§ 505 — Election of the active teacher members of the board

§ 505. Election of the active teacher members of the board. 1. An\nannual convention of the members of the retirement system shall be held\nwithin the state of New York during the month of October or November, at\nan hour and place set by the retirement board on or before May first of\neach year, for the purpose of electing members of the retirement board.\n 2. Said convention shall be composed of delegates selected as\nhereinafter provided from each territory constituting the jurisdiction\nof, unless otherwise provided for herein, a district superintendent, of\na village or a city superintendent, or from a school district within a\nsupervisory district and having at least seventy-five members of the\nretirement system, or from the department, or from a unit of the state\nuniversity, which territory, school district, department or unit shall\nconstitute a territorial unit of representation in the assembly of\ndelegates. Each territorial unit shall be entitled to be represented in\nsuch convention by one delegate for each two hundred members of the\nretirement system employed on a per annum basis in said unit. The total\nentitlement to delegates for each territorial unit shall be the number\nof such members divided by two hundred, rounded off to the nearest whole\nnumber; provided, that each unit shall be entitled to at least one\ndelegate.\n 3. Delegates from each territorial unit shall be elected, for a\ntwo-year term to commence on August first of the year of election, by\nthe vote of a plurality of the members of the retirement system within\nsuch territorial unit voting by secret ballot. If there is more than one\ndelegate entitled to be elected to represent a territorial unit, the\nvoters shall be instructed to cast a vote for sufficient persons in the\nnumber needed to represent the territorial unit and those candidates\nreceiving the most votes shall be declared elected.\n 4. The election of delegates shall be held in odd numbered years, no\nearlier than March first and no later than June first, in accordance\nwith rules adopted by the chief administrative officer of each\nterritorial unit or his designee. The chief administrative officer of\neach territorial unit or his designee shall, no later than July first,\nfile with the retirement system a certificate of election containing the\nnames and addresses of the delegates elected to the annual convention\nand such other information as may be required by the retirement board\nand shall furnish the delegates elected with a copy of said certificate\nof their election. The certificate of election shall be in a form\nprescribed by the retirement board.\n 5. An alternate shall be elected, in the same manner as prescribed for\ndelegates, for each delegate to serve if the delegate is absent or\nunable to serve.\n 6. Each delegate and alternate must be a member of the retirement\nsystem and employed as a teacher in the territorial unit which he or she\nrepresents. A person may be elected to only one position, and each\ndelegate shall be entitled to only one vote.\n 7. If both a delegate position and its corresponding alternate\nposition become vacant, a special election shall be held, no later than\nOctober first, in the same manner as the regular election to fill the\nremaining portion of the term, and the chief administrative officer or\nhis designee shall no later than October sixth file with the retirement\nsystem a certificate of election and shall furnish the delegate so\nelected with a copy of said certificate of election.\n 8. Said convention shall be called to order by a member of the\nretirement board designated by said board, and shall organize the\nelection of a chairman and a secretary. A majority of all delegates\nentitled to seats in said convention shall constitute a quorum for the\ntransaction of business.\n 9. Members of the retirement board shall be elected by a majority of\nthose present and voting at the convention held pursuant to this section\nfor a term commencing on the first day of February following the\nelection. In order to be eligible to be elected to the retirement board\npursuant to this section, a person must be a member of the retirement\nsystem.\n 10. The provisions of this section shall be deemed mandatory and not\ndirectory.\n