Mission Statement

The mission of the Coastal Bend Tech Prep Consortium is to forge partnerships within our 11 county region which foster high-performance education processes with access and support for all students. These partnerships will result in an academically and technically skilled workforce, increased career choices, an enhanced quality of life, economic security for communities and their citizens, and an ability to adapt to the future.

ARTICLE I: Board of Directors

Purpose:

A Board of Directors shall be established to serve as the management body for the Coastal Bend Tech-Prep Consortium.  The Board will operate within the guidelines of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act of 1998 or as amended, and in accordance with the Guidelines for the Development and Implementation of the Tech-Prep Programs developed by the administrative entity (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Education Agency).  The Board sets general policy, oversees the activities of the staff, requests and awards funding, ensures adequate communication among member institutions, oversees progress toward meeting program goals, and acts on other issues affecting the Consortium. 

The Board does not have authority over any of the member institutions or their programs.

Membership
The make-up of the Board of Directors shall be as follows:

Superintendents - 7 members total

Nueces County	3
Aransas County Bee County Refugio County San Patricio County	2
Jim Wells County Live Oak County McMullen County	1
Brooks County Duval County Kenedy County Kleberg County	1

Membership is based on the number of students enrolled in grades 9-12 within the four designated areas.

College Presidents - 2 Members Total

Coastal Bend College Del Mar College

Subject to approval of the Board, college presidents can appoint a designee to attend board meetings with full voting privileges, in their absence.

Other Representatives - 9 Members Total

Workforce Agency Directors Local Workforce Development Board	1
Private Sector Representatives	8

Selection

The superintendents elected to the Board shall be elected by the superintendents within their areas.  Every three years the superintendents will have an opportunity to elect representatives for each of the four areas (as defined above).  The Workforce Agency will be defined by the Board, as necessary.  The Board will have the responsibility for developing a system to replace the members from the private sector. 

Superintendent vacant positions will be filled by the replacement (new superintendent) unless the new superintendent requests, in writing, to be replaced.  If this occurs, the process for election (selection) will be followed as stated in the bylaws.

Terms

The term for Board representation from the private sector and superintendents shall be three years. The Board will rotate membership such that no more than a third of the members are replaced in any one year. Subject to Board approval, private sector board members may serve consecutive terms.

Officers

Board officers will be elected for one year terms, beginning July 1 of each year. The Board shall have a chairperson and vice-chairpersons, the chair being a representative of the private sector and the vice-chair being a representative of the ISD superintendents. The Project Director shall serve as secretary for the Board (with no voting privileges).

The Chairman shall have the responsibility for the general management of the Consortium, presiding at all meetings and representing the Consortium at official functions. The Chair will serve as an ex-officio member of all sub-committees as required to complete the objectives of the Board.


ARTICLE II: BOARD MEETINGS

Regular Meetings

The board shall hold regular meetings quarterly, at a minimum. Members of the Consortium will receive an agenda of the meetings.

Special Meetings

The board may hold special meetings or workshops upon notice to Board members and these may be called by the chairperson or project director with three working days notice to each member

Quorum
A simple majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business or for any specific item of business. 

 When a Board Meeting is called and it is determined that a quorum will not be present, the Board may vote on action items via telephone and/or fax communication.  This alternative voting methodology does not release the Board from meeting as a policy body on a quarterly basis.

Action of the Board

A vote of a majority of the board members present at the time of the vote, if a quorum is present, shall be the act of the board. Each board member shall have one vote. The vote of the Board is non-binding on issues outside the authority provided to the consortium under the Tech-Prep Guidelines.

Board members will abstain from voting when their individual institutions are being considered for funding.


ARTICLE III: AMENDMENTS

The bylaws of the consortium may be amended by a two-thirds vote at a meeting in which a quorum is present, providing there is no conflict between the provisions of the funding contract and proposed adoptions.

ARTICLE IV: MANAGEMENT OF THE CONSORTIUM

Del Mar College shall serve as the fiscal agent for the consortium and shall implement and monitor the financial affairs of the Consortium. The fiscal agent shall file the required reports and assurances for the continued funding of the projects as required by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, as lead state agency.

Consortium Responsibilities

The Coastal Bend Tech-Prep Consortium Board of Directors shall have the following responsibilities in regard to the management of the consortium staff:

(a) choose fiscal agent,
(b) determine goals of the consortium,
(c) determine duties of staff,
(d) hiring procedures ( where different from fiscal agent's procedures),
(e) hiring decision,
(f) pay scale for jobs,
(g) orientation (where different from fiscal agent's orientation),
(h) prioritize duties of staff (policy and operational level),
(i) day-to-day supervision,
(j) acts of staff (fiscal liability rests with fiscal agent),
(k) employee evaluation and discipline,
(l) grievance proceedings (fiscal agent's process will be followed),
(m) employee termination,
(n) travel procedures (where different from fiscal agent's procedures),
(o) personnel procedures (where different from fiscal agent's procedures),
(p) reports to T.H.E.C.B. (fiscal agent responsible for required fiscal input and reports), and
(q) compliance with all legal requirements (fiscal compliance rests with fiscal agent).

Project Director

A project director shall be employed to be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the project and shall regularly inform the Board, the Inter-Agency management, and the field teams of the progress of the project.

Staff

Appropriate staff shall be employed and supervised to manage the project as approved in the funding contract.

Records

All Consortium records shall be kept in the Tech-Prep office, including minutes, reports, financial statements, and other records required by the funding contract or the Board. The fiscal agent shall also maintain all financial records.

Subcommittees

Subcommittees may be designated by the Board to carry out the objectives of the project. Such committees shall be composed of representatives of Consortium members, and shall meet with the Board to provide reports and recommendations for implementation of plans to carry out objectives.