CONSTITUTION & BY-LAWS
OF MICHIGAN SKYWARD USER GROUP (MSUG) 

ARTICLE I - NAME

The name of this organization shall be Michigan Skyward User Group (MSUG) (hereby referred to as the "organization"). The organization shall consist of a General Membership (Article III) and a Steering Committee (Article IV).

ARTICLE II - PURPOSE

The purpose of this organization shall be as set forth in the following sections:

Section 1 - Conference

To provide an annual MSUG conference to employees of schools that utilize the Skyward School Management System software for their Student and/or Finance software needs.

Section 2 - Product Ideas

To review, discuss and vote on Product Ideas requests submitted by Skyward customers in order to enhance the Skyward software.

ARTICLE III - GENERAL MEMBERSHIP

Section 1 - Conditions of Membership

Each member in this organization must be an employee of a local school district, a public school academy, a private school, or an intermediate school district that utilizes the Skyward School Management System software and is located in Michigan (hereby referred to as "customer").

Section 2 - Size of Organization

The organization will be made up of a maximum of four members per customer with two representing the Student product and two representing the Business product.

Section 3 - Term of Membership

Each customer will determine the length of time their representing member(s) shall serve. Resignation from the organization should be in writing and received by the Secretary.

General Members can be barred from the organization for just cause by a majority vote of their fellow Sub-Committee members and officers.

Section 4 - Membership Process

Persons meeting the requirements under Conditions of Membership must register for membership by completing the General Membership form, available on the MSUG website at http://www.MI-Sky.com.

Section 5 - Duties of Membership

Membership duties include attendance at the MSUG Conference and meetings. General Meetings of this organization will be held a minimum of four times a year. General Members are expected to attend, whether in person or virtually. To attend virtually, General Members should contact the Technology & Communications Officer as soon as possible prior to the meeting date. 

ARTICLE IV - EXECUTIVE BOARD

The Executive Board shall hereby be referred to as the "Steering Committee."

Section 1 - Steering Committee

The Steering Committee consists of nine Officers, nine Trustees, and any Past Officers. Officers include the roles of President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Web Site Developer, Technology & Communications Officer, Conference Sub-Committee Chairperson, Business · Sub-Committee Chairperson, Student Sub-Committee Chairperson. A Steering Committee member may hold only one position on the Steering Committee at any one time.

Steering Committee members will attend Steering Committee meetings and the annual Conference.

Section 2 - Responsibilities

Responsibilities of President:

The President shall preside over General Meetings and call special meetings at their discretion, using procedure outlined in Article VII. The President shall be authorized to disburse and deposit funds. They will serve as a public relations point of contact for Michigan school districts that use Skyward. The President is expected to assist with the planning of the MSUG Conference and serve on the Conference Sub-Committee.

Responsibilities of Vice-President:

The Vice-President shall carry out the duties assigned by the President. They will serve as a public relations point of contact for Michigan school districts that use Skyward. The Vice-President is expected to assist with the planning of the MSUG Conference and serve on the Conference Sub-Committee. In the event the President is unable to perform their duties, the Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President.

Responsibilities of Secretary:

The Secretary shall carry on all correspondence for the organization as required by the office and record minutes at General Meetings. The Secretary shall maintain membership records for the organization and coordinate Trustee and General Membership applications.

Responsibilities of Treasurer:

The Treasurer shall establish and maintain a system by which the organization's finances are kept. They will also be responsible for paying any bills owed by the organization and for ensuring the organizations appropriate annual tax obligations are met. The Treasurer will make available a report of all activity in the bank account since the last General Meeting. This report shall include a copy of all bank statements and an explanation of all transactions.

Responsibilities of Website Developer:

The Website Developer will manage all updates to the MSUG website, MI-Sky.com. They will maintain the hosting and domain(s) updates and/or changes. Change requests will be submitted and coordinated through the Officers.

Responsibilities of Technology & Communications Officer:

The Technology & Communications Officer will manage all virtual meetings, coordinating with other members and Skyward personnel, as needed, to facilitate a functional and effective online meeting experience for members. The Technology and Communications officer shall manage and maintain the MSUG accounts such as Social Media, Google Drive, Google Groups and Gmail. They shall also ensure that permissions are shared appropriately with Members as applicable. This Officer shall also support other technology and communications needs of the group, as needed.

Responsibilities of Sub-Committee Chairperson:

The Sub-Committee Chairperson will oversee their respective Sub-Committee meetings (if applicable), present proposed Product Ideas requests to the committee, and communicate results to appropriate parties.

Conference Subcommittee - The Conference Subcommittee organizes the annual Skyward User Conference held in Michigan each fall. This chairperson is the coordinator of responsibilities for conference organization duties. The Chairperson will serve as liaison between the venue, Skyward and MSUG Committee.

Student Subcommittee - The Student Subcommittee handles the Product Ideas for the Skyward's student component. The Chairperson will assist with review and selection of sessions presented at the MSUG Conference related to the Skyward Student product.

Finance (Business) Subcommittee - The Finance Subcommittee handles the Product Ideas for the Skyward's finance component. The Chairperson will assist with review and selection of sessions presented at the MSUG Conference as related to the Skyward Finance product.

Responsibilities of Trustees and Past Officers:

Trustees and Past Officers will attend Steering Committee meetings and the annual Conference, and will assist Officers, as needed.

