REDLANDS EDUCATION SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS ASSOCIATION STANDING RULES

Approved by RESPA E Board on 4/06/26; provided to Site Reps 4/2726

I: Mission Statement:   

The primary purpose of this Association shall be the exclusive representative of the Redlands Education Support Professionals Association.  Redlands Education Support Professionals Association’s goal is to form a representative body capable of developing a group opinion on professional matters to speak with authority for education support professionals and to provide a means of representation for all members including minority members. 

II: Standing Rules shall be established by the following procedures: 

A: Standing Rules will be adopted for the Association by the Executive Board. (RESPA Bylaws item IX: E7)

B: Standing rules can be submitted to the Executive Board for consideration by:

1: Any member of the Executive Board and/or 

2: Submitted from the floor of duly elected Representative Council members in attendance.

III: All RESPA meetings will follow Roberts Rules of Order protocols.

IV: Executive Board Meetings:

A: The Executive Board will meet prior to every REP Council.

B: The Executive Board has the fiduciary responsibility of the Association.

C: The Executive Board will hold a formal planning retreat annually and review the Bylaws and the Standing Rules. 

D: The Executive Board will have a Parliamentarian to monitor Roberts Rules of Order and the procedures within the bylaws.  This is appointed by the President, approved by the Executive Board and is a non-voting position. 

V: Representative Council Meetings:

A: Regular meetings of the Representative Council shall begin at 4:45PM and shall adjourn no later than 6:00PM, unless a motion from the floor to extend the meeting is approved by the quorum established at the onset of the original meeting. 

B: An incentive drawing will be held at the time of the closing gavel.  Names will continue to be drawn until the name of a person drawn is present.  All names of Site Representatives and/or Alternates will be in the box at the time of each drawing. 

VI: Financial Policies and Procedures:

A: General Policies

1: The Executive Board formulates financial policies, delegates administration of the financial policies to the Representative Council, and reviews operations and activities.

2: The Executive Board has management responsibility including financial management.  

3: Financial duties and responsibilities must be separated so that no one person has sole control over cash receipts, disbursements, reconciliation of bank accounts, etc.

4: Professional financial service providers will be established annually.  These include Pro-QuickBooks Online, the financial institution approved by the Executive Board, CTA (insurance and retirement services), and Executive Board approved independent auditor, or other Executive Board approved financial provider.  Any changes to these providers must be approved by the Executive Board and reflected in the minutes.

5: The RESPA Treasurer will maintain a current and accurate log of the chart of accounts.

6: The Executive Board at their annual retreat will review these policies and procedures.

7: All financial records will be kept at the RESPA office.

B: Membership Dues:

1: The Association shall receive on a monthly basis the dues checks and rosters.

2: The Treasurer and or President designee will see to the distribution of funds to CTA, NEA, and PAC, 

Citrus Belt UniServe (CBU) and RESPA in accordance with CTA guidelines.  

3: The procedure for distribution of dues shall be created by the Treasurer and or President designee (and revised as necessary) and attached as Appendix B.

4: Copies of checks and rosters will be kept at the RESPA office for five years. 

5: The Treasurer and or President designee shall verify the accuracy of the dues roster by comparing it with the official RESPA membership records.

C: Cash Receipts (includes checks):

1: The President will endorse and forward a copy of checks to the treasurer for account balancing and documentation of two signatures. 

2: Authorized account signers will complete deposit slips in duplicate from the approved financial institution.  Receipts and deposit slips will be placed in a file for the Executive Board.

3: Documentation of all receipts (a copy of check, letter, etc.) will be attached to the duplicate slip and filed chronologically.

4: All receipts will be deposited intact and in a timely fashion.  No disbursements will be made from cash or check receipts prior to deposit.

D: Cash Disbursements:

1: Check Policy

a: The President will endorse and forward a copy of checks to the treasurer for account balancing.

b: The RESPA Treasurer will generate checks for invoices through the accounting system using QuickBooks Online.  The President shall prepare vouchers for invoices as they are received.

c: Voided checks will have “VOID” written boldly in ink on the face and have the signature portion of the check torn out.  Voided checks will be kept on file.

d: In no event will:

1: Invoices be paid unless approved by two (2) signatures.

2: Blank checks (checks without a date or payee designated) 

be signed in advance.

3: Signature stamps be used by authorized signers or by anyone else in place of authorized signature.

4: Checks made out to “cash”, “bearer”, “Petty cash”, etc.

5: Checks be prepared on verbal authorization, unless approved by the RESPA President and will only be verbally approved in case of an emergency.

e: If it is necessary to issue a duplicate check for checks in an amount over $15, a stop payment will be ordered at the bank on the original check. 

