded reorganization of the international Literacy Association (ILA) caused the Illinois Reading Council (IRC) and all 26 of the local and special interest councils, including SRL, to postpone their regular bylaw review cycle.
At the March 9, 2019 SRL Executive Board meeting, the Board unanimously approved the revisions as proposed and is sending information to the membership regarding the upcoming vote on the proposed revisions. Please see the PDF below.
Executive Summary of Proposed Revisions to SRL bylaws:
1. Several Articles need to be revised to reflect the new relationship between the Illinois Reading Council (our parent organization) and the international Literacy Association (ILA). Rationale: Current bylaws indicate a relationship between SRL and ILA that was fundamentally changed with the recent ILA reorganization. Demands placed on our state organization, IRC, warrant we alter the bylaws to better clarify relationships with parent literacy organizations.
2. Procedural issues pertaining to Executive Board job descriptions, position functions, and election procedures are removed from the bylaws and will be detailed in the SRL Policies and Procedures. Changes to SRL Procedures and Policies would still require Executive Board discussion and approval, and will still be communicated to the membership via agenda and minutes.
Rationale: Specific details concerning operations are better outlined in SRL Policies and Procedures, allowing the organization to respond more quickly to changes. For example, a desire to use emerging technology that allows SRL to communicate better with its membership should not require us to make a change in the bylaws.
3. Contradictory language within the bylaws was cleaned up to clarify appointed versus elected officers of SRL, composition of the Executive Board positions, and length of term of office. Rationale: Numerous instances of conflicting language were identified in the existing bylaws. The suggested revisions to the SRL bylaws will maintain the health and status of the organization and clarify language for future leaders. No new SRL Executive Board positions are being created. Two positions, Day of Reading Chair and Newsletter Editor, are clearly identified as appointed positions.
Membership Vote to Approve Bylaw Revisions:
On March 30, you will receive an email message regarding the voting process for the proposed revisions to our bylaws. The message will also contain information about the regular SRL Executive Board election. The secure electronic voting system we use is called BallotBin and will allow for an efficient voting process. We hope to have participation by as many members as possible, so be on the lookout for this message.
Best regards,
Erik Borne, SRL President
Mark Levine, SRL President-elect
Rachel Roscoe-Lesinski, SRL Vice President
Terry McHugh, SRL Treasurer
Angel Kalat, SRL Membership
Renee Yunker, SRL Newsletter Editor
Barb Chrz-White, SRL Secretary