ARTICLE V - ELECTION AND TERMS

Section 1 - Election and Term Limits of Officers

Only current members of the organization are eligible to be candidates for any Officer position. Only current members will be allowed to vote in Officer Elections. The offices of President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer are elected by all members of the organization. The offices of Web Site Developer and Technology & Communications Officer will be elected by their fellow Officers. The Sub-Committee Chairpersons are elected by their respective Sub-Committee members and all MSUG Officers. A Sub-Committee Chairperson candidate must be a current member of the respective Sub-Committee.  Elections will be held at the last general meeting of each even numbered year. Terms will start on the following January 1st. Because the election of Officers occurs every two years, by the act of voting, the current members will ultimately decide the term limits of the Officers of the organization. Therefore, no predefined term limits are necessary.

Section 2 - Trustees

A General Member may apply to fill the next open Trustee position by submitting a Trustee Application to the Steering Committee Secretary, who will maintain any waiting list. Trustees are appointed to the Steering Committee based on the number of years the customer has utilized the software, the order in which the application was received, and with the intent to maintain a balance between the two core products- Student and Business.

Section 3 - Past Officers

Once an Officer has completed their term of office, they will be permitted to remain on the Steering Committee.

Section 4 - Resignation, Termination, and Absences

Resignation from the Steering Committee shall be in writing and received by the Secretary. 1f an Officer is terminated or resigns the remaining Steering Committee members shall appoint an interim successor from the Steering Committee membership by a simple majority vote. If a Trustee is terminated or resigns, the position will be filled based on the Trustee application waiting list. If a Past Officer is terminated or resigns; their position will not be filled.

Termination of Steering Committee members may occur, either with or without cause, by a simple majority vote of the Steering Committee. A Steering Committee member shall be removed from the Steering Committee for excessive absences from meetings, with the exception of extenuating circumstances. General Members can be barred from the organization for just cause by a simple majority vote of all members.

ARTICLE VII - PROCEDURE

President or Chairperson Rules of Order shall govern the procedure in meetings of this organization. Meeting agendas shall be prepared by the President or Chairperson and sent via email to all members of the organization at least one week, but no more than three weeks prior to each meeting.

ARTICLE VIII - AMENDMENTS

These By-Laws may be amended by a majority vote of the Steering Committee members present at any General Meeting of the organization.

ARTICLE IX - DISSOLUTION

Upon the dissolution of this organization, remaining assets of this organization shall be donated to a charitable organization(s) within the meaning of section 50l(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future Federal tax code, as selected through a majority vote of the Steering Committee members present at any General Meeting of the Michigan Skyward User Group. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by a Court of Competent Jurisdiction of the county in which the principal address of the corporation is then located.

ARTICLE X - OUT OF STATE CONFERENCES

iCon Attendance

Each year the organization will finance individual attendance at Skyward’s iCon Conference depending on funds available. If funds are available MSUG will send the President and annually, up to 4 additional executive board members and up to 2 trustees.  The President and Treasurer will review the fund balance and prior Conference revenue annually to determine the number of Steering Committee members that will be eligible to attend iCon as early as possible (a fiscally responsible fund balance is to be maintained).  Steering Committee members must be in good standing, meaning they attend MSUG meetings and participate in the planning of the annual MSUG Conference to be eligible to be selected for the iCon Conference. The executive board members will rotate attendance annually. Rotation will be in the order below. The rotation order will be tracked. If the member in the position is unable to attend or is funded by another source, the next position on the list will be offered an opportunity to attend iCon. The member(s) unable to attend will be offered a slot the following year (unless they are no longer a MSUG Steering Committee member). The order will then continue with the last Steering Committee position that was not offered the opportunity to attend.  

1. Vice President

2. Secretary

3. Treasurer

4. Website Manager

5. Technology and Communications Chair

6. Conference Sub-Chair

7. Student Sub-Chair

8. Finance Sub Chair

The Executive board will nominate and vote on the trustee to attend iCon based on their commitment and involvement with MSUG. If an attendee that MSUG is supporting financially would like to present a session at iCon, they will be limited to 1 presentation and still have their costs covered. MSUG will utilize their waived conference fee to offset expenses.

Attendees will be announced to the general membership at the September meeting. Potential attendees will be required to notify MSUG of acceptance within 5 business days of notification of being selected. This will allow time to discuss personal family commitments and school district release. Once accepted, attendees will need to complete the iCon Attendance Agreement and will receive all other necessary instructions to complete their registration.

The organization will cover the following conference expenses for each individual, in accordance with signed iCon Attendance Agreement. It is the Attendee’s responsibility to pay all fees/costs associated with conference and provide the MSUG Treasurer valid receipts for reimbursement. In the case an attendee is unable to pre-pay their conference expenses; it is their responsibility to make arrangements with the MSUG Treasurer prior to accepting the agreement for a suitable payment plan:

• Individual Conference Fee

• Maximum of (3) three nights stay in a standard hotel room, plus resort fee, at the conference site. The Steering Committee will determine the yearly standard rate.

• Single Coach Airfare - Attendees agree to be fiscally responsible when choosing airfare costs. The Steering Committee reserves the right to deny excessive expenses.

• If desired, an iCon attendee may choose another form of transportation besides flying to the conference. The organization will reimburse the actual cost of round-trip travel as follows: ticket cost for bus or train (coach fare); fuel and tolls for driving a personal vehicle. The organization will not cover any additional costs, such as food or lodging along the way. (Attendees agree to be fiscally responsible when choosing travel costs. The Steering Committee reserves the right to deny excessive expenses).

• Airport shuttle service to and from the conference site. (Attendees agree to be fiscally responsible when choosing shuttle service. The Steering Committee reserves the right to deny excessive expenses). MSUG will not reimburse car rental expenses.

Other State Skyward User Group Conferences

MSUG members in good standing can utilize the offerings that are made from other Skyward user groups for waiving the conference fee for state conferences. MSUG will not cover any expenses for members to attend other states’ user group conferences.