About URSA

The purpose of Utah Rural Schools Association (URSA) is to improve instruction in rural elementary and secondary schools in Utah. URSA Pilliars

The mission of the Utah Rural Schools Association is to advocate for educational equity in Utah’s rural school districts to help them meet the educational goals and needs of their students.

Therefore, URSA holds the following specific purposes, to:

  1. Help rural schools and districts identify and meet their educational goals.
  2. Improve communication among rural schools, the State Office of Education, institutions of higher learning, regional education service centers, the public, and other agencies.
  3. Coordinate programs and activities and to provide sharing of services, resources, and information among the members of URSA.
  4. Provide a unified voice to all citizenry, local boards, elected public officials, and legislative bodies that have impact on Utah’s rural schools.
  5. Encourage the development of stronger pre-service and in-service training of teachers and administrators in rural schools.

URSA is governed by a Board of Directors. Board membership consists of representatives from the rural district superintendents, elementary classroom teachers and principals, secondary classroom teachers and principals, regional service center directors, Utah State Board of Education, Utah Colleges of Education, district school board members, Utah School Boards Association Board of Directors, Utah Education Network, Superintendent from the Utah State Office of Education and a superintendent from an urban school district.

By-Laws 

Amended September 9, 2021  

Purpose 

To improve instruction in rural elementary and secondary schools in Utah. 

Mission 

To advocate for educational equity in Utah’s rural school districts to help them meet the  educational goals and needs of their students.  

Goals 

  1. Help rural schools and districts identify and meet their educational goals. 
  2. Improve communication among rural schools and school districts, the Utah  State Office of Education, institutions of higher learning, regional education  service centers, the public, and other agencies. 
  3. Coordinate programs and activities and to provide sharing of services,  resources, and information among the members of URSA.
  4. Provide a unified voice to all citizenry, local boards, elected public officials, and  legislative bodies that have an impact on Utah’s rural schools.
  5. Encourage the development of stronger pre-service and in-service training of  teachers and administrators in rural schools.  

Governance 

URSA is governed by a Board of Directors. 

Board of Directors Membership 

The URSA Board of Directors shall consist of representatives from the rural districts of Utah.  Board Membership includes: a superintendent from each of the Regional Educational Service Agencies serving as an executive officer, a superintendent from each of the Regional Educational Service Agencies serving as a legislative representative,  an elementary classroom teacher and principal, a secondary classroom teacher and  principal, the four executive directors of the Regional Educational Service Agencies, a member of the Utah State Board of Education,  a member of the Utah School Boards Association Board of Directors, the Director/CEO of the Utah Education and Telehealth Network, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, or designee, the executive director of the Utah Schools Superintendent Association, and a superintendent from an urban school district as assigned by USSA Leadership.  All members listed above are voting members and shall be used in constituting a quorum.

General Membership 

All staff, teachers and administrators of school districts and charter schools in the  Regional Educational Service Agencies regions are members of URSA by position.  

Executive Officers 

  1. Vice President Elect. The Vice President-Elect shall be a superintendent of a  rural school district and will be appointed by a majority vote of a quorum of the  Board of Directors. The Vice President Elect shall normally become the President  elect after having served one year as Vice President Elect unless circumstances,  such as health and career obstacles require a President elect to be selected  outside of this rotation because not available for continued service. If so required,  a President-Elect may be selected to serve by majority vote of a quorum of the  Board of Directors.  
  2. President-Elect. The President-Elect shall normally become the President of  the Association after having served one year as President-Elect and one year as  Vice President Elect unless circumstances, such as health and career obstacles require a President to be selected outside of this rotation because not available  for continued service. If so required, the Vice President may be selected by the  Board of Directors to serve by majority vote of a quorum of the Board of  Directors.  
  3. President. The President-Elect shall normally become the President of the  Association after having served one year as President-Elect and one year as  Vice President Elect unless circumstances, such as health and career obstacles  require a President-Elect to be selected outside of this rotation because not  available for continued service. If so required, the President-Elect may be  selected by the Board of Directors to serve by majority vote of a quorum of the  Board. The President’s term of office shall be one year.  
  4. Immediate Past President. When the President is succeeded by the  President-Elect, the former President shall continue to serve an additional year as Immediate Past President, for the purpose of continuity.  
  5. Executive Officers must be a sitting superintendent and a member of the  Association. Each of the four Executive Officers shall be from a different service  center region and will be selected for office by the individual service center region  board. 
  6. The President shall appoint a Secretary, who may or may not be a member of  the Board.

 Ex Officio Members 

  1. The Governor’s Senior Advisor for Education, or designee,

  2. Representatives from the URSA Partnering Institutions of Higher Education including: Utah Valley University, Utah State University-Eastern, Snow College, and Southern Utah University.

Meeting Location 

All meetings will take place at the site announced to Board Members in normal notice given at least 48 hours before meetings. These sites may include a school district office,  a university, state legislative offices, the annual conference site, and other reasonably announced sites.

Quorum  

A majority of the Board of Directors or board member proxy present will constitute a quorum for the purposes of conducting votes and making binding votes and decisions.  Board members present may vote to adjourn the meeting to another time and place  pending 48 hours’ notice at least, to all Board Members. 

Emergency or Expedited Actions or Decisions 

To fulfill the core mission and purposes of the organization, if the President, President elect, Vice-President Elect and Immediate Past President unanimously agree, they can  constitute themselves as a temporary Executive Committee and as such an emergency  or expedited action or decision may be taken by this group, provided the reasons for the  decision and the decision itself would be legal and appropriate to have been taken at a  regular meeting, but circumstances make it necessary to take action or make a decision  in an expedited time frame. The purposes of such a meeting and expedited or  emergency decision shall be communicated within 48 hours from the decision by email to Board Members and the decisions thus taken shall be submitted for a ratifying or  negative vote at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board. Such vote will be  determined by a majority of those present at that meeting, providing Quorum is  established.  

Terms of Office 

  1. Ex Officio members may serve while holding appropriate office as defined above.  
  2. President, President-elect, Vice-President Elect and Immediate Past President serve  for the terms noted above. Under normal circumstances one serves for a period of four  years, progressing through the offices once chosen as Vice-President Elect.  
  3. Appointed Board Members serve for one four-year term. Appointed Superintendents  may be elected as Vice President-Elect for an additional four year term on the Executive Council.  
  4. Voting. Except as noted for Emergency or Expedited Actions declared by the  President, President-elect, Vice-President Elect and Immediate Past President, all Board Members shall have one vote.

Finances 

The URSA Board of Directors will assign one service center to act as the fiscal agent for  URSA. The service center will maintain all financial records for the association and  periodically report the financial status of the association as determined by the board.  URSA revenues and expenditures will be considered restricted funds and kept separate  from the regular service center and district funds. URSA fund balances will also be  considered separate and restricted from regular service center funds. URSA funds will  be audited annually as part of the service center’s normal audit process. 

Membership Dues 

Shall be fixed annually by action of the Board of Directors and shall cover the period  July 1 through June 30, if needed

By-Laws  

Shall be developed and amended by the Board of Directors as needed. 

Amendments  

Proposed amendments to these by-laws may be initiated by members of the Board of  Directors or by petitions bearing the signatures of fifty (50) members of the Association.  Proposed amendments shall become effective when approved by a two-thirds (2/3)  majority of the Board of Directors.  

Revised & Adopted September 9, 2021