2: Check Authorization Procedure

a: All bills and/or invoices will be immediately forwarded to the RESPA President who will attach vouchers with explanations along with copies of the bills or invoices.

b: The RESPA Treasurer or designee will review vouchers for mathematical accuracy, validity, and conformity to budget or other board authorizations.  The Treasurer or Designee then signs his/her initials to the vouchers indicating they have been reviewed, assigns the correct budget number, and generates the checks. 

c: All checks shall then be signed by two authorized signatures.

d: Authorized signers on the Redlands ESP accounts include:

President.

Vice-President.

Secretary of the Board and/or

Director at Large to be determined annually at the RESPA Executive Board Retreat. 

3: Purchasing:

a: Bank statements will be received directly and opened by the President/Treasurer.

b: The President/designee and the Treasurer will reconcile the bank statements monthly.

c: A review of monthly fiscal reports and credit card reconciliation reports will be agendized at each Executive Board meeting. 

4: Procedures for Cardholders:

1.        The President, and two   (2) Executive Board Members appointed     by the President, will be       

       provided with a RESPA Credit Card.

1. Credit card privileges will be revoked if misuse occurs. 

2. The credit card shall not be used for any personal expenses. 

b: The cardholder is responsible for ensuring the bank card is used appropriately and all purchases of commodities/services/equipment are following RESPA/CTA/NEA purchasing procedures and policies.

c: The cardholder is responsible for the security of the bank card and will immediately report the loss to the RESPA Treasurer.

d: Bank Card Receipt/Invoice:

1: Cardholders will be required to provide itemized receipts for the items purchased. 

2: An itemized receipt/invoice consists of the following information:

-Description of items.

-quantity purchased.

-price per item.

-Sales tax

-Shipping charges

3: Itemized receipt summary form is in the appendix

4: It is the responsibility of the cardholder to retain the vendor receipt/invoice until receiving the monthly cardholder bank statement.  If a receipt is lost and cannot be required, the cardholder must include a personal check for that purchase with the statement. 

5: Individual receipts/invoices smaller than 5 1/2”X 8 ½ “must be taped on the left-hand side of an 8 ½” X 11 “sheet of paper, one receipt/invoice to a sheet.

6: If the cardholder has lost receipts/invoices, it is the cardholder’s responsibility to contact the vendor and request a duplicate copy. Receipts/invoices must accompany the statement (without exception) or the cardholder will include a personal check for the purchase. 

e: All purchases are subject to the same restrictions and guidelines as delineated by the current fiscal year approved budget.

f: Bank Statement:

1: Upon receipt of the monthly credit card statement the RESPA President has 2 working days to forward said statement to the cardholder at their site via District Mail.  The president may also scan and email statement to the card holder if desired. 

2: The cardholder has five (5) working days to submit justification and all receipts to the RESPA Treasurer.

3: The cardholder is responsible for attaching the corresponding receipts/invoices to the bank statement.  The receipts/invoices shall be placed in the order that they are listed on the bank statement.  Originals are to be provided.

4: If any item is billed incorrectly, the cardholder is responsible for the correction with the vendor. 

E: Purchasing:

1: Advanced approval is not necessary for all items previously approved as part of the current year’s budget.

2: Purchases over $500 not included in the current year’s budget must be approved in advance by the Executive Board.

F: Travel and Expenses:

1: General Authorization: The rules governing the control and necessary expenses of RESPA representatives to CTA, NEA and events approved by the Executive Board shall be as follows except where otherwise authorized:

a: A signed and dated RESPA expense statement shall be submitted with all receipts, where required, for all reimbursable expenses. Incomplete statements will be returned and not reimbursed until completed and resubmitted.  There will be no advances for any meeting or conference attendance without prior approval of the Executive Board: this includes CTA, NEA/RA and State Council.  Any outstanding expense statements will preclude the member from attendance at another RESPA funded conference or meeting until the expense form is submitted and cleared by the President unless the conference or meeting is within thirty days of the prior event with the outstanding expense form.

1: Travel:

i: Plane: Actual, most economical coach fare (receipt required) and up to  one checked bag (receipt required).

ii: Train or bus: Actual fare (receipt required).

iii: Auto:

1: Per the current IRS mileage rate at the time the trip was taken. Mileage reimbursement cannot exceed the cost of the least expensive coach plane fare, as determined by the President.

2: Mileage to and from the member’s home airport at the current IRS Mileage rate at the time the trip was taken. 

i: Airport shuttle: RESPA will reimburse the cost of airport shuttles to and from the meeting site.  Taxi fares shall be reimbursed only when no other form of transportation is available (receipt required).

ii: Parking: actual costs of airport parking and hotel parking (receipt required).

iii: Rental Cars: If used in lieu of an airport shuttle will only be reimbursed up to the cost of the airport shuttle.  All other rental car reimbursements must have prior Executive Board authorization. (receipt required).

2: Lodging

i: The cost of a hotel room, not to exceed conference rate (with copy of actual hotel bill as receipt)

ii: Members are expected to share a room with another RESPA member of the same gender.  If the member wants his/her own room, then he/she must pay for the other half of the room expenses including taxes.  If the room is paid directly by RESPA, the other half must be paid for before the trip is taken.  The Executive Board may approve for a member to have a single room. 

iii: RESPA will fund lodging for State Council representatives for State Council and/or Committee work if expense for said lodging is over and above maximum funded by State Council.

iv: A single room for the RESPA President will be funded by RESPA as required and approved by the Executive Board. 

3: Meals: Actual amounts paid including tax and tip, not to exceed CTA current rate for any one day. Itemized receipts are required for all meals.  Meals paid for as part of the conference cannot be vouchered and must be subtracted from the daily meal allowance. If the conference provided meals violate a member’s dietary, religious and/or personal beliefs the member will be reimbursed for a replacement meal at the CTA current rate. 

4: Deadline for Filing Claims: All claims must be filed within ten (10) days of returning from the conference or meeting.  An additional thirty-day period may be granted for extenuating circumstances set forth in a letter of explanation and filed with the claim.  Claims filed more than sixty (60) days after the end of the month in which they are incurred shall require approval of the Executive Board. Claims from previous fiscal years will not be accepted. 

G: Property and Equipment:

1: Equipment shall be defined as all items (purchased or donated) with a unit cost of $500 or more and a useful life of more than one year. 

2: The President/designee will maintain an inventory log, which shall list a description of the item, date of purchase or acquisition, price or fair market value of the item and its location. 

3: The Treasurer/designee will record all equipment in the accounting system.  An entry must be made whenever property is disposed of or acquired.

H: Leases:

1: The RESPA President will review leases prior to submission to the Executive Board for approval.

2: All leases, clearly delineating terms, and conditions, will be approved by the Executive Board and signed by the President. 

3: The President will keep a copy of each lease on file at the RESPA office.

I: Books of Original Entry

1: RESPA will utilize QuickBooks Online accounting software for 

accounting for all funds.

2: Adequate documentation will be maintained to support all general entries. 

3: Monthly on the designated day the Treasurer will prepare a Budget Report that will be reviewed by the Executive Board for approval and presented to the Site Rep Council.

4: The Budget Report will include a comparison to the approved budget as well as monthly balances.

5: RESPA will maintain its accounting records on the cash basis in a manner that facilitates the preparation of audited financial statements conforming to generally accepted accounting principles.

6: The Executive Board shall at a minimum annually contract with an independent auditing firm for a full audit of the books, to be completed prior the first of November.

J: Budgets

1: The RESPA President and the RESPA Treasurer will prepare the annual financial budget for presentation to the Executive Board. 

2: The Executive Board shall approve the annual budget no later than the first regularly scheduled meeting of the school year and submit to the Representative Council for approval.  The budget will be published for review no later than 30 days prior to vote of approval. 

3: The Treasurer will ensure that budgets are on file at the RESPA Office. 

4: The Executive Board must approve proposed changes to the budget.

K: RESPA Records

1: Minutes of Meetings:

a: The Secretary of the Board will prepare accurate minutes of all meetings of the Executive Board and Rep Council.

b: The Secretary will file the minutes after approval.

c: The Secretary will provide the current meeting agenda; the previous meeting minutes and the Treasurer provided fiscal reports to the Executive Board and the Rep Council no later than 48 hours prior to said meeting date. 

2: Financial Records: The Treasurer shall file financial records as appropriate and organized for each year as directed by the accounting firm responsible for the yearly audit at the RESPA office in a locked cabinet.

3: Membership applications and rosters shall be maintained in a locked cabinet at the RESPA office by the Membership chair and the Executive Secretary. 

L: Executive Board Responsibilities for Stipend Disbursement:

1: Executive Board members must

a: attend the annual RESPA retreat.

b: Attend all Site Representative Council meetings.

c: Attend all Executive Board Meetings.

d: If absent from more than four (4) Site Rep meetings or Executive Board Meetings, stipend will be forfeit. 

e. Upon the 5^th absence, it will be taken as your relinquishment of your current position. RESPA will then conduct a special election to fill vacant position for the remainder of the open term.

VI: Election Procedures:

A: The Chapter shall follow, and members are entitled to all rights contained in the CTA Requirements of Chapter Election Procedures published annually with the CTA Elections Manual.  

B: Officers and Directors at large shall be elected for a term of two (2) years, 

commencing on July 1^st of any calendar year.  

C: The President, Executive Secretary, Director of Transportation, Director of Child Nutrition Services, and Director of Paraprofessionals 1 shall be elected during odd numbered years.

D: The Vice President, Treasurer, Director of Maintenance and Operations; Director of Clerical, Director of Fiscal and Technical, Director of School Safety and Director of Paraprofessionals 2  shall be elected during even numbered years. 

E: The Chapter President must provide all active members the opportunity to vote. The Chapter President does not have the option that such elections shall not be held. 

F: The Chapter shall follow CTA guidelines regarding electronic voting. 

VII: Committees

A: Meeting Schedule:

1: The Chair shall notify the Association President and Vice President in advance of the date, time, and place of any committee meeting. 

2: All Committees shall continue to function from appointment to the end of the Association year unless otherwise directed by vote of the Executive Board. 

B: Standing Committees: 

1: Budget Committee: periodically review that the budget is being spent as designated and make recommendations as needed. (minimum of 3 members, made up of the Treasurer as chair plus two others)

2: Elections Committee: Committee will follow elections procedures as detailed in Bylaws (minimum of 3 members)

3: Grievance Committee: Provides a safe, acceptable, and systematic way to settle contractual conflicts that come up on the job. (minimum of 3 members)

4:  Equity Committee: promote and monitor human rights practices of the association and the community. (minimum of 2 members).

5: Insurance Committee: Joint consensus committee between RUSD; RTA, RAPA, and RESPA to negotiate the most opportune health care and benefits for our members. To report to membership any changes or additions to plans and costs.   (minimum of 3 members)

6: Membership Committee: Encourages members to attend meetings and activities. The Chair keeps an accurate account of all members and their work sites. The chair works with the Elections Chair to maintain accurate membership information. (minimum of 3 members)

7: Negotiations Committee: Committee will follow procedures as detailed in Bylaws (maximum of 5 members plus 2 alternates  - if needed).

8: Political Action Committee: Serves on coalitions and conducts political action activities in accordance with the FPPC (Fair Political Practices Commission). (minimum of 3 members)

9: Scholarship Committee: Oversees the selection of various RESPA 

scholarships. (minimum of 3 members)

10: Site Representatives Committee: To provide opportunities for training; provide distribute supportive materials as needed and encourage a positive culture. (minimum of 2 members)

11: Sunshine Committee: Sends appropriate correspondence to members on behalf of the association. (minimum of 2 members) 

12: Organizing/ Crisis Committee: Develops and plans the  strategies and                       

                                        activities around issues that support the Negotiations Committee. 

                                        Plan all  social events and community involvement for the association    

                                        with the approval of the site Representative Council.      

             (minimum of 5 6 members) 

13: Catastrophic Leave Committee: With the District the committee oversees Catastrophic Leave bank, and reviews and approves requests for withdrawal as per the Bargaining Agreement. (minimum of 3 members)

14: LCAP Committee: The committee members represent RESPA on the District’s greater LCAP committee. (5 members)

15. Safety and Stress Reduction Committee: 3 members are appointed to be part of the District Safety and Stress Reduction Committee. Refer to Item 25 in the Bargaining Agreement. 

16.        Safety Committee: Assess concerns by members regarding potential violations of rights and safety that could lead to grievances. (min. 3)

C: Ad Hoc Committees: The function of ad hoc committees is to accomplish specific tasks, often on a short-term basis not easily provided for elsewhere in the committee system. Each ad hoc committee has a particular goal to achieve or product to provide to its initiating body; when its task is completed, the committee is dismissed.

1: By Laws Committee: (minimum of 3 Executive Board Members and 2 others) 

2: Standing Rules: (Executive Board Committee) 

3: Re-Classification Committee: to review and promote reclassifications as needed. One member of the committee will closely reflect on the classification being reviewed. 

VIII: Association Representation

For the purposes of fair representation on state level boards and committees, when the President is elected or serves in a different capacity, the RESPA President may recommend one of the current Executive Board officers to serve and provide representation as RESPA President designee.  This appointment/election shall be for limited and specific purposes and the powers and authority of the appointed/elected person shall be limited to those specifically by the RESPA President with approval of the Executive Board. 

Date submitted to Executive Board for approval: 7/12/2025

On 7/12/2025 changes were moved by Liz Huerta-Brewster, seconded by Cheryl Perugini, and passed without objection.

Provided to Site Representative Council 8/25/2025

______________________________________________________________________________

Date submitted to Executive Board for approval: 1/5/2026

On 1/5/2026 changes were moved by Liz Huerta-Brewster, seconded by Marisela Gonzalez, and passed without objection.

Provided to Site Representative Council 1/26/2026

_____________________________________________________________________________

On April 6. 2026 changes were moved by Liz Huerta-Brewster, seconded by Cheryl Perugini, and passed without objection. 

Provided to Site Representative Council 4/27/2026

RESPA EXPENSE REPORT 2026 (2).pdf